San Carlos, Mexico - Mexican Customs
Currently US citizens entering Mexico via automobile encounter two checkpoints. The first checkpoint is for customs inspection where visitors must make a “voluntary declaration” of taxable goods, if any. The average tourist entering Mexico will have nothing to declare. The customs officials typically take a brief survey of a vehicle’s contents and waive the vehicle onward. Customs officials are generally polite and welcome US visitors.
The second checkpoint, located twelve miles inside the Mexican border (at Kilometer 21), allows visitors to obtain Tourist Visas and Vehicle Permits. Visitors planning a brief stay (3 days or less) in Mexico need not obtain a Tourist Visa. Longer stays, of up to 180 days, require visitors to show proof of citizenship (a passport or birth certificate) and a photo ID. The fee for a Tourist Visa is $20.
At the present time, a visitor bringing an automobile into Mexico has two options for obtaining a Vehicle Permit. Visitors planning travel in Mexico outside the State of Sonora must obtain a Regular Vehicle Permit valid for up to 180 days. This permit is obtained by paying an $11 bond via credit card and submitting copies of the following: 1) driver’s license; 2) Tourist Visa; 3) passport / birth certificate; and, 4) car title/registration. Visitors who only plan travel within the State of Sonora for less than 30 days may instead obtain an “Only Sonora” Vehicle Permit. The “Only Sonora” permit may be obtained relatively quickly, without fee by simply disclosing the address and phone number of your Mexican destination.
Elimination of Vehicle Permits Expected to Increase Visitor Traffic to San Carlos
In an effort to further encourage tourism, in December 2005 the State of Sonora moved the Vehicle Permit checkpoint from Kilometer 21 to a location south of San Carlos near the town of Empalme. This grants tourists easier access to San Carlos by eliminating the need to obtain a vehicle permit, and provides access similar to that which has been available to visitors of Puerto Penasco for quite some time. Government officials expect that this change will prompt an increase in the number of visitors to San Carlos, which in 2004 totaled 250,000 people versus 1.8 million visitors to the then more easily accessible Puerto Penasco.
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