I know that TIP´s do not exist for foreign plated vehicles in Baja.
My insurance and registration are up-to-date and I am not planning to take my foreign plated vehicle over to the mainland.
My question is about becoming an RP and continuing to maintaining a foreign plated vehicle in Baja. Does anyone know for sure whether this is legal according to the Aduana in La Paz?
I presume the rules would be the same now as they were for the previous Immigrado status but I don´t know what they used to be.
Probably best to check with Aduana. Historically permanent residents have not been allowed to have a foreign plated car.
While it is true that an RP cannot have a TIP, it is also true that no one needs a TIP in Baja.
Yes, the car will be fine in Baja. Remember this -- no TIP is needed, but your license plates and registration must be kept current.
Rolly, I always love your advice!
I have an RP visa and will soon arrive. It will be easier and probably cheaper for me to buy a car in Arizona (where I own property and have family) than in Mexico. What you are saying is that it would be fine to do that? I can drive that car in Baja? Is that because a TIP is not required or ?
I lived in QRoo which is treated the same as the Baja in regards to not needing TIP's. This is not a TIP issue.
I believe that once you have your RP you are treated the same as Mexican nationals. For the most part, Mexican nationals are not allowed to drive foreign plated vehicles anywhere in the country. The are some exceptions to this rule.
In my area you don't see Mexicans driving foreign plated cars. Do you see Mexicans driving them where you live? That might be the litmus test for your area.
Beware of information that lumps "Baja" into a single entity. It's true that no TIP is required for either state, but beyond that, what goes on in the northern state of Baja California, especially near the border, is often worlds removed from the reality in Baja California Sur. Here in La Paz I don't see Mexicans driving foreign-plated cars, while I've read on countless occasions that it's common practice "up north".
The issue of Residente Permanente came up this past week on a local Yahoo group, but no one seems to have an official answer. Someone did say that under the previous regulations, he had to get rid of his US car when he changed his status to Inmigrado.
Also keep in mind that in the context of BCS, "nationalizing" can refer to getting Frontera plates, which is what most people (foreign and Mexican) do. "Frontier nationalization" is easier and cheaper to obtain and allows the vehicle to circulate freely on the peninsula but not on the mainland, at least not without a permit. For example, my car was imported in 1997, two Mexican owners ago. Duty was paid, a pedimento was issued, and it has BCS Frontera plates, as do at least half the BCS-plated cars on the road in La Paz. But it also has a "J" VIN number and is ineligible for true "nationalization" in non-frontier areas.