Coffeecup
6/29/2015 08:41 EST
My family is flying to Mexico and I will be driving. I will be crossing from the US into Tecate possibly. I will have one laptop and two desktop computers, one is 4 years old the other a year old. Will I get taxed by the Mexican customs? Is there a way to document to verify one desktop is my wife's?
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iguanalover
6/29/2015 10:55 EST
Make sure you have purchase receipts for any equipment you bring in. If you don't have a receipt, get creative with your computer. The officials can assign any value they please without a receipt. They will look up the item on the internet and use that value for the item, even if the item is ten years old.
My understanding is that laptops are treated very differently than desktops and desktops get hassled.
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Coffeecup
6/30/2015 08:55 EST
Thanks. I went through customs in Cabo San Lucas once with a desktop, the young officer was going to tax me, his boss questioned me on the age of the PC and let me through.
But, this time around I will have a 4 year old computer and a 1 year old computer. Other than getting creative by fabricating a false receipt what other ways are there to reduce or eliminate the tax I may be charged? Any thoughts?
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Coffeecup
6/30/2015 09:00 EST
I can have receipts for the computers, does anyone know duty rate I would be charged?
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Coffeecup
6/30/2015 09:21 EST
"An important caveat: You can only bring your own clothing. For example: a man cannot bring his wife's clothing if she is not with him."
Has anyone ever seen this enforced?
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JohnPS
6/30/2015 22:10 EST
What about bringing another man's clothing if the other man wears a much larger size than you?
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delta90064
7/1/2015 10:59 EST
I typically bring lots of womens' clothes through MEX airport for my gf and her sisters. Never had a problem.
I will observe the value of playing hardball on valuation of imported electronics however. Once i brought a large monitor through. I had no receipt. This is a big mistake especially if you bought on sale because the customs officer will use the internet value her finds in a quick search.
He said pay duty on $1,200. I said it cost $750. He just walked away. Another officer said give me your passport. I knew this was so they could hold the monitor forcing me to hire a customs broker and pay fees plus the duty and pick it up the next day or week. I said no. I don't trust your valuation or your system. (This was all in Spanish.)
At this point their choice was to call the police over or adjust the valuation. The original officer came down on the valuation, I paid, and the episode was over.
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kentcoguy00
7/1/2015 19:00 EST
Getting kinda concerned here with all these stories. I have 2 pcs, a laptop, a tablet, a computer monitor and a TV which I also use as a monitor, plus 5 external hard drives. They are all over 2 years old, so I don't have receipts for any of them. what of my computer thing need I worry about as far as paying taxes or duties on? I figured I would have to pay some........
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dungeondevil
7/1/2015 20:53 EST
You are emigrating into a 3rd world country that has a 16% VAT. type tax on all goods. Duty is another matter. So the customs officer can determine anything he/she wants. As with any customs officers, there are decent people or those who are trying to climb the ladder of success by ending the day with the highest $ total collected. Start making invoices with dates that correspond with when you purchased the item and hope you get a normal human being. You can always ask for a review with a senior official. Mexico is not unique. You can cross during the day & go to Customs and if you get an S.O.B. go back to the U.S. and do it during the midnight shift. This is not uncommon. Best of luck.
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Coffeecup
7/2/2015 08:32 EST
Thanks mr. dungeondevil. You gave me what I am looking for.
I have two monitors with Mexico receipts as I purchased them while living there before. Is there any way that can backfire on me by providing those receipts?
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Coffeecup
7/2/2015 08:33 EST
Does anyone know how they determine fees for duty? I would like to estimate my possible costs.
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dungeondevil
7/2/2015 11:45 EST
You have proof of purchase that should include, model and serial number. Been doing it that way for years when travelling from one jurisdiction to another. I'd have the invoice on my HD in a .pdf format and drill it up on the screen. one idiot customs officer in eastern Europe demanded a hard copy, so I fished out my battery powered mini inkjet printer and printed out a hard copy for him. He just gave up and waved me through.
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dungeondevil
7/2/2015 12:02 EST
They can charge you the 16% tax as you are imposing same and the duty will depend on the country of origin. So you'll have to find this info on the Mexican equal to customs & excise. This can be burdensome in an English jurisdiction. I wish you luck doing it in Spanish. Always insist that the agent take into consideration the age of the item. If less than 3 months old, you'll pay full tax and the 16%. This info is on the website of the consulate you are dealing with.
Then again, you could lucky and the custom agent could look at you, ask if its all yours and wave you through.
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delta90064
7/2/2015 12:16 EST
CC I don't remember the rate. Afterwards, though, it was so little money I asked myself why I took the risk. Ego I guess :)
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Coffeecup
7/2/2015 15:17 EST
I did have one agent wave us through one time on a 3 year old desktop. Now I've got that same desktop at 4 years old and one that is 1 year old and two Mexico bought monitors with receipts. It should be interesting.Thanks for all the input.
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JohnPS
7/2/2015 20:13 EST
Isn't there a special permit for importing your household items - mensaje de something - that allows a one-time duty-free importation of a fairly liberal amount, when you first get your visa? What's it called and how does it work? Do I get apply for it at the Consulate along with my visa application?
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NOK2mex
7/2/2015 20:16 EST
I got a visa at the Mexican consulate in Denver. I also got a "visa" for all of my household goods that I intended to take down.
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Coffeecup
7/3/2015 08:46 EST
I'm going down on a tourist stamp for now, I'll assume it would be best that I save that "visa" for a later time when I go down on a temp VISA.
Good information...thanks for sharing.
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iguanalover
7/3/2015 17:00 EST
Please write in and tell us how this comes out for you including how much it cost. It is good info to know. Good luck
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geaaronson
7/4/2015 21:58 EST
I came into Cancun last August by plane and they didn't notice I had a chromebook and a regular laptop. And yes, I had the receipt for the chromebook just in case.
The reason they don't want you to bring in more than one should be obvious as there are people who supplement their incomes by bringing electronic goods into MX and undercutting sales here. (I live in MX)
If you are coming in by car, it's entirely possible they may not check you out thoroughly.In 2007, I filled my little Ford Contour and crosses at Matamoros and was shocked the customs officer looked in the car two seconds and waved me on.
You might consider putting the desktop in boxes of other items that you are bringing in. If you're bringing in a cuisinart, squeeze the desktop underneath and put them in a cuisinart box.Do that for enough items even those not with the computers and should they discover your trick you can always say you combined a lot of items in each box to save space.
As for the duty that you will pay, get an old advertisement with the price of the item, gleaned from online, EBAY or whatever, and have that readily handy should all efforts fail and there is a serious question as to the items worth.
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kneepain
7/8/2015 08:44 EST
I chatted with an acquaintance on this issue and said he has never been asked to pay tax even with boxes of new things in his care. And this had been many trips through the California/Mexican border crossing. He said if they aren't in boxes or new boxes they aren't new and they won't tax or charge dutie. He has always been waved through. It's good to hear from those who have never had an issue and learn what crossing they went through. Hope this helps.
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