If you're a full time resident of San Felipe, you may be able to import your car from the US or Canada, so that it has Baja California plates. In this article, I'll cover whether and how you can do this.
On the mainland of Mexico (not in Baja California), the cars of tourists need a "temporary import" permit for the duration of their trip. That's a totally different subject, not relevant to Baja California, so it's not included here.
Why you should import
If you're an American or Canadian who goes home to a residence north of the border regularly, you really don't have a reason to import your car permanently into Mexico. You can continue to register and insure it in the US, and buy additional insurance for Mexico.
If you no longer have a residence in the US (or Canada), it's a bit more of a gray area. Most states (and provinces) require you to be a resident to register a vehicle. South Dakota is a major exception, and is a good state to register in if you don't have a US home. However, it can cause confusion (and suspicion) in the US if you claim to be resident outside the US but have a US-registered vehicle, even more so if your driver's license is from a different state.
This is especially the case if you're not a US citizen or resident. The US Border Patrol can interpret owning a US-registered vehicle as being incompatible with being a visitor to the US (it gives the impression you're pretending to be a resident). Regardless of the exact legal situation, they can use it as a reason to refuse entry to the US. So if you're not a US citizen or resident, it can cause problems if you're living in San Felipe but try to visit the US with a car registered in (for example) South Dakota. 99.9% of the time it'll be OK, but the risk is there.
If you live in San Felipe, and have no other North American residence, it makes sense to import your car (if possible) so that it is registered in the place where you live. However, most Mexican insurance will require each driver to have a Mexican driver's license, so if your household has a mix of full-time and part-time residents, think carefully before deciding on importing.
Who can import
To import (permanently) a vehicle to Baja California, you need a Baja California driver's license. To get a Baja California driver's license, you must be a citizen or resident of Mexico. This means a minimum of an FM3 or FM2 residence permit. An FMM tourist entry permit isn't acceptable. I've previously written on how to get a Baja California driver's license.
What you can import
There are strict limits on which vehicles can and cannot be imported. This is based on the model year, and the type of vehicle.
In Baja California, only vehicles that are exactly 5 to 10 model years old can be imported (on the mainland, the rules are different, much more restrictive).
A model year starts on November 1st. So, 2006 model-year vehicles fist became eligible to import on November 1st, 2010. On November 1st, 2011 (not before), you will be able to import 2007 model year vehicles. Similarly, on that date, 2002 model year vehicles will become too old to import.
In addition, there are restrictions on the type of vehicle. Some "luxury vehicles", sports cars, and convertibles cannot be imported. The vehicle must have a gasoline (not diesel) engine.
Sometimes this leads to odd results - in one case I know of a Chevy Tracker (small soft-top Jeep-like vehicle) was considered a "convertible", so a luxury vehicle, so could not be imported. I'm not aware of any published list giving details of what a "luxury vehicle" is, this is something your car importer will be able to advise you on.
How to import
Although it's possible to import a car personally, most people use a specialist importer for the job. They have the experience on knowing how to value a car to keep the taxes as low as possible, and what do if there are problems. It's one of those places where doing it yourself is a false economy, even if your knowledge of Spanish and the latest customs rules is really good.
There are many importers in Mexicali, most second-hand car yards will know of somebody if they don't do it themselves.
I used an importer based in San Felipe, which saved me all the travelling. Contact me if you need his name.
The cost of importing
Your importer will be able to give you a quote for the cost of importing. They'll need the VIN number to get an exact quote. It'll probably take several days to get a quote.
It's likely that the total cost, including their fees, will be around $500 for an older, cheaper car to maybe $1200 for a newer, more expensive vehicle (and, as mentioned above, some vehicles won't be acceptable at all).
The import process
Your importer will describe the exact process to you, but it'll probably be similar to mine. You should clean the car, and remove all personal contents and after-market attachments. You will need the original title (not a photocopy).
On the first day, the importer will drive car across the border (they buy their own insurance), and file various forms with the US and Mexican authorities to start the process. This has to be done at least 24 hours before the import (and Monday to Friday only). They then return the next day (or a Monday, if it started Friday) to complete the process.
So they'll need your car for at least two business days. My importer lent me his car while this was being done, which was very helpful.
Once the car returns, it'll need to be taken to the vehicle registration office in San Felipe (same building as the Driver's Licenses) with all the import paperwork (and with you, the owner, with your Baja California driver's license).
The car may be inspected to make sure the VIN matches, then the plates will be issued while you wait. You can't choose the number on the plates (it's just the next in sequence) and there are no vanity plates available.
The plates are "frontera" plates. This means that outside Baja (N & S), parts of Sonora, and the other border areas, your car will be treated the same as a tourist from the US or Canada. In other words, if you drive to mainland Mexico (other than parts of Sonora) you'll need the same temporary import sticker and bond that a US car would.
My importer, being based in San Felipe, helped me with getting the plates, but if you use an importer in Mexicali you might be able to get them to do it there. In theory there may be additional paperwork requirements such as a property tax receipt but they didn't seem to be needed in the San Felipe office.
Dual Nationality
Unless you arrange otherwise, when your car is imported into Mexico the VIN will be deleted from the database of cars registered in the US. However, it is possible (but unusual) for your car to remain registered in the US as well as Mexico. This is extra work for your importer, he'll need to go over to the US again to retrieve the US title and plates from Customs.
You normally wouldn't want to do this, as it means extra registration fees each year to keep the US registration active. But if your car was previously registered in South Dakota, it can make sense. South Dakota currently doesn't charge back-fees if you re-register a car after a number of years. So, you can let the SD plates lapse (you now have Mexican plates). If circumstances change and you end up returning full-time to the US, you should be able reactivate the SD registration with (currently) no penalties, so you won't need to import a Mexican car into the US.
Insurance
When your car has Baja California plates. it'll need Mexican-issued insurance. This is available at several different levels, and can optionally include coverage for the US and Canada. See my separate article on insuring your Mexican-registered car.
