RV/Travel Trailer Mexico Vehicle Import Permit

If you plan to drive your RV or travel trailer beyond the Mexico "Free Zone" you will need to purchase a Mexico Vehicle Import Permit.

*Please note: A Temporary Importation Permit (TIP) can ONLY be obtained through Mexico's Banjercito government agency. Mexpro has no affiliation, authority or connections with this organization.

Do I Need a Temporary Importation Permit for My RV?

You DO NOT need a vehicle import permit if you are ONLY driving your RV in the Mexico Free Zone, also called the Liberated Zone, Perimeter Zone or Free Trade Zone.

The free zone extends from Mexican international land borders, inland, about 12 miles or 20 kilometers. The entire Baja California peninsula and a large portion of Sonora are also part of the free zone. The Mexican government gave these areas special customs exemptions to improve tourism.

If you do not have an importation permit and are traveling outside the free zone, you could be sent back to the border, incarcerated, fined, and/or have your vehicle confiscated at an immigration/customs checkpoint in the interior of Mexico.

Sonora Only Permit

The Sonora Free Zone includes that portion of Sonora west of the 15 highway and north of KM 98. If traveling outside this area, you will need a TIP. If you plan to only drive in the Mexican state of Sonora, you can obtain a Sonora Only Vehicle Import Permit.

How Do You Get a TIP?

The temporary vehicle import permit can be obtained from Banjercito, the official Mexican issuing agency. The permit may be purchased:

  • Online at the Banjercito website,
  • At the border,
  • Or at select Mexican consulates in the U.S.

You can purchase the permit online between 10 and 60 days prior to travel into Mexico, or up to six months in advance at Mexican consulates offering permits.

*Despite any advice, official or unofficial, to the contrary, vehicle permits cannot be obtained at checkpoints in the interior of Mexico.

 

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.

Driving beyond the free zone without the proper permit may result in fines, incarceration, and/or vehicle seizure at immigration/customs checkpoints within the interior of Mexico.