Temporary Vehicle Import Permit (TIP) for Mexico: Banjercito Rules for Visitors and Residents

The TIP (permiso de importación temporal de vehículos) is a customs permit for a car, pickup, motorcycle or motorhome with foreign plates. Banjercito, a Mexican government bank, issues it on behalf of the National Customs Agency (ANAM).

You need a TIP when you drive a foreign-plated vehicle into mainland Mexico beyond the border zone. You do not need one:

• In the border strip near the US-Mexico border.
• On the Baja California peninsula (Baja California and Baja California Sur), unless you take the car to the mainland by ferry. See Baja California and Baja California Sur.
• In the part of Sonora covered by the Sonora Only program.

Check the exact limits with Banjercito before you travel; driving past them without a permit can lead to the car being seized.

Other rules:

• One vehicle per person. You can usually add a trailer, and in some cases a second motor vehicle requires a second eligible person.
• The car must be in your name, or you need written permission from the owner, lender or leasing company.
• Who may drive it: generally the owner, the owner's spouse and children, and other foreigners with legal status. A Mexican national may drive only in limited cases. Check the conditions on your permit.

For tourist entry rules, see visiting Mexico as a tourist.

You can apply:

• Online on the Banjercito website, within a window before your trip. The permit and sticker are sent to you or picked up as the site instructs.
• At the border, at Banjercito modules at major crossings (often at the customs and immigration facilities a short drive into Mexico).

Bring or upload:

• Passport and your immigration document (FMM, residence visa or residence card).
• The vehicle's title or registration in your name.
• Your driver's license.
• A credit or debit card in your name for the fee and deposit.
• For leased or financed cars, a letter from the lender or leasing company allowing the car in Mexico.

You pay a permit fee and a refundable deposit that depends on the vehicle's model year. Banjercito publishes the current amounts. You get the deposit back only if you cancel the permit correctly.

A TIP issued to a temporary resident is linked to the residence card:

• When you renew your residency, you must also extend the TIP through customs before it expires. Keep proof of the extension in the car.
• If your card expires or your residency ends, the car must leave Mexico.
• When you go from temporary to permanent residency, you are no longer eligible for a TIP. Plan what happens to the car before you switch. See temporary to permanent residency.

Your options when you become permanent, or want to keep the car long term, are:

1. Drive it out of Mexico and cancel the TIP at the border.
2. Legally import it (nationalize it) if it meets the rules. See Mexican plates and nationalizing a car.
3. Sell it outside Mexico and buy a car in Mexico.

When the car leaves Mexico for good, stop at the Banjercito or customs module at the border before you cross, and have the permit cancelled. They remove the sticker and give you a receipt.

If you do not cancel it:

• You lose your deposit.
• Customs records show the car still in Mexico, which can block you from getting a TIP for another vehicle in the future.

Keep the cancellation receipt with your records.

• Buy Mexican liability insurance. Most US and Canadian policies do not provide the liability coverage Mexico requires. Mexican law requires liability insurance on federal highways.
• Carry your documents: TIP, immigration document, license, registration and insurance policy.
• Driver's license. Visitors can usually drive with a valid foreign license. Residents should read driver's licenses in Mexico.
• Safety. Check current conditions for your route. See safety in Mexico.