[UKMX]

My UK-based shipping agent is going to get our consignment of boxes as far as the Port of Veracruz when we get the menaje de casa sorted in December. I'll then need to get it from there to our home in Mexico City.

I'm not familiar with the process of getting the shipment through customs and whether it's as simple as taking it from the other side and giving it to them, etc., and beyond that I'm looking for companies/individuals who could do the 5 hour drive with about a cargo van's worth of boxes, to bring it all to us. From my searches, this is easier than renting a vehicle, and I don't think we know anyone with a van we could borrow.

If anyone has experience of this and/or knows any companies that could help with this, I've got some time to gather the information, so anything you've got would be much appreciated.

 

[citlali]

Get a broker to clear customs and he will know of a forwarder to get you the boxes. Get the agent aheas of the hipment as you have so many day to clear customs and then you atart paying demurage. You need the right paperwork . I had some friends who shipped their belongings from Europe this way and te woman had some teddy ber collection an some othe collections they did not have the rigt paperwork and ended up oaying months of demurrage.After the clock starts the days add up pretty fast.

 

[UKMX]

You need the right paperwork.

To my knowledge, as advised by the consulate, the only paperwork required for our household items is the consulate-endorsed menaje de casa, which has to itemise every item.

Is there something you know that I don't?

 

[citlali]

All I know is that the people I know shipped their house hold goods from Switzerland and their shipement got stuck for months in customs in Vera Cruz. Consulates are not the best place for info as customs march at their own tune.
You can get people´s who did it, comments all ou want, it depends on what you have in your boxes and on the mood of the custom agents.
We crossed the border from the US by car and that is differnt from importing via water. The rules are the same the enforcement is different .
As I said the people I know liked to colect things so they had a lot of teddy bears so customs looked at it as too many items for one couple therefore they were going to sell them or start a business therefore it was not a couple moving their household goods, Same with books, they had a lot of books and that was suspect.. Unless everything is kept to a minimum you do not know what the agents will come up with .
If I were in your shoes I would get a custom broker but I am not .

If you only have a few bxes it may be ok and the cost of demurrage would not be big but if ou are moving your household you never know.

I exported wine to Mexico and I can tell you all kinds of things can happen at customs depending on the agents and once someting goes wrong it can be costly. If you have a profesional watching out for your shipment and arranging for the forwarding it makes things much easier..

Ask your UK agent to give ou the name of a broker in Vera Cruz and talk to him/her to see if you will need a broker or not and what the cost would be and then decide.

 

[citlali]

On consulates advices..


I had friends who were going to come to live at or house for a couple of months from the US.
I told them to get a permit for their car.

hey asked the consulate to make sure and they were told they did not need any special viisa or paperwork..They got to Nogales got their tourist card when crossing did not get a permit for the car, did not see where to get one and drove to Guaymas where they were told by tourists there that they should get a car permit if they were going past the free zone.. They had to drive back several hours to the border to get one..

I was also given wrong info by the Mexican consulate when I moved and found out that customs tells you , they are the law not the consulate..

 

[TundraGreen]

I have a friend who occasionally visits Mexico by car. He never stops and gets a tourist permit, nor a TIP (Temporary Import Permit) for his pickup. I have told him he is taking a chance but he either doesn't believe me or doesn't care. In three or four times he has never had any trouble. This year I met him in Creel, Chihuahua. He came and left with no paperwork and no problems. On the other hand, after Creel I drove (rode a motorcycle actually) to Los Angeles before returning to Guadalajara. I was stopped at several checkpoints where they looked everyone's id and vehicle paperwork.

On consulates advices..


I had friends who were going to come to live at or house for a couple of months from the US.
I told them to get a permit for their car.

hey asked the consulate to make sure and they were told they did not need any special viisa or paperwork..They got to Nogales got their tourist card when crossing did not get a permit for the car, did not see where to get one and drove to Guaymas where they were told by tourists there that they should get a car permit if they were going past the free zone.. They had to drive back several hours to the border to get one..

I was also given wrong info by the Mexican consulate when I moved and found out that customs tells you , they are the law not the consulate..

 

[UKMX]

The point about having a large collection of something makes sense insofar as customs are supposed to stop people passing off commercial stock as personal items, however we don't have anything like that. Inventories have to be very precise, including the serial number of any electrical device, before the consulate will approve them. To my knowledge, there is no other paperwork you can even get, let alone have ready. But we will enquire about customs clearance - I can even go there myself as we have family in Veracruz and it's only a short flight away.

If anyone reading does know of any companies that would help us with either customs clearance or delivery, feel free to post.