Happy Spring! Buckle Up Buttercup, put your cell phone away and your helmet on because there’s a new Sheriff in town! But first the good news…Extended Border Hours on Fridays from March through October 10th! Yay!! Oh, and more, the weather is absolutely beautiful. The rest is not really bad news, just adjustments many of us will need to make when crossing the border.
I didn’t realize I left off on such a cliffhanger last month as far as my medical journey until I started getting calls, texts and emails. Sorry about that. These past three months have been tiring and a challenge. I don’t have the space to conclude my medical journey in this month’s edition, but I will. Long and short, all is good.
Onto the new “sheriff” in town…lots of rumblings about the border this past year and they’ve really ramped up these past few months. Most has been because the Guardia Nacional took over inspecting vehicles as we cross into Mexico, but there are also new rules being randomly enforced as of now. Complaints, rumors and postings sent us looking for answers and, as we’ve always done for 33+ years now, we go to the source…or sources in this case. Lots of changes. I’m going to keep it short here, but we have changed our Information Pages to reflect the new rules and will post more info. online and get you more details next month.
First of all, don’t shoot the messenger…second, don’t shoot the messenger…third, we’ve been through these kinds of changes before, and we know it’s frustrating and aggravating, but please help us spread the correct information because there is going to come a day, sooner rather than later, when our grace period is over and the rules will no longer be randomly enforced. And let us know if you have questions and concerns so we can address those as well.
Due to the many complaints over the last few months, Alicia and Mario went to Sonoyta and met with officials from ANAM, SENASCIA, INM and the Guardia Nacional. Right now, they are trying to educate travelers, be kind and not issue fines or send people back to the U.S. They gave us no drop-dead-date as to when our “grace period” will be over, but I suspect soon. We were told that these rules below apply to anyone traveling into the “Free Zone”, which includes Puerto Peñasco. If you are traveling to the interior of Mexico you can stick to the same rules that you’re used to regarding importation limits, alcohol, tobacco, etc.
• Every vehicle is inspected coming into Mexico. The red/green light has been done away with. If you have something to declare, pull off to the left and voluntarily declare. If you cross and do not declare, you will be fined. Right now, they are trying to be nice and not issue fines – instead sending you off to declare.
• No cell phone usage! No recording, no photographs, no calls, no texts, no nothing. This goes for the entire customs area. You will not be allowed to show receipts or other information from your cell phone so print it all out.
• No duty-free alcohol. ALL alcoholic beverages – even one can of beer – must be declared and you will pay a 114% duty on whatever you bring. You are allowed nothing…no 3 liters of alcohol and 6 liters of wine, no 6-packs…nothing duty-free. You can bring it, but you need to auto-declare and pay a 114% tax.
• Each person is allowed $150 USD in duty free items with a max. of $400 USD per vehicle (even if there are 10 ppl in the car). That’s it – you can pay duty of 19% and bring $400 USD worth of goods. Receipts are a whole other issue – no phone receipts, all receipts need to be printed. If you do not provide a receipt, they will assess a value to your item and that is what you will pay duty on. Absolutely NO tires, new or used.
• Debit and credit cards are accepted for importation and FMM fees, cash will need to be paid at Santander bank at the border. Keep all receipts.
• No rental or commercial vehicles.
• You cannot drive someone else’s vehicle into Mexico. The name on the registration must be a family name.
• Every visitor must have an FMM as well as a Passport or Passport Card (to get the FMM) and a Driver’s License (those of driving age). An FMM can be good for up to 180 days (one-time entry) and is $861 pesos. No application fee for trips less than 7 days. If you get it online, you still need to stop and get it stamped at the Immigration office so I would recommend you just get it at the border that way you have the official receipt and the stamp.
• Belligerence and ignorant behavior will not be tolerated. You will be escorted back to the U.S. You are entering a foreign country, and it is your responsibility to have your ducks in a row and know the laws (their words). Whipping out your cell phone thinking you are going to record your perceived injustice will have your cell phone confiscated, you fined and then escorted back to the U.S.
• Complaints need to be filed online.
• Vehicles, trailers and towed toys all need to have current registration, and you need to carry your original title – names must match ID’s. This one I have to say I had issues with and tried explaining that no one is going to carry their original title – their answer…you are entering a foreign country and you should carry all of the proper documentation required.
• Vehicle registration cannot expire the same month you are crossing the border. I did this last October and thankfully was not stopped, but their answer…DENIED! You should’ve taken care of your paperwork before you entered a foreign country.
• Food Items – allowed and prohibited have not really changed and are listed on the website and it is up to date. No dairy, meat, fruits, veggies, etc.
• Pets are still pretty much the same. You really only need their rabies certificate and there is no limit on dogs/cats – just not like 50! Still 50 lbs. of dog food per vehicle. And please restrain your pet if you know they are aggressive or get nervous and they must be leashed.
There is more info., links, OR codes, etc. on our Info. Pages and feel free to hit us up on social media, email, WhatsApp or give us a call if you need more info. or have additional questions. This first round of questions has already brought up a lot more, so we are compiling a list for our 2nd meeting after we gather some more data.
Cheers to everyone! Changes stink sometimes, but it’s great for the economy of Peñasco so plan to shop local – we have just about everything you need…even some good choices of Malbec.
