Friday, January 20, 2012

Importing your Foreign Vehicle into Puerto Morelos by Ferry

Update: Read the updated rules and regs for updated cars here.

Update Aug 2015: Readers now report that the boat leaves Miami on Tuesday and arrives in Puerto Morelos on Thursday.


I sat down with fellow Puerto Morelians, Tom and Lynette Klinge, to find out about their recent experience in shipping their car from Florida to Puerto Morelos.  I thought I would share their experience with you, in case you decide to import your vehicle.

Firstly, you will need to transport your car to Port Everglades (Miami), Florida as this is where the shipping company, Hyde Shipping, is located. Some choose to drive the vehicle to Florida, while others choose to have it hauled there.

Tom and Lynette chose to drive their vehicle to the Hyde Shipping Offices in Florida. They were quick to mention that their Hyde Shipping Representative, Joe Rodriguez, was extremely helpful and supportive during the shipping process. (I have included his contact information at the bottom of this article.)

At the time this article's writing, Hyde is shipping weekly with the boat leaving Florida on Thursday and arriving in Puerto Morelos on Tuesday.  Your vehicle will need to be in Florida several days prior to the designated departure day. (Tom and Lynette's vehicle actually arrived a day ahead of schedule, on Monday.) Your vehicle will need to be in Florida several days prior to the designated departure day.

Hyde Shipping will be responsible for shipping your vehicle from the dock in Florida to the dock in Puerto Morelos. Upon arrival, it is your responsibility to retrieve it and deal with the customs agents at the port in Puerto Morelos.

Once is your vehicle arrives in Cancun, you will need to go into Cancun's SAGARPA office to get your import letter stamped. The Hyde Representative, Joe Rodriguez, coordinated this with Tom and Lynette.

At this point, you will also need your Temporary Import Permit and Sticker for your Vehicle.  For this Permit & Sticker, you have 2 options:

1) You can apply for it prior to shipping your vehicle. Apply 3-4 weeks prior to your departure date to be certain that you have the paperwork in time.  To apply in for your import permit in advance, you will need to visit the Banjercito Bank Website.  You can apply online through their website.

Tom and Lynette applied for their permit in advance using Banjercito and said that it was definitely worth it.  They found their Banjercito Representative to be very helpful and it was quite an easy procedure.  Once the permit was shipped to them in the U.S., they affixed the sticker it to their vehicle window prior to having it transported by Hyde.

2) Alternatively, you can go to the customs office in Cancun and apply for your Temporary Import Permit & Sticker.  Your Hyde Shipping Representative can also guide you through this step of the process, but it may be well-worth doing it in advance to save yourself the hassle.

Tom and Lynette arrived at the Puerto Morelos Port with originals and copies of the following: Passports, Vehicle Title, the paperwork from the Temporary Import Permit, and the SAGARPA Letter.  (If you choose to receive your Temporary Import Permit in Cancun, rather than applying early, you will also need to bring this paperwork with you.)

After meeting with the customs agent and the port official, they paid approx. $45 USD for the one day that the car had been at the dock. (They charge a daily storage fee.)

Costs will vary depending on the type of vehicle you ship.  Tom and Lynette reported that their Temporary Import Permit was approx. $300 USD and their cost from Hyde Shipping was $750 USD.


Important Notes:
  1. Plan to ship your vehicle empty - no other household items in the vehicle.
  2. If you plan to leave your car in the country for longer than your original tourist visa (valid up to 180 days), you must have an FM3. See my post, Importing a Foreign Vehicle into Mexico, for more info.

Contact Info:

Hyde Shipping
www.HydeShipping.com
Rep: Joe Rodriguez
Email: JRodriguez@HydeShipping.com
Phone: 305.913.4950



Twitter and Facebook Readers can view the original post and leave comments at: PuertoMorelosBlog.com.

Amber Pierce-Schulz is the Broker/Owner of Mayan Riviera Properties, specializing in Puerto Morelos Real Estate and Puerto Morelos Vacation Rentals. We are members of AMPI and Federally Certified Realtors.