Tucson Sailing Club San Carlos Connection
DRIVING TO SAN CARLOS
PAPERWORK
The paperwork requirements to visit Mexico beyond the frontier zone (about 20 kilometers deep) are not terribly hard to deal with, but do require a bit of advanced planning.
To travel in Mexico beyond the frontier zone and visit San Carlos requires a Mexican Tourist Card or visa. Tourist cards or visas are good for 6 months. No fee tourist cards are now available for visits of 7 days or less. If you are staying longer than 7 days the fee must be paid.
To get a tourist card, you must have the following:
- A valid passport or an original or notarized birth certificate or voter's registration card.
- A valid picture ID with address shown.
- A minor traveling with one parent will need written permission from the other parent. Small children who do not have ID of their own will generally be included on a parent's tourist card.
There is a $22/person visitors fee which is paid at the Banjercito (Bank of the Army & Navy) located near the Migracion (Mexican Immigration) office. Or at any other Bank. Actual cost will vary slightly depending on the currency exchange rate. The process is essentially the same at any of the border crossing locations.
1. Go to Migracion and
present your identification to the official. They will complete the form and
return it to you to sign. Tell them if you are staying for 7 days or less
to get the no-fee tourist card.
2. Go to the Banjercito with the document and pay the tourist card fee, if
staying longer than one week. Banjercito will stamp your tourist card
indicating that you have paid and give you a receipt.
3. Return to Migracion with your tourist card. The official will
affix the final stamps to it.
4. Proceed to the Customs check point.
That's It you are on your way
If you plan to travel south of the San Carlos/Guaymas/Empalme
area
Before proceeding to obtain your car permit, you will need a copy of the tourist
card. Migracion can direct you to a copy center.
Once you have your tourist card from the Migracion (Mexican Immigration), you can obtain the necessary permit for your vehicle. Have the following and bring copies of each to provide the issuing authorities:
- The Title and a copy
- Registration and a copy
- Your Drivers License and a copy.
- A major Credit Card
- Your tourist card/visa and a copy.
You will post a bond of about $28 on the vehicle with the credit card. The purpose is to verify that you will not sell the vehicle in Mexico. This is non-refundable. If you plan to use cash, the price goes up to over $200 so use a credit card. The vehicle agency is the Banjercito, the Bank of the Armed Forces and your credit card is quite safe here.
NEW: For your convenience, you may now complete the Banjercito paperwork for your vehicle registration in advance via the Internet. This application must be processed no more than 24 hours and within 30 days of your planned entry date into Mexico. No charges will be made to your credit card until you actually appear at a Banjercito office to complete the application and obtain your car permit. To access the Banjercito web site in English, click here. Be sure to print the application when you have completed it.
If you plan to travel no
farther than the within the State of Sonora, you may obtain an Only Sonora
permit for your vehicle. You are required to have the same documents as
for the regular permit, but do not have to post the bond. Note that these
are single visit permits and must be turned in each time you depart Mexico and
issued each time you enter. The 21 KM checkpoint south of Nogales is the
only issue and the only turn in location for these permits.
The bonded permits are good for multiple entrances and for six months. If you won't be back in six months, turn them in upon leaving the country. They can get quite testy if you do not.
If you plan to bring a boat and trailer, ATV, PWC or other toy along, have all the documents and copies of the documents for these as well. Boats can be documented for up to 10 years. It's a different form than for motor vehicles. No bond is required on the boat.
You may be asked to pay duty on certain items, including computers. In some instances, very expensive new big game fishing tackle may also be taxed. Don't try to hide it but be prepared. And one more time: NO FIREARMS OR AMMUNITION, including shell casings. If they catch you with any of it, you are looking at 5 YEARS in Mexican prison. You'll pass two such places on your way to San Carlos; neither looks like a very nice place. Check your vehicle for any of this and leave it home.
For additional information, the Manual for Tourist Entry, 2004 may be viewed here in Adobe pdf format.
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