Truck Camper Registration

[jtomich4]

Last week during the Mexican gas crisis I crossed the border north bound to buy a used camper while driving my Mexican plated truck. Re-entering Mexico a couple of days later at Del Rio / Acuña I presented my Permanent Resident Card and Legal Mexican Truck Registration. She asked for the camper registration. No such thing, I declared. It isn’t a vehicle and there is no License Plate or Registration. After an hour of rigmarole and purposeless words with several people up the ladder, they instructed me to go back to Texas for a registration and then to the Banjercito for an import permit. All impossible. Once again I repeated that there is no such thing as a camper registration and in any case I can’t get a tourist permit because I’m a permanent resident of Mexico with a Mexican plated vehicle. And I haven’t ever lived in Texas. Whether it’s ignorance or apathy, they don’t seem to know the rules or care to learn. None of it mattered to them. The uniformed inspector whispered in my ear that I could cross without a problem an hour east at Eagle Pass / Piedras Negras. It is calm there, tranquilo, she said. And it was. Looking through my window, the Mexican Border Officer at Piedras Negras asked, Americano? Si, I responded. Asking for no documents, he waved me on with a Buen Viaje.

[jtomich4]

Hey Playa, thanks for offering the new perspective. Seriously. Maybe it was me instead of the border folks being ignorant and stubborn. I can say more things in Spanish than I can hear or understand.

My truck has a Mexican plate on the front, but the rear plate is totally blocked by the camper. Next time I’ll mount the rear plate on the camper in it’s special place, license frame, running lights and all. Maybe that’ll make the camper and the truck one unit.

Since you’re not judging me I’ll cop to being un poca de scofflaw. Hoping always to avoid morditas or unnecessary complications, I don’t volunteer much. It would go against my nature to enter the Declare lane uninvited.

[Talleyho69]

We are very happy with our decision and our lives here in Mexico!!!

[qtla9111]

Talleyho69 wrote:
As RP's we returned to Mexico last June pulling a cargo trailer with our possessions in it. We had been residents too long to use the menaje de casa. No customs broker was interested in us because we didn't have enough stuff but the value was well over $3,000.

Contacted our local Mexican Consulate in Oxnard, California and they said that what we should do legally was to arrive at the border and declare everything and pay the tax. We did that. Total cost $3000p, 45 minutes.

According to the Consulate it is perfectly OK to arrive at the border, declare what you have and pay. Credit card payment required, and official paperwork was given to us.

That was a smart decision. The menaje de casa can be a costly and timely venture. As you did it, it was worth it to weigh the value of the goods.

[Talleyho69]

As RP's we returned to Mexico last June pulling a cargo trailer with our possessions in it. We had been residents too long to use the menaje de casa. No customs broker was interested in us because we didn't have enough stuff but the value was well over $3,000.

Contacted our local Mexican Consulate in Oxnard, California and they said that what we should do legally was to arrive at the border and declare everything and pay the tax. We did that. Total cost $3000p, 45 minutes.

According to the Consulate it is perfectly OK to arrive at the border, declare what you have and pay. Credit card payment required, and official paperwork was given to us.

[Tequila]

If you have residente permanente you cannot in theory bring a foreign plated Rv or vehicle into mexico. The fact the camper was not plated probably worked in your favor. I bought a TCinto mexico for years without problem. no permit, just the truck permit. In BC TC's are not registered.

[playaboy]

Jtom, I have a different perspective after reading about your adventure at Del Rio.

As you said, it is CARGO. As an RP you are allowed to bring into Mexico up to $300USD's of cargo tax free by land. Over $3000USD you need a broker to process the import. I am sure the camper and its contents are valued greatly above that. The Aduana agent should have sent you to a customs broker for you to import your camper and collect the TAXES. Just like Chris importing his TT years back.

The camper has successfully been smuggled into the country.

I am not judging you. I am an RP looking for the Mexican plated diesel truck, get my camper or TT in the USA, and be able to legally go down the road anywhere with my Mexican RV.


I think Chris’s situation is different. I am pretty sure there is some obscure Aduana law stating reporting any improvements on your vehicle. There always is some obscure law somewhere.



You are driving, approaching the border, coming home to Mexico. You have a choice, Declare or No Declare. What do you chose??????? Do you open the can of worms?

[qtla9111]

All new information to me. I had thought about doing the same in the past.

So I wonder, as a Mexican resident, if I buy a van and have the interior outfitted in Texas, if I would have problems at the border like with the truck camper?

[Talleyho69]

In the same respect, when returning to the US from Mexico we have tried our best to enter at Sonoyta/Lukeville in Arizona. It's an easy crossing, their concern is illegal drugs. In more than 30 crossings, they only wanted to look inside once, then changed their minds when they saw the cat-go figure.

For us, if we drive in and out again, it will be Sonoyta/Lukeville out and Nogales in. We all know we are legal and it just makes life easier.

[jtomich4]

Thanks Talley! Well, I shouldn’t have acted so righteous. Had no idea campers were registered anywhere. Been hauling them into Mexico since the nineties and have never had to produce any documents. Always treated a camper as cargo. No wheels, no plates or registration, no vehicle. Planing to make a short trip to the US this summer. Better choose my entry point carefully.

[Talleyho69]

What a pain! Glad someone sent you to the "correct" crossing and it worked.

When we came down last year with our Mexican plated SUV pulling a Mexican plated trailer we made a point of entering at Nogales, supposedly the easiest place to enter. It was.

Welcome back, glad you got back with your new camper.

[donn0128]

Well, here in Oregon teuck campera are licensed. They use the serial number and issue license and title for the camper.

[ScottG]

Well, at least you made it!

Even in the US, different states have different rules about lic. TC's. I did it in my state (Wa) but I'm pretty sure LEO's would have not known the difference if I hadn't.

[Lwiddis]

Interesting. My 1978 TC wasn’t plated in California way back when.