Job Discussion Forums

[chula]

Hello all. I am renewing my FM3 and have my car down here. I was told at aduana when I came into the country that the permit was connected to my FM3. The customs officials here have no idea how to do this. Has anyone done this? Please give me any helpful advice you can. Thanks.

[Guy Courchesne]

What? That's strange...your car permit shouldn't be connected to your FM3 at all. You should call up migracion in DF and ask them about this.

[moonraven]

Pure BS. There is no connection at all.

There is a way to renew online. PM me and I will give you the e-mail of a person who does it that way.

[chula]

This is what I found online. I'm going to immigration today and I'll ask them, again. We'll see if they agree with it.

Your Car's Permit, Insurance, and a Few Rules

Renewal of your car's permit:

The car permit which you got at the border is valid so long as your FM3 is valid -- with renewals for as long as you wish -- but you must keep Aduana informed about your FM3 status. You will see an expiration date on the permit. That is the date your permit becomes invalid unless you renew your FM3. The FM3 is renewed by immigration which does not tell Aduana that you have renewed -- you must do that yourself. Within 10 days after you renew your FM3, you must file some paperwork to continue your registration. You do not have to go back to the border, you can do it by mail or in person if you live near one of the 42 cities that have an Aduana office. There is no fee. You will not be given a new sticker or registration papers, so be sure to keep a copy of the letter in your car attached to the copy of the registration form that you should always carry in your car. Do NOT carry the original in your car. You will need that paper if anything happens to your car.

Here is the form of the letter and address you should send it to:

_______________________________________________________________________

Administraci�n General de Aduanas
Administraci�n Central de Planeaci�n Aduanera
Av. Hidalgo No. 77, M�dulo IV, primer piso
Col. Guerrero, Delegaci�n Cuauhtemoc
C�digo Postal 06300, Mexico, D.F.

Por medio de la presente me permito informarle a used que El Instituto Nacional de Migraci�n de este pa�s me ha concedido prorroga en mi calidad migratoria por el tiempo de __*__ d�as para permanecer en M�xico, con vencimiento del d�a __**____.

[*= number of days of your FM3 renewal � usually 365]
[**= expiration date of your renewal]

Lo que estoy avisando a esta autoridad para los efectos del Articulo 106, fracci�n IV, inciso a de la Ley Aduanera, con respecto a la importaci�n temporal de mi veh�culo:

Marca:_____________________ [Make of car]
Modelo: ___________________ [Model of car]
No de serie_________________ [VIN]
Efectuada por la Aduana de _______________________ [where you got the permit]
Amparo del Permiso de Importaci�n Temporal No. _______ [hologram number]
Fecha de Entrada del veh�culo: _______________ [date of entry with vehicle]
Fecha de Vencimiento del Permiso: ___________ [expiration date of permit]

Para que pueda prolongarse el plazo del veh�culo mientras dure mi calidad migratoria.

Atentamente,

[Your signature]
[Your name]

_______________________________________________________________________

In some cities, you can hand deliver this letter to the local Aduana office. You should inquire if they will accept it and how many copies they will require. The office in Mazatlan is reported to require 3 copies of the letter and 2 copies each of the original registration card, the picture portion of your FM3 and 2 copies of the renewal page.

The advantage of filing locally is that they will give you a stamped copy of the letter which you can carry in your car along with copies of your other papers. When you file by mail, you may or may not receive a receipt.

If you enter Mexico with an FMT and while in country convert to an FM3, you will NOT be required to get a new car permit. Your original registration continues to be valid so long as your FM3 is valid. But you do need to tell Aduana abut your changed status. Use the letter from above.

Look here to see the actual law that says your registration permit is valid so long as your visa is valid. Article 106 It also tells you who can drive your car.

[Flo]

Chula - Thanks for posting the info. You are 100% correct in all the information. This is what my co-worker and I had to do to get the car permits extended. We went to the SAT office in our city and the woman there gave us stamped copies of the letters saying we request information to entend the car permits. Now we are waiting for the office in DF to send us the official letters. Apparently this can take 3 months (we have been waiting for 2 months already).

The law is that your car permit is valid as long as your FM3 is valid. However, this is not recognized in my city. The woman at SAT told us that the majority of the police in town are illiterate, and those that can read don�t follow the law anyway. My friend was driving legally under the law, but her letter from last year had expired for her car and she ended up paying a huge mordida.

The SAT lady told us another interesting thing. If you are stopped by the municipal police for a traffic violation, they can request to see your driver�s license, but they cannot ask for your immigration documents. Only the migra can request to see your Passport, FM3, car permission, etc.

[chula]

Hey, thanks Flo for confirming the info. That helps me out a lot!

[Samantha]

It is ONLY Aduana that possesses authority over temporarily imported vehicles. Their inspectors, who will have appropriate identification, do spot-check documents from time to time.