Moving Back With the Car: Export Papers, the Loan, and When to End the California Policy

Driving to Mexico for a visit and moving there with the car are different events in the eyes of U.S. Customs. The first is travel. The second is an export of "merchandise," and it starts with paperwork on the U.S. side days before you reach the border. The Mexican side has its own rules, which are Mexico's to set; this page covers what happens here.

What CBP will ask for

CBP's rules for exporting a used self-propelled vehicle say you must present both the vehicle and documents describing it, including the VIN, at the port of export. For a vehicle with a U.S. title:

• The original Certificate of Title, or a certified copy of it.
• Two complete copies of that title — both sides, if anything is written on the back.
• If the car is financed or leased, a separate letter from the lienholder or leasing company, on its letterhead, describing the vehicle with its VIN and expressly allowing the export.

CBP examines the documents, marks the originals, and in most cases returns them to you.

The 72-hour rule at a land crossing

For vehicles exported by highway or under their own power, CBP requires the documentation to be submitted at least 72 hours before export, and the vehicle to be presented at the time of export. Port directors set the locations and hours where documents and vehicles are presented. Contact the port you plan to use well before the date.

The loan: the step people forget

If a bank or credit union holds the title, you cannot export the car without its written permission. Either pay the loan off and get a clean title first, or ask the lender for the export letter CBP requires. Expect the lender to want its own paperwork; that is between you and the lender.

California insurance: keep it until the car is gone

Your California policy should stay in force until the car has crossed. Cancelling it a week early leaves you driving uninsured, and if the car is still registered, the DMV suspends registration when it does not receive proof of insurance. Once in Mexico, your U.S. policy is not enough: the U.S. Embassy says to buy a separate Mexican auto policy. Have that Mexican policy start before you cross, then cancel the California policy effective the day after the car leaves, and keep the cancellation confirmation.

California registration

If the car will never come back, ask the DMV how to record that so renewal notices and insurance-verification problems stop. If you might bring it back and it will sit off California roads for a full registration year, planned non-operation is the tool the DMV offers for a vehicle that will not be driven, towed, stored or parked on public roads.

The Mexican side

Mexico sets its own rules, taxes and permits for a car that is staying there. The U.S. paperwork above only gets the car out of the United States. Ask a licensed Mexican customs broker or a Mexican consulate what the import requires before you plan the date, because a car that clears U.S. export can still be stopped on the other side.

A checklist for the last two weeks

1. Original title in hand (or the lender's export letter).
2. Two complete copies of the title, front and back.
3. Documents submitted to the port at least 72 hours ahead.
4. Mexican policy bought, starting before the crossing.
5. California policy cancelled only after the car has left, with written confirmation.

If you are staying and buying a different car instead, start a quote here.