Driving from Canada to Mexico

[alemoo]

Can anyone tell me the requirements of traveling through the US, to drive to Mexico?
I might have been offered a job in Mexico, so I can spend a year there with my wife and daughter, until the Sponsorship is approved.

I own a car but I am making payments on it.
I have a passport.
I will have a letter from the Mexican employer that says I am offered the job.
I will have my valid provincial driver's license
I will have my long for version of my birth certificate

Is there anything else I need?
I don't want to be denied entry to the US when I am only trying to transit through, in order to drive to Mexico for my new job.

 

[deweysmith]

Canadian passport? Or are you a permanent resident? Which country is your passport from?

 

[alemoo]

I am a Canadian citizen.

 

[Aquakitty]

I am a Canadian citizen.

Then you have no problem at all. Just tell them the truth at the border, you are going to Mexico for a job. They don't care as long as you aren't working in the US. Just don't bring across any fruits and veg or any over the counter medication.

 

[deweysmith]

Yup. You are free to enter the USA for up to six months at a time, transit or not, as long as you are not criminally inadmissible. They may be curious about your job offer in Mexico, but you should have no problems. Your birth certificate is also totally unnecessary, your passport is acceptable proof of citizenship, so unless you need it in Mexico, I would leave it behind.

Your vehicle is allowed into the USA for the same six months that you are, as long as its registration is current, so no problems there. You may want to verify coverage abroad with your insurance company.

 

[CANzanillo]

Can anyone tell me the requirements of traveling through the US, to drive to Mexico?
I might have been offered a job in Mexico, so I can spend a year there with my wife and daughter, until the Sponsorship is approved.

I own a car but I am making payments on it.
I have a passport.
I will have a letter from the Mexican employer that says I am offered the job.
I will have my valid provincial driver's license
I will have my long for version of my birth certificate

Is there anything else I need?

If previously married and are applying for PR in Mexico, a translated divorce certificate?
I don't want to be denied entry to the US when I am only trying to transit through, in order to drive to Mexico for my new job.

 

[CANzanillo]

Can anyone tell me the requirements of traveling through the US, to drive to Mexico?
I might have been offered a job in Mexico, so I can spend a year there with my wife and daughter, until the Sponsorship is approved.

I own a car but I am making payments on it.
I have a passport.
I will have a letter from the Mexican employer that says I am offered the job.
I will have my valid provincial driver's license
I will have my long for version of my birth certificate

Is there anything else I need?
I don't want to be denied entry to the US when I am only trying to transit through, in order to drive to Mexico for my new job.

Your Canadian car is going to become a problem in Mexico if/when you apply for and receive PR there. It's fine if you are in the country on a 6 month tourist visa as you can temporarily import it into the country. However, when you become a PR in Mexico you are not allowed to own a foreign plated vehicle. You would have to legalize it (permanently import) at the NORTHERN border upon entry into Mexico and depending on the vehicle it could cost $500 to $2000 or more. And there are age restrictions for the vehicles.

Consider instead flying down and buying a car IN Mexico for transportation.

 

[CANzanillo]

Your Canadian car is going to become a problem in Mexico if/when you apply for and receive PR there. It's fine if you are in the country on a 6 month tourist visa as you can temporarily import it into the country. However, when you become a PR in Mexico you are not allowed to own a foreign plated vehicle. You would have to legalize it (permanently import) at the NORTHERN border upon entry into Mexico and depending on the vehicle it could cost $500 to $2000 or more. And there are age restrictions for the vehicles.

Consider instead flying down and buying a car IN Mexico for transportation.

I have permanently imported 2 vehicles into Mexico, one Canadian, the other a US pickup truck. The Canadian vehicle was a major PITA to deal with from the moment I started the import process, up to and including buying insurance for it and the 8 month process to get plates for it in the state of Colima as they would not/did not accept the original dealer invoice from Canada as authentic. The US truck was a breeze by comparison.

If I were to do it all again, I would probably have just bought a good used car in Mexico. In fact, when we get my wife's PR Visa for Canada we are likely returning to Canada in the Canadian car that I imported into Mexico.

If you really want to drive down with a vehicle, fly to Phoenix and buy a good reliable older car (8 or more years old) and permanently import it into Mexico when you drive it down.

I can give you a contact name in Nogales who will make the import process a breeze for you if that's the route you choose.

 

[Aquakitty]

Your Canadian car is going to become a problem in Mexico if/when you apply for and receive PR there. It's fine if you are in the country on a 6 month tourist visa as you can temporarily import it into the country. However, when you become a PR in Mexico you are not allowed to own a foreign plated vehicle. You would have to legalize it (permanently import) at the NORTHERN border upon entry into Mexico and depending on the vehicle it could cost $500 to $2000 or more. And there are age restrictions for the vehicles.

Consider instead flying down and buying a car IN Mexico for transportation.

Yea that's a good point, a foreign plated car would attract unwanted attention. If he wants to drive to save money, I'd park the car once arriving in Mexico and buy a Mexican car to use till he's ready to leave.