Drive Mexico Magazine

Vehicle Permits and Fees For Mexico

Vehicle permit guidance reviewed October 13, 2026. Immigration, fee-exemption and residency clarification added October 19, 2026.

This section discusses Vehicle Permits and fees – who needs them, where to get them and what documents are required to apply for them.

Warning

Travelers should avoid individuals outside vehicle permit offices offering to obtain the permits without waiting in line, even if they appear to be government officials. There have been reports of fraudulent or counterfeit permits being issued adjacent to the vehicle import permit office in Nuevo Laredo and other border areas. If the proper permit is not obtained before entering Mexico and cannot be obtained at the Banjercito branch at the port of entry, do not proceed to the interior. Travelers without the proper permit may be incarcerated, fined and/or have their vehicle seized at immigration/customs checkpoints.

 

Advertisement

             Illustrative map: confirm your route using the official ANAM guidance below

Where a vehicle permit is required

Foreign-plated vehicles generally need a temporary import permit (TIP) beyond Mexico’s exempt areas. The Baja peninsula, designated border areas and northwestern Sonora have exemptions. Do not assume that every road within 25 kilometres of a border is exempt.

ANAM describes the Sonora permit-free zone using Highway 2 between Agua Prieta and Imuris, Highway 15 from Imuris to Empalme, the state boundary and coastline. Consult the official Sonora map and guidance for your route. Outside that zone, an Only Sonora permit is limited to Sonora. Driving farther into mainland Mexico requires the appropriate national TIP. Vehicle exemptions do not remove immigration requirements.

Immigration and the vehicle permit are separate

Stop at INM to complete immigration even if you are waved through customs. Banjercito handles the vehicle permit; a TIP does not complete your admission to Mexico.

If you complete a land-entry FMM online, print it and present it with your passport to INM for validation at entry. Its validity begins with the immigration stamp. An online TIP does not remove this stop. See INM’s land-entry conditions.

As checked October 19, 2026, the official visitor procedure lists MXN 983. Visitors without permission to work who enter by land and stay seven days or fewer are exempt under Federal Fees Law Article 11, II(a). Tell INM your intended stay before payment. If you exceed seven days, the law requires payment on departure. The exemption does not remove immigration formalities or apply to ordinary airline passengers.

Temporary residence, permanent residence and CANJE

With a valid Mexican temporary or permanent residence card, present your card and passport and enter under your existing status rather than applying for tourist admission. Follow INM’s entry and exit recording instructions. If entering on a residence visa for CANJE, show the visa before admission, check that the entry record reflects CANJE, and apply for the card exchange with INM within 30 calendar days after entry. This is the deadline to begin the procedure, not a guarantee of card delivery.

For an ordinary foreign-owned vehicle TIP, Customs Law Article 106, IV(a) covers visitors and temporary residents; permanent residence is not an eligible category. Temporary residents must meet the permit conditions. CANJE is a residence-card exchange process, not a separate TIP category: tell Banjercito whether your visa is for temporary or permanent residence. Settle the vehicle’s customs status before changing to permanent residence. Motorhomes have separate rules.

Read our FMM and immigration guide for land-border versus airport procedures and official residency sources.

Documents and payment

  • Valid passport and the immigration document appropriate to your status.
  • Vehicle title or registration establishing ownership or lawful possession; bring originals and copies.
  • For a spouse’s, parent’s or child’s vehicle, bring documents proving the relationship and confirm eligibility with Banjercito.
  • For a leased, financed or company vehicle, confirm the required contract and authorization documents before travelling.
  • Carry your valid driver’s licence and Mexican insurance documents.
  • Use an accepted international credit or debit card in the importer’s name. Cash is accepted at border modules, not for online or consular applications.

The processing fee and refundable deposit are separate. Confirm the current fee, tax and payment requirements in Banjercito’s application portal; older online price lists can differ. Do not assume an online discount.

NOTE: Before Banjercito issues a permit, they will verify the VIN # to make sure the vehicle does not have any restrictions to be driven in the US or Canada, in which case the permit will not be allowed.

In addition to having the required documents, you will ALSO need to do the following:

  1. Agree to return the vehicle within its authorized period. For tourist visitors, permit validity follows the authorized immigration stay, up to 180 days; do not assume every permit grants 180 days. Temporary-resident cases require separate guidance.
  2. Pay a deposit:
    • $400 US – 2007 model year and newer
    • $300 US – 2001 – 2006 model years
    • $200 US – 2000 model year or older
  3. Register the vehicle’s definitive return with Banjercito by the maximum return date shown on your permit to qualify for return of the deposit, subject to compliance with the permit conditions.

Keep the payment and cancellation receipts and check that any card refund reaches your account. The processing fee is not the refundable deposit.

Advertisement

Where and how to apply

At the border: use an authorized Banjercito/CIITEV module. Check its location and opening hours before setting out; a crossing open all night does not guarantee that its permit office is open. Obtain the permit before driving beyond the exempt zone.

Online: use the official Banjercito portal, normally 10–60 days before your planned entry. Follow the current upload, payment and approval instructions. Approved permits are delivered electronically to the email address supplied; save and print the document. An application or payment receipt alone is not an approved permit.

In the United States: selected Mexican consulates have Banjercito services—not American consulates. Check locations and book through Banjercito’s consular appointment system. Confirm the available application window and documents for your permit type.

Permit duration and authorized drivers

  1. Motorhome and qualifying travel-trailer TIPs (casas rodantes): the current term is up to 5 years, effective April 1, 2026. The term runs from the permit’s registration date. Earlier importations retain the period authorized under the rules applicable when imported; an existing 10-year permit is not automatically shortened. Check its expiry date with Banjercito. This is a separate category from ordinary passenger vehicles and tow cars, which do not receive a five-year term under this rule. Confirm that Banjercito classifies your RV or trailer as a casa rodante; special combinations can have shorter terms. Sources: November 19, 2025 Customs Law reform, Article 106(V)(b) and transitional provisions First(II) and Third; 2026 RGCE, rule 4.2.6 and transitional provision Fourth. TIP duration checked October 8, 2026.
  2. Multiple Entries with your Vehicle Import Permit. Once you have a vehicle import permit you may drive your vehicle across the border multiple times during the valid length of your permit.
  3. Other persons driving your vehicle in Mexico If the documentation shows the vehicle is registered in the name of a spouse, the importation can be done as long as the marriage certificate (and a copy) is presented.
  4. Who may drive depends on the importer’s immigration status, family relationship and permit category. Check Banjercito’s rules before lending the vehicle, and separately check your insurer’s authorized-driver conditions.

Cancel the permit and keep proof of return

For definitive return, take the vehicle and permit to an authorized border Banjercito/CIITEV module before leaving Mexico and before the permit’s return deadline. The exit crossing need not be the entry crossing, but verify that the chosen module handles cancellation and is open. Obtain and keep the official return/cancellation receipt. Simply crossing into the United States or handing over paperwork without registering the vehicle’s return does not complete cancellation.

For a still-valid multiple-entry or RV permit, confirm whether you need a temporary return record or definitive cancellation; do not confuse the vehicle permit’s expiry with your personal immigration deadline.

Official sources

Banjercito permit guides · Mexican Consulate: documents, payment and deposits · Banjercito: definitive return and deposit refunds