Bringing a US car to Mexico: permits and plates

You can drive your US-plated car to Mexico City with a Banjercito temporary import permit, as long as you're a visitor or a temporary resident. Go permanent and the car has to leave or be nationalized.

The short version

You need a temporary import permit (TIP) to take a US car beyond the border zone. Only Banjercito, the Mexican army's bank, issues it [1].
It costs about USD 51 at the border or a consulate, or USD 45 online, plus VAT, plus a refundable deposit of USD 200 to 400 depending on the car's model year [1].
The permit lasts as long as your immigration status: your visitor stay, or your temporary residence including renewals. One car per person [2].
Permanent residents aren't covered by the temporary import rule for foreigners' cars [2]. If you switch to residente permanente, plan to take the car out or nationalize it.
Cancel the permit at the border when the car leaves for good, or you can lose your deposit [1].

How the temporary import permit works

Who can get one

Under Article 106 of Mexico's Customs Law (Ley Aduanera), foreigners can temporarily import a vehicle "for the period of their immigration status, including renewals," as long as it's a single vehicle. The rule covers visitors and temporary residents [2]. It doesn't cover permanent residents.

The car must be in your name. Banjercito accepts a title, a valid registration, a financing contract in your name, or a lease with the VIN and a letter from the leasing company authorizing the trip [1]. If the car is financed or leased, get that letter before you go. Your lender may say no.

What it costs

Item	Amount
Permit fee at the border or a consulate	USD 51 plus VAT [1]
Permit fee online	USD 45 plus VAT [1]
Deposit, model year 2007 and newer	USD 400 [1]
Deposit, model years 2001 to 2006	USD 300 [1]
Deposit, model year 2000 and older	USD 200 [1]

Banjercito and the consulates say these are reference amounts, so confirm current fees before you pay [3]. Pay with a credit or debit card in your own name; prepaid cards aren't accepted [3].

How to apply

Get your immigration paperwork first. Visitors need the INM entry record (FMM); residents need their residence card [1].
Choose online, consulate or border. Online, you can apply between 10 and 60 days before you enter Mexico [1]. Some Mexican consulates in the US also issue permits by appointment [3].
Upload or bring documents: passport, proof of ownership, immigration document and payment card [1][3].
Pick up or receive the windshield sticker and keep the paper permit in the car.
Calendar the end date. The return date is printed on the permit [1].

Heads-up: only Banjercito issues permits, and consulate appointments are free. Anyone charging you to "schedule" or "process" your TIP is a middleman or a scam [1].

Who can drive it

The importer, their spouse, parents, children or siblings can drive the car, and so can foreigners with visitor or temporary resident status [2]. A Mexican national can drive it only if someone authorized is in the car [2]. Lending your car to a Mexican friend for the weekend breaks those conditions.

Residents: what changes and when

Temporary residents

As a residente temporal, your permit runs with your residence card, including renewals [2]. When you renew your residence, make sure the permit stays in step. Banjercito and SAT rules spell out the details, and offices have handled extensions differently over the years, so ask before your card expires.

Permanent residents

This is the catch many Americans miss. Article 106 covers visitors and temporary residents, not permanent residents [2]. Once you become a residente permanente, your US-plated car no longer fits the temporary import rules. In practice, that means a trip to the border to take the car out and cancel the permit, ideally before the status change goes through.

If you're planning to go from temporary to permanent after four years, plan the car's exit before your card changes.

Leaving with the car

To get your deposit back, you must cancel the permit at a Banjercito office at a Mexican border crossing, with the car physically present [1]. Consulates can't cancel permits [1]. Ask for the return certificate (certificado de retorno) and keep it. The Mexican consulate in Laredo calls it very important for avoiding problems on future trips [6].

Nationalizing a US car

Nationalizing (importación definitiva) makes the car Mexican so you can put Mexican plates on it. It's the only path if you want to keep a US car as a permanent resident.

The basics:

It's done through a licensed customs broker (agente aduanal) at a border customs office, not at a Banjercito window. Consulates don't handle it [3].
Not every car qualifies. Eligibility depends on the car's age, where it was built and its emissions certification. Rules for used US cars have changed many times through decrees, so check the current version before you buy or ship anything.
You pay import duties, VAT and other charges based on the car's value, plus the broker's fee. For many cars, the total makes nationalizing a poor deal.
Then register it in Mexico City with the city's mobility office (SEMOVI), get Mexico City plates and take the emissions verification test to get a hologram.

The Mexican consulates refer permanent import questions to Mexican customs, at 1-877-448-8728 from the US [3]. A customs broker can quote you before you commit.

Life with a US-plated car in Mexico City

Even with a valid permit, driving a foreign-plated car in the capital has extra friction:

Hoy No Circula hits harder. Cars without a Mexico City emissions hologram, including foreign plates, can't drive on weekday mornings from 5 to 11 a.m., also have a weekly no-driving day and are restricted on Saturdays [4]. During an air contingencia, cars on a tourist import permit are treated like the most restricted category [5].
The free Pase Turístico exempts your car for 3, 7 or 14 days at a time, using your TIP to apply [4]. It doesn't help during contingencias, and it can't be renewed nonstop.
US insurance generally won't cover you. Buy a Mexican liability policy before you cross. Ask the insurer to confirm it covers you as a resident, not just as a tourist.
Parking and theft. Street parking in Roma and Condesa is tight, and many buildings have no garage. A secure spot costs extra.

Lots of Americans in Mexico City end up selling the car stateside and using ride apps, the Metro, Metrobús and the occasional rental. Run the numbers before you drive down.

Before you head south

Step	What to do
1	Decide your immigration status, and whether you'll go permanent within four years
2	Get the lender's or lessor's written permission if the car isn't paid off
3	Apply for the TIP online 10 to 60 days ahead, or at a consulate [1]
4	Buy Mexican auto insurance
5	Learn your Hoy No Circula limits and apply for a Pase Turístico if needed [4]
6	Plan the exit: cancel the TIP at the border before it expires [1]

People who've done the drive from Laredo or Nogales will tell you which crossings are easiest and which insurers paid claims. Ask in our community group for Americans in Mexico.

Bringing a US car to Mexico: permits, plates and the permanent-resident catch