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  • Driving to Mexico
    DRIVING TO MEXICO? Quote, Buy, Print Policy in 5 mins Quote Now !
Driving to Mexico
DRIVING TO MEXICO? Quote, Buy, Print Policy in 5 mins Quote Now !

Table of Contents

Mexican Car Insurance for U.S. or Canadian licensed vehicles while in Mexico

If you plan to travel in your vehicle to Mexico, we recommend reading our Info page. The following are the most common questions and information about car insurance in Mexico:

1. Best Mexico Insurance Advantages

Buy your policy up to 15 minutes before crossing.
Get your policy in 5 min from a PC or Mobile.
Send your policy by text message at any time.
Send your policy by fax to your lienholder.
Edit or re-print your policy from your account.
Claims are settled in U.S. dollars.
Full, Extended, or Liability Coverage.
Flexible Policy Terms (from 1 to 365 days).

2. Why Best Mexico Insurance

Full refund when canceling before the effective date.
Company established since 1990.
Licensed in the USA.
Online follow-up claims system.
“A” rated insurers.
We are in the USA to help you.
Discounts (Per region, annual, etc.).

3. Why do I need Mexican Car insurance to travel to Mexico?

When traveling to Mexico in any type of vehicle registered in the United States, Canada or any other country that is not Mexico (car, motorcycle, mobile home, etc.), you must have Mexican car insurance covered by a Mexican insurer before crossing the border. (American and/or Canadian insurances are not recognized by Mexican authorities). Legislation in Mexico requires that your auto insurance coverage be from an authorized Mexican insurance company. When you travel across the border with your vehicle, you are subject to the traffic laws of the neighboring country.

4. How much does car insurance cost to travel to Mexico?

The cost of Mexico Car Insurance is determined by Mexican insurance companies. The price of the Mexican insurance company depends on the duration of your visit, the value of the car, the coverage, and the deductibles you choose.

At BestMex.com, you will find the best prices for auto insurance for Mexico. Just click on Quote now! and in less than 5 minutes you will see your quotes and can buy and print your policy easily and safely.

5. What currency is used in insurance policies for Mexico?

All the amounts, premiums, limits and coverage shown in the quotes and the tourist car policies for Mexico are expressed in US dollars. When making a claim to the Mexican insurer for a loss that warrants a payment of damages or reimbursement, you can request the payment be made in US dollars, or for practical purposes you can request payment in Mexican pesos.

6. What do I need to buy Mexican Car Insurance?

The most important information is the vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle you wish to cover. At BestMex.com, we make it easy to find the VIN of your vehicle with the plates (and the state of the plates). You can also look for the VIN in the vehicle registration or in the American insurance policy. Here is a list of the most common information you will need to purchase Mexican auto insurance:

6.1. 

List of the most common information to purchase Mexican auto insurance:

6.1.1. 

Vehicle Type. The available vehicle types are Cars or Sedans, Van or Minivan, Truck or Pick Up, SUVs, RVs or Recreational Vehicles, and Street Legal Motorcycles (Motorcycles are insured with Liability Only).

6.1.2. 

Actual Cash Value (ACV) of the vehicle. To write the best value for your vehicle, we recommend searching for the current value or ACV on kbb.com or nada.com.

6.1.3. 

Towing or other units. If you are towing other units such as a trailer, you will also need to know the value, serial number, or ID of the additional unit(s).

6.1.4. 

Effective and expiration dates. The tourist auto insurance can be purchased to cover from 1 day to 365 days and can be purchased up to 180 days before your trip to Mexico. If you travel to Mexico often or your journey will last more than 40 days, an annual policy may be more convenient because the rates used by insurers for tourist cars are cheaper when the coverage is long-term.

6.1.5. 

Personal data for the Mexico auto insurance:

• Telephone number and email to manage your account and receive a copy of the policy.
• Full name of the owner or owners of the vehicle. These names must appear in the tourist auto policy as the main insured (Owner/Driver #1) even if this person is not who will drive the vehicle in Mexico.
• Names of insured or additional drivers. In the auto policies for Mexico, it is not mandatory to write these names, but you must know who can drive a foreign vehicle in Mexico. In the following question, you can find out about the drivers in Mexico.
6.1.6. 

Name and address of the financier. In case the vehicle is financed, you will need the name and the address of the financial entity to write this information as a lienholder on the Mexican auto insurance policy.


7. Who can drive the insured vehicle in Mexico?

With Mexico Car Insurance, it is not mandatory to write all the names of possible additional drivers as long as they have a valid driver's license and are over 21 years of age. If drivers are under 21 years of age, you can contact us and request authorization. However, you must know who can legally drive a foreign vehicle on Mexican territory.

It is imperative to know that Mexican citizens cannot legally drive a vehicle registered in the US, Canada, or any other country that is not Mexico without being citizens or legal residents of the US, Canada, or another country that is not Mexico. You should also know the laws or rules of Banjercito (the entity that grants temporary vehicle import permits in Mexico) and Mexican laws regarding who is legally authorized to drive a foreign vehicle.

The Mexican insurers Qualitas Seguros and HDI Seguros require that the driver have a driver's license issued by a competent authority in the country where the insured vehicle is registered. The Mexican insurers Mapfre México and Grupo Nacional Provincial (GNP) do not request a driver's license issued by a specific country; but keep in mind that the laws in Mexico always apply in addition to or in conjunction with the general conditions of the tourist car policy for Mexico.

8. What does Banjercito indicate in relation to the persons authorized to drive temporarily imported vehicles in Mexico?

Please take into account that the following text is only a courtesy translation and a reference since the said text was taken from a temporary vehicle import permit granted by Banjercito with a maximum return date of December 2022. Therefore, there may be updates, changes, or particular specifications:

8.1. 

Persons authorized to drive:

8.1.1. 

Vehicles imported by Mexicans residing abroad:

The importer, his or her spouse, parents, children or siblings qualify as long as they are permanent residents abroad, a foreigner with legal status, visitors, temporary residents, temporary resident students, or by someone other than those authorized, provided the person who imported the vehicle is on board. (Permit validity is for 180 calendar days of the effective stay in the country, computed from the effective date of the temporary import permit and usable in the twelve-month period, considering multiple entries and exits).
8.1.2. 

Vehicles imported by foreigners:

The importer, his/her spouse, parents, children or siblings, even if they are not foreigners, by a foreigner with a visiting status, temporary resident and temporary resident student or by any person, provided that travel on board the vehicle any of the persons authorized to drive said vehicle. (Validity of the permit: for the duration of your status as a visitor, temporary resident and temporary resident student, including its renewals).

9. How long does it take to receive a Mexican car insurance policy?

After making the payment of your Mexico Car Insurance with a credit or debit card, the user will immediately view, save, print or send the insurance policy for Mexico.

10. How do I receive the Mexican car insurance policy?

After making the policy payment, BestMex.com immediately sends the confirmation of the purchase and the policy in a PDF file to the registered email in the account. It also sends a text message if the registered phone is a device capable of receiving SMS text messages. It is important to remember that after payment or at any other time later, the user can view, save, print, or send the policy purchased from the “Print Policy” option found in the “My Account” menu after entering My Account Login.

10.1. 

Send a copy of the insurance for Mexico in the following ways:

• SMS text message to other cell phone numbers.
• Email to other email addresses.
• Fax with the possibility of writing a message attached as a fax cover. This form is very convenient for people who need to request a letter of authorization from the finance company when the vehicle is financed and they need to send a copy of their insurance for Mexico.

11. What types of vehicles can I cover in Mexican Auto Insurance?

Most vehicles are for private or private use such as sedans, minivans, pickups or trucks, etc. However, some vehicles are not accepted depending upon the Mexican insurer.

11.1. 

Vehicles not accepted or excluded for insurance in tourist car policies in Mexico

• Vehicles registered in Mexico or with Mexican license plates.
• Vehicles for commercial use or for commerce in Mexico.
• Vehicles older than 20 or 30 years for any coverage or policy type; and vehicles older than 15 or 20 years for physical damage coverage (collision and total theft). The years depend on each Mexican insurer and you can see them in the list of excluded vehicles.
• Emergency vehicles, classic, exotic, collectible, or modified for competitions.
• Mapfre Mexico and HDI Seguros exclude some sport or high-value vehicles see in the list of excluded vehicles.
• Converted vehicles can be insured if an authorized dealer or professional workshop has performed the conversion and possesses the conversion documents.

12. What changes can I make to my Mexico Auto insurance policy?

12.1. 

You can make the following changes to the Mexican auto insurance policies.

The insured can make the following changes directly online from My Account Login by selecting [Edit Policy] on “My Account” page or contact us:
• Change the Names and/or address of the owner of the vehicle.
• Names of additional drivers.
• The name and/or address of the vehicle financer.
12.2. 

You can NOT make the following changes to the Mexican auto insurance policies.

The insured or the user can NOT make the following changes, if the insured requires any change of the following data in an insurance policy for Mexico, the process that the insured must carry out is to request the cancellation of the current policy and buy a new policy with the information it requires:
• Dates of coverage.
• Vehicle or additional units.
• Contracted coverage and limits.

13. What happens if I return earlier on my trip to Mexico?

If you return before your trip, you can contact us to request cancellation of your policy; but we cannot guarantee that there will be a refund as it will depend upon the days elapsed, the policy type and the cancellation policies.

14. What to do if I require more days of coverage for my trip to Mexico?

If you realize that you need more days before the effective date, it is better to request the cancellation of your policy and buy a new one with the data required. If you require more days of coverage after the effective date of your policy, simply purchase a new tourist car policy or renew the current policy, which is very easy by following the steps in the next question.

15. How do I renew my Mexican car insurance policy?

Renewing your tourist car policy for Mexico is very easy by following these steps:

b) 

Use the phone number or email address registered in BestMex.com to Login and continue.

c) 

From the "My Account" page, select the [Renew Policy] option.

d) 

Select the term (Daily or Annual), effective and expiration date, then press the "Calculate" button.

e) 

After reviewing the information, press the "I accept and continue" button. After Payment, you will be able to view/print your new policy.


16. How can I cancel my Mexico Car Insurance policy?

16.1. 

Cancellation before the effective date

If the cancellation is before the effective date of your policy, simply follow these steps:
b) Use the phone number or email address registered in BestMex.com to Login and continue.
c) On the “My account” page select the option [Cancel Policy], in case you have several policies, select the policy you want to cancel.
d) Review the policy data, write the reason for the cancellation and select [Request Cancellation]. Please write down and save the cancellation reference number shown in our system. When your policy is canceled, we will send you the final transaction number to the email registered in your BestMex.com account.
16.2. 

Cancellation after the effective date

If the cancellation is after the effective date of your auto insurance policy for Mexico, please read the cancellation policy.

#1 = $38,609,573,000 MXN #5 = $7,596,063,000 MXN #11 = $2,908,646,000 MXN