Driving to Mexico? Your U.S. policy isn't enough.

Do you need a vehicle import permit?

Mexican auto insurance and Mexico's temporary vehicle import permit are two separate things, and a trip can need both. Mexico's customs agency, ANAM, says that when you come to Mexico from abroad and bring your vehicle, you need a permit to enter the country. Banjercito, the Mexican government bank that issues it, says the service is only for Mexicans living abroad and foreign tourists.

Where you drive matters:

• Border strip. The Baja California Sur government says vehicles owned by residents abroad may circulate within a 20-kilometer strip parallel to the international boundary and in the border region, as long as they have foreign plates or documents showing they are registered abroad.
• Northwest Sonora. ANAM says vehicles of foreign tourists and Mexicans living abroad may circulate freely in northwest Sonora. The zone runs east along federal Highway 2 from Agua Prieta to Highway 15 at Imuris, then down Highway 15 to Empalme, and west from San Luis Río Colorado along the state line and coast to Empalme. A car carrying recreational vehicles not built for public roads, or a boat up to 4.5 meters long, can't use this benefit and needs a temporary import permit.
• Rest of Sonora. ANAM says the "Sólo Sonora" permit is for entering the rest of the state and is valid for 180 days.
• Other trips. Banjercito issues the permit at the border, at consulates and online.

Banjercito also takes a refundable guarantee deposit. ANAM says it is returned the same way you paid it, as long as the vehicle's final return is recorded before the permit expires. If you didn't return the vehicle on time, ANAM's "Retorno Seguro" process gives five business days from filing the notice to take it back legally, and ANAM suggests not driving it until that is done. When I set up a Mexico policy, I match its dates and VIN to the permit so the two papers agree.

If the car is wrecked or stolen in Mexico

A crash or theft in Mexico starts a customs process as well as an insurance claim, because the permit commits you to taking the vehicle back out. ANAM sets out the steps:

1. Accident in Mexico. Within 15 business days, file the original "Aviso del Accidente" form (Annex 5) at the customs office nearest the accident. Then request authorization to destroy the wreck, and once it is granted, request cancellation of the permit at the nearest customs office or at ANAM's Dirección General de Operación Aduanera in Mexico City.
2. Theft in Mexico. Go to the nearest customs office with the theft report filed with the authorities, showing the make, model and serial number. ANAM says the applicable foreign trade taxes must be paid.
3. Theft, sale, accident, seizure or breakdown outside Mexico. Prove it with the original document from the authority involved, sent by certified mail to the Dirección General de Operación Aduanera. ANAM says a certification from a U.S. notary public will not be accepted.

At the scene, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico says: "Need police or an ambulance? Call 911."

Keep the police report, the adjuster's paperwork and the permit together. The Mexico insurer's claim file and the customs filing ask for many of the same facts, and a total loss is the case where you can't drive the vehicle out to record its return.

Official sources

• ANAM (Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México): Importación temporal de vehículos
• Banjercito (gob.mx): Sistema de Importación Temporal de Vehículos
• Gobierno de Baja California Sur: Autos propiedad de extranjeros (fiscalización aduanera)
• U.S. CBP: U.S. Residents Importing and Exporting Vehicles
• U.S. CBP: What to Expect When You Return
• U.S. CBP: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
• U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico: Driving to Mexico