Ship a Car From USA to Mexico

USA-to-Mexico: Bold Goes to the Border, Not Across

USA-to-Mexico is unique among our international lanes: it's overland (no ocean freight), but unlike Canada we do not cross the Mexican border with the vehicle. U.S. carriers don't have Mexican operating authority, and Mexican customs (Aduana) requires either the owner to drive the vehicle across with a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) or a Mexican-licensed broker to handle a permanent import (pedimento).

What Bold does: deliver your vehicle to a U.S.-side terminal or freight forwarder near the border — Laredo, El Paso, Brownsville, McAllen, Eagle Pass, or San Diego. From there, you (or a Mexican customs broker you've hired) take possession and complete the border crossing.

This is the standard model. Almost every U.S. carrier serving the Mexico market works this way. Anyone telling you they'll "deliver to Cancun" is either using a Mexican subcontractor (which we can also arrange via partner — ask) or misrepresenting their authority.

How USA-to-Mexico Shipping Works With Bold

1. Decide your customs path before booking. Two options:
   • TIP (Temporary Import Permit) — You drive the vehicle across the border yourself. Vehicle stays your U.S.-titled property. Permit lasts 6 months (tourist) or up to 4 years (FMM/residency). Best for snowbirds, RV trips, and short-term Mexican stays.
   • Permanent import (pedimento) — A Mexican customs broker (agente aduanal) clears the vehicle into Mexico permanently. Eligible vehicles are typically 8–9 model years old. Broker fees plus duty plus VAT can run $1,500–$4,000 USD depending on vehicle.
2. Choose a U.S.-side delivery point. If you're driving across with a TIP, we deliver to a terminal near your planned crossing — Laredo for Tamaulipas-bound, El Paso for Chihuahua, Brownsville for the Yucatan-bound coastal route, San Diego for Baja. If you've hired a Mexican customs broker, deliver to whichever terminal they use.
3. Get a Bold quote. Cost calculator with your origin ZIP and the U.S.-side terminal address.
4. Standard U.S. dispatch. Carrier picks up, inspects, transits to the border city.
5. U.S.-side handoff. Driver delivers to the terminal/forwarder. You (or your broker) take possession.
6. Border crossing. You drive across with the TIP, or your broker handles the pedimento. Mexican Aduana inspects.
7. Final destination. You drive (or have someone drive) the vehicle to its Mexican destination.

Border Cities We Deliver To

Pricing — U.S. Domestic Leg

Standard open transport pricing. The U.S. leg ends at the border city; everything south of the border is your customs broker's or your own responsibility.

TIP vs. Permanent Import — How to Decide

Temporary Import Permit (TIP)

• What it is: A permit issued by Banjército that lets a foreign-titled vehicle enter Mexico for a fixed period.
• Cost: Approximately $50 USD permit fee + a refundable deposit ($200–$400) you get back when you exit Mexico with the vehicle.
• Term: Up to 6 months (FMM tourist), or matching your residency permit for residents (180 days for FMM, up to 4 years for temporary residency).
• Best for: Snowbirds wintering in Baja or San Miguel, RV trips, students at Mexican universities, short-term consultants.
• Restriction: Vehicle must leave Mexico by permit expiration or you forfeit the deposit and the vehicle is technically illegal in Mexico.
• Free zones: No TIP needed for the Baja Peninsula or the "frontera" zone within ~20 km of the U.S. border.

Permanent Import (Pedimento)

• What it is: Permanent import of a foreign vehicle into Mexico. Title transfers to a Mexican title (factura).
• Cost: Customs broker fees ($300–$700) + IGI duty (typically 10–15% but varies; some USMCA-origin vehicles are 0%) + IVA (16% VAT) + DTA + ISAN. Expect $1,500–$4,500 USD total beyond Bold's domestic transport.
• Eligibility: Most foreign vehicles must be 8–9 model years old (the rule fluctuates with NOM regulations). USMCA-origin vehicles get more lenient treatment.
• Best for: Mexican expats returning home permanently, dealers running U.S. inventory south, residency-based moves.
• Required: Mexican RFC (tax ID) for the importer of record, and engagement with a licensed agente aduanal.

Documents You'll Need

The Mexico-specific paperwork below stacks on top of our broader Mexico-import documentation prep guidance covering general pre-pickup discipline (fuel level, no personal items, key handoff) that applies on top of the cross-border list.

• Original U.S. title in your name (no liens — clear title required for permanent import; TIP is more flexible)
• Bill of Sale
• Valid passport and Mexican FMM/residency card
• Mexican vehicle insurance (required at the border — purchased online before travel via Sanborn's, Lewis & Lewis, or local providers)
• For permanent import: Mexican RFC, broker engagement, factura preparation
• Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on documents matching the vehicle physically

Mexican Auto Insurance — Required at the Border

U.S. auto insurance is not valid in Mexico. The Mexican government requires liability coverage from a Mexican-licensed insurer at minimum. Most U.S. snowbirds buy Mexican tourist auto insurance for the duration of their trip. Common providers: Sanborn's Insurance, Lewis & Lewis, Mexpro, Adventure Mexican Insurance Services. Daily/weekly/monthly/annual policies are available. This is your responsibility, not Bold's — but the U.S. domestic leg stays covered under Bold's standard policy; see our cross-border coverage essentials for how the $0-deductible domestic cargo coverage reads up to the moment the Mexican broker (or you) takes possession at the border terminal.

Who Ships USA → Mexico

• Mexican expats returning home with a vehicle owned during their U.S. residency
• Snowbirds wintering in Baja, San Miguel, Mazatlán who want their RV, sport utility, or daily driver waiting for them
• Texas-to-Mexico vehicle exporters running used U.S. inventory into Mexican wholesale markets via licensed brokers — most source from U.S. wholesale channels first, with Bold staging at Manheim wholesale or Copart for gate-pass pickup before the Laredo or El Paso handoff to the Mexican agente aduanal.
• Boat and RV trip planners shipping a tow vehicle close to a Baja or Sea of Cortez launch point — high-value tow rigs and toy haulers often request weather-protected southbound moves over the Sonoran Desert leg, where road grit and summer surface heat make open transport less attractive on premium-finish trucks.
• Mexican nationals who bought a vehicle in the U.S. (auction, private seller, dealer) and need it delivered to their nearest border city — and the dealer-to-dealer flow of Mexican franchise groups buying U.S. inventory, which Bold runs as dealer auto transport with bundled invoicing and consolidated multi-car loads to the border terminal.

Baja Free-Zone TIP + USMCA-Origin Duty Quantification

Baja Free Zone (Zona Libre)

Vehicles registered for use ONLY in Baja California or Baja California Sur are exempt from full Mexican import duty. This is the easiest path for vacation homes, retirees, and snowbirds. The vehicle gets Baja-specific plates and cannot cross into mainland Mexico without converting to standard import — so it's a hard fit for anyone planning a Baja-to-Mexico-City road trip, but ideal for residents of Rosarito, Ensenada, La Paz, and Cabo.

TIP (Temporary Import Permit)

$44 USD application fee + $200–$400 refundable deposit at Banjército. Tourist use only — vehicle must exit Mexico within the permit window (180 days max for FMM tourists, longer for residents). Cannot be sold or transferred while on TIP. Forfeit the deposit if you overstay, and the vehicle becomes legally untransferable in Mexico thereafter.

USMCA-origin permanent import

U.S.-built vehicles (VIN prefix 1, 4, or 5) enjoy 0% ad valorem duty under USMCA. Non-USMCA vehicles face 15%+ duty plus ISAN luxury tax (5–15%) on values above ~$700,000 MXN (~$40K USD). It is almost always cheaper to import a Detroit-built F-150 than a Tokyo-built Lexus of equal value. Mexican RFC (tax ID, Registro Federal de Contribuyentes) is required for any permanent registration (pedimento) — apply at SAT (Servicio de Administración Tributaria); most expat-focused consulates offer expedited service for new arrivals.