The Menaje de Casa is an inventory list of everything we will bring into Mexico with us. Because we have FM3 retiree visas we are allowed to bring our household goods into Mexico without being charged import fees (one time only.) However, there is a process to go through.
Ours involved another visit yesterday to the Mexican Consulate in Seattle with Mr. Diaz. We presented our list of every item (with a dollar value attached to each item), paid a $127 fee and were told to return after 1:30. At 1:30 we received our Menaje de Casa that has the apostille (a stamp that is a verification of a public official's signature) on each page.
Now we just have to get an import sticker for our truck and trailer. We may do this while we are in Phoenix, or we may wait until we actually get to the border crossing in Laredo, TX. Mr. Diaz said we may be able to apply for Mexican license plates because our truck is older, 1992. Does anyone have any info about this??
Sheets tell the story
3 weeks ago
11 comments:
I think they changed the import laws for vehicles a few months ago. I think now that your vehicle has to be a 1998 or newer; but I could be mistaken.
Hi Brenda - do you mean to import it without the temporary import sticker it has be be 1998 or older? Either way, we'll soon find out!
Yes, sorry I thought you were talking about permanently importing it.
I think that you can get the temporary (6 mths. or if you have the FM3 as you do, I believe the sticker is good for as long as your FM3 and renews when you renew your FM3)sticker for any vehicle. As you have your FM3 and for as long as you keep it renewed I believe that your temporary vehicle sticker is good.
As far as I know to get mexican license plates you have to permanently import your vehicle, in other words make it a mexican vehicle, which the temporary import sticker does not do.
BUT I could be wrong.
It used to be that you could nationalize your car if it was older than 10 years old plus some other criteria, such as it had to be made in the Americas.(So there is no way we can nationalize our 10 year old Volvo). My understanding is that there is a new "interpretation" of the law and now your vehicle has to be exactly 10 years old. But TIM, so it could change tomorrow.
I recommend that you get your sticker before you get to the border, because you can only get it while the Banjercito is open (we had to wait around for 2 hours).
Also I believe you will need to hire a customs broker,when you enter Mexico. You should ask in advance so you can make arrangements.
I thought you were going to be working in Mexico? You can't work on a FM-3 rentista visa, it's non-lucrativa. Or did you get a working FM-3 and I just misunderstood.
Regards,
Theresa
Hi,
How do I determine whether or not I'll need a customs broker for my Menaje de Casa? I'll be pulling a 6' by 10' trailer of household items. If I need one, how much do they cost and how do I arrange for one ahead of time?
Jim
Jim - I believe if your belongings are valued over $1,000USD, you will need a broker. I have no idea how much they charge. As it happens, Mike and I inadvertently drove right past the area we were later told we were supposed to stop at to declare the stuff we were bringing in. So we didn't end up using a broker or paying anything! And I think the brokers are only located at the border.
If you're getting your Menaje de Casa apostilled in the US, you might ask at the Consulate Office. Our experience found that everything varies and there are no "right" answers to anything in Mexico. Good luck!
I'm heading down from Canada to Guadalajara in July and should have my FM-3 (working) in hand. I know my vehicle will be a temporary import (good as long as my visa is good). What is the rule on the trailer I'm going to tow? Do you have to promise to bring it back out too? Or can you just sell it in Mexico? Does anyone know?
Thanks,
Ken
Hi Ken,
Those are good questions about your trailer. All I know is that we didn't actually need a import sticker for it (just our truck) to bring it into Mexico.
You might try emailing my friend Bliss in Guaymas (blissinger@gmail.com) and ask if she knows. Also, her blog is http://blissbloggin.blogspot.com/.
What kind of work are you going to do? You can email me at chizillin@att.net. Good luck!
Cynthia
Thanks Cynthia!
I'm moving back to Guadalajara. I was on leave from ITESM there for 4 years and it is time to head back home. I drove up to Edmonton four years ago but going back the other way driving will be a new experience. So I'm doing all I can to prepare before I go.
Thanks for the links, I'll go check out that blog.
Cheers,
Ken
We pulled a 7' by 14' trailer to Mexico in March. It was packed to the brim. We opted not to use a Menaje de Casa since much to the stuff we were bringing was new. When we crossed at Laredo, we just gave our list of itemized and costed things to the customs lady. She spent about 45 seconds looking at it and then stamped it and had us pay the 15% on the total amount we had listed. No hassles, no problems.
Jim
Ken - Wow. Guadalajara to Edmondton and now back. What a change in climate! Have a safe trip.
Jim - Did you go into Mexico with FM3 visas? If so, you could have avoided the 15% since it would have been considered your "one time" to bring in household items. But it sounds like it went pretty easy for you and that's what counts! We somehow missed the aduana (well, we saw the pull-out, but didn't think we needed to stop) and didn't have to pay a customs broker! Whoops.
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