Driving Directions to Mexico

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By lov2travel

Driving Directions To Mexico

People ask me all the time about driving directions to Mexico. Yes, it’s legal for citizens of other countries to drive in Mexico but . . . let me give you the low down about what you’re getting yourself in to so you can make an informed decision.

My husband has been doing business in Mexico for over 25 years and driven more than a million kilometers (yes, they use the metric system) during that time.

If you drive your own car into the country you must register yourself, your family, AND the car. It will be obvious where this is to happen since there is a government checkpoint you won’t be able to pass without proper registrations.

The location of the registration office is approximately 20 kilometers from the border. If you just want to visit a border town, like Juarez or Tijuana, in your own car you don’t have to worry about registration. This is only required if you travel deeper into the country

At the 20 km registration point you will need to show your current car registration from the United States. You will also need to fill out immigration forms for yourself and each person traveling with you. You will need to pay to make copies of your identification (passport, birth certificate, etc) at that time.

The lines can be very long so be prepared to be there for 2-3 hours. There have been times when we’ve breezed through in an hour but just be prepared. When all is said and done you will be given a registration paper and a sticker that must be placed inside your car under your rearview mirror.

Perhaps more important than registering your car when you enter is that you MUST stop and cancel your registration on your way out of the country. That is a very important part of these driving directions to Mexico because if you don’t you won’t be able to take another car into the country in the future. We made this mistake once. Believe me, you don’t want to deal with the hassle this can bring. With everything computerized there is zero flexibility on this point.

There is no mandatory checkpoint to force you into a line to cancel your registration so you must be diligent and remember to take care of it. It’s at the same place (20 km from the border) as the original registration. You MUST have your original registration paper and they will use a razor to remove the sticker from your window. If you misplace your paper be prepared for a very long wait.

Your car insurance from the United States will not be valid in Mexico. Several companies in Mexico will be more than happy to insure your car while you are in Mexico – for a price. You can purchase this coverage at the auto registration stop or any major city if you want to wait until you get to your destination. You are not required to purchase insurance if you want to take on that risk yourself.

Once you are registered and on your way here are some tips to remember for driving directions to Mexico:

Mexicans use topes (speed bumps) more than any other mechanism to control speed. You will find these on onramps, off ramps, in front of schools or just about anywhere the people think cars go to fast. These are not ordinary speed bumps. They are tall and wide and can do real damage to your car if you drive over them too fast.

If you get into an accident try to work things out with the other driver even if you have insurance. If the police get involved they will likely impound both cars, regardless of who is at fault, and wait to sort things out later. At that point you will no longer need any driving directions to Mexico!

There are free (libre) roads and toll (casseta) roads. The free roads are old, single lane, usually travel through several towns and have a tremendous number of speed bumps (topes). The toll roads are usually 2 lanes each way and well maintained. However they can be expensive. For example, for my family to travel from Cuernavaca to Acapulco (a 2 ½ hour drive) we pay about $80 for gas and $120 for tolls. Many tolls are over $10.00.

Driving Directions

For accurate driving directions to Mexico do NOT believe the signs. City officials are anxious to keep you in their city and thus the roads and signs are designed to keep you there – not help you get on your way. Ask a native for help. That is your best source of information. Ask, ask again, and again but take my advice for driving directions in Mexico and do not believe the signs.

CasaDeMataOrtiz 2 years ago

How fun! Thanks for a great hub. Bill

mighty 2 years ago

this is useful

JoAnn 22 months ago

Which are the best highways to take from Casa Grande, AZ to Algodones Mexico or how do I find this by myself?

Betty Weiland 20 months ago

great information, would like to know where and how to get online driving directions to go from the border to Los Pinos Progreso Mexico. Cannot find any site that goes from USA to anywhere in Mexico with driving directions and mileage or kilometer. if you know of any please email me at bjwspecialperson@hotmail.com

Kaye 19 months ago

try yolisto.com and after you register, there are great directions on driving down from Brownsville Tx posted in one of the topics

maria aguilar 19 months ago

hey well my advice is to not go to mexico at all at this time. it is a complete masacre. tourist places are supposed to be the safest but now no place is off limits for drug dealers and the mafia.

Mark Patton 11 months ago

While there may be some parts of Mexico that are unsafe, generally the tourist areas remain okay to travel to. This is an interesting hub and helpful!

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Source: Ixtapa Information