Travel to Mexico- question

I'm a US citizen. I'd like to take a little side trip to Mexico, via
Presidio, Texas this summer. Can I drive my own vehicle into Mexico without
too much trouble? I won't be travelling far. What about vehicle insurance-
is my current ins. good enough? Can I carry a handgun with me? (I'll be
camping, this is just a side trip, so I'll be bringing everything). (btw...
I'm not interested in a discussion about the merits of carrying a handgun,
save that for another newsgroup.)
Thank you.
geotek

(geotek) wrote in news:V6%Cc.2912$Qa2.835
@newssvr23.news.prodigy.com:

What about vehicle insurance-
is my current ins. good enough?

Probably not, but why not ask your own agent?

Can I carry a handgun with me?

No.

--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN |

No hand guns are allowed!!!

You will need Auto insurance issued by a Mexican Company. Even the most
reputable among those companies are far from what you might consider
reputable, and they will attempt to evade payments on claims.

I live near the Mexican border and would not think of driving my car
across. I park on the US side and walk across.

Kidnapping of anyone who might appear to have financial backing has
become a major industry in Mexico. Police there are of little help as
they are sometimes involved with the kidnappers.

Want to go to Mexico? I would not recommend going to remote places on
your own. Except for border towns, or major tourist cities such as
Mexico City and Acapulco, go with a large tour group. As with all
tourist cities, even there you must use common sense and caution.

I recently took an 8 day tour of Copper Canyon, Mexico with a group and
it went very well. There were armed guards on the train. They have been
placed on the trains ever since an incident that occurred about 8 years
ago when it was stopped by banditos and one tourist killed.

B.A.

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"geotek" wrote in message m...
I'm a US citizen. I'd like to take a little side trip to Mexico, via
Presidio, Texas this summer. Can I drive my own vehicle into Mexico without
too much trouble? I won't be travelling far. What about vehicle insurance-
is my current ins. good enough? Can I carry a handgun with me? (I'll be
camping, this is just a side trip, so I'll be bringing everything). (btw...
I'm not interested in a discussion about the merits of carrying a handgun,
save that for another newsgroup.)
Thank you.
geotek

you know i have gotten flack for traveling to mexico since my first
real visit back in 1999. I was 22, spoke little to no english, and was
ignoring as much as possible all of the ill faded attempts to keep me
from visiting what everyone thought was a horrible and evil place.
most of these comments from people who had never even been, or had
just passed through EL PASO!!! boy am i glad i ignored them. i have
traveled quite a bit and mexico is by far one of the most beautiful
places i have ever seen. granted there is crime; smugglers, drugs,
robbery, etc, but there is that in everyones backyard.
anyway, you must have a few things for your trip. first is a valid
state ID or Drivers License. Second is a birth certificate. NOT A
COPY, but a real NOTORIZED birth certificate. if you are driving, you
must stop at the border and get a vehicle importation cerficate and
sticker that you must apply to the windshield of your auto. this cost
(as of last year) about $22 AND you MUST charge this amount onto a
credit card that has the same name as the person who appears on the,
yes, Title of the auto. also shop around online and go ahead now and
get a years worth of mexican auto insurance, it usually runs about
$155 for my suburban. br
in short you needbr
valid drivers license
brbirth certificate
brmexican auto insurance
brcredit card (with matching name on the title)
brtitle
brvehicle importation sticker (on the mex side of the border)
brbr
i know it sounds like a lot, but if i can do it anyone can. also, may
i suggest a book that i reffered to as the bible, its called The
Peoples Guide to Mexico by Carl Franz and Steve Rogers. its great. i
had very little trouble in mex, only some that i caused myself, and
found myself in a wonderful wonderful place. oh yeah, dont drive at
night......hehe
anymore ?'s i will help as much as i can

geotek wrote:
I'm a US citizen. I'd like to take a little side trip to Mexico, via
Presidio, Texas this summer. Can I drive my own vehicle into Mexico without
too much trouble? I won't be travelling far. What about vehicle insurance-
is my current ins. good enough? Can I carry a handgun with me? (I'll be
camping, this is just a side trip, so I'll be bringing everything). (btw...
I'm not interested in a discussion about the merits of carrying a handgun,
save that for another newsgroup.)
Thank you.
geotek



My wife and I have driven into Mexico from the US five times (once with
our then-teenage children). We have also driven rental cars at least
twice, in the Yucatan and Quintana Roo. We have never had any kind of
problem, discounting mechanical problems twice.

Admittedly, the trips deep into the country were in 1976 (from New York
to Belise, Guatemala, and Honduras) in a VW Camper with our 14 and 16
year old children, and in 1981 as far as Isla Muhares (sp?), in a diesel
pickup truck. Since then we have made three forays into Baja, once just
a little way down the East side, twice to La Paz, including two years
ago, in various camping vehicles.

We have not entered from the El Paso area, just twice through
Brownsville and three times from California.

Yes, you need documentation. A passport is best (then you don't need to
carry your birth certificate around with you). And insurance is a must.
In case of an accident, who ever is at fault, you can be held if you
don't have valid insurance. We never carried our car titles with us, in
fact New York didn't even issue titles when we made the earlier trips.

Also, if you are only going a short distance into Mexico, maybe 15 miles
(but that is a guess) a lot of the rigmarole is waived. You still need
the insurance, but the import stuff is not bothered with. For example,
entering from San Diego you don't even go through Mexican controls until
you get down to Ensinada, and then you have go searching for the office!

So, prepare and enjoy.

Cyril Alberga

The following information is directly from the government of Mexico.
Without proper papers, if you have an accident, you could be jailed. Pay
particular attention to the last line of the text.
---------------------------------------------------
Here are a couple of steps you need to take when you decide to drive
across the border into Mexico. If you abide by these rules, you'll be
making sure you can legally take your trip to Mexico by car.
If your travel is within the Border Zone (usually up to 20 kilometers
south of the U.S.-Mexico Border) or the Free Trade Zone (including the
Baja California Peninsula and the Sonora Free Trade Zone) there are no
procedures to comply with. However, if you wish to pass these zones, the
following procedures will apply. You must secure a permit by following
the next few steps.
Step One
To acquire a permit simply drive your vehicle (including RV's) to a
Mexican customs office at the border and present an original plus two(2)
copies of the following documents:
Valid proof of citizenship (passport or birth certificate).
The appropiate immigration form (tourist card).
The valid vehicle registration certificate, or a document, such as the
original title that certifies the legal ownership of the vehicle. It
must be in the driver's name.
The leasing contract (if the vehicle is leased or rented) which must be
in the name of the person importing the car. If the vehicle belongs to a
company, present the document that certifies the employee works for the
company.
A valid driver's license, issued outside Mexico.
An international credit card, also issued outside Mexico (American
Express, Diner's Club, Mastercard or Visa), in the name of the driver of
the vehicle.
Note: If you do not possess an international credit card, you will be
asked to post a bond, payable to the Federal Treasury, issued by an
authorized bonding company in Mexico.
As an alternative to posting a bond, you may make a cash deposit at
Banco del Ej=E9rcito in an amount equal to the value of your vehicle
according to the "Table of Vehicle Values for Bonding Companies" (see
table at bottom of the page for an idea of the cost).
Step Two
Once you have the originals and photocopies of these documents, present
them to the Vehicular Control Module located in Customs to process the
importation permit.
All documents and the credit card must be in the name of the owner, who
must also be in the vehicle when crossing the border.
Step Three
Your international credit card will be charged an amount in national
currency equivalent to US $15.00 at the Banco del Ej=E9rcito.
If you do not have an international credit card, Banco del Ej=E9rcito
will accept a cash deposit in an amount equal to the value of you
vehicle (see table). Your deposit plus any interest it may earn will be
returned to you when you leave Mexico. Or, you may choose to obtain a
bond through an authorized Mexican bonding company located at all the
border crossings. The authorized bonding companies will require a
refundable deposit equal to the value of the vehicle, according to the
table below. The bonding company will also assess taxes and processing
costs for this service.
Step Four
Upon your departure from Mexico, and if the vehicle is not going to be
driven back into Mexico, the permit for temporary importation must be
cancelled at Customs. That's all there is to it. Follow these simple
steps and you shouldn't have any problems. However, please remember, if
your car is found in Mexico beyond the authorized time, or without the
appropiate documents, it will be immediately confiscated.

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unread by my server. Only mail which comes from those who are already in
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Look into Sanborn's Insurance. They are supposed to be the best. I used
them when I drove down to the Yucatan from Texas last year. On a tip, I
also purchased the guide books that Sanborns has.. they are extremely
detailed as some of the road in Mexico are not marked too well ... these
guidebooks more than paid for themselves. Also, if you breakdown...
hopefully a green angel will find you... they are a free mobile mechanic
employed by the gov't to help motorists.. oh.. one more thing.. be very
careful of the topes.. or big ass speedbumps... your vehicle will not like
it if you hit one of these going very fast and they are all over... usually
as you enter and leave a town... but not always... keep one person on the
look out at all times..
"geotek" wrote in message
...
I'm a US citizen. I'd like to take a little side trip to Mexico, via
Presidio, Texas this summer. Can I drive my own vehicle into Mexico
without
too much trouble? I won't be travelling far. What about vehicle
insurance-
is my current ins. good enough? Can I carry a handgun with me? (I'll be
camping, this is just a side trip, so I'll be bringing everything).
(btw...
I'm not interested in a discussion about the merits of carrying a handgun,
save that for another newsgroup.)
Thank you.
geotek