The essentials
- Visitors and temporary residents can bring one foreign-plated car on a temporary import permit (TIP); for temporary residents it lasts as long as the residency, including renewals (Customs Law, Article 106).
- Permanent residents can't keep a foreign-plated car on a TIP outside the free zones — plan before you switch status.
- Dogs from the US now need a USDA-accredited vet's screwworm inspection within 5 days before travel; pets from Canada need no certificate. Airlines set their own rules.
More things to know
- Household goods: temporary residents import used belongings temporarily for the length of their residency (Article 106-IV); permanent residents bring them in free of import taxes (Article 61-VII). Vehicles are never part of a menaje.
- Most people move with luggage and buy the rest locally; shipping pays off for valuable, sentimental or hard-to-replace items.
In this guide
Most people who move to Mexico arrive with suitcases and furnish their home locally. But if you're driving down, bringing a dog or shipping the contents of a house, there are rules for each — and the right choice depends on your residency status.
This guide covers the decisions in order: what's worth bringing, the car, pets, and household goods, with the Customs Law articles that apply.
Bring, ship or buy? A quick guide
| Item | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clothes, documents, laptop, medicines | Bring in luggage | Easy to carry; documents should never be shipped |
| Sentimental items, art, quality cookware, specialist tools | Ship or carry | Hard to replace, or expensive locally |
| Furniture | Buy locally | Bulky to ship; Mexican furniture and carpentry are widely available |
| Large appliances | Buy locally | Mexico uses 127 V / 60 Hz like the US, but local models come with local service and warranties |
| Car | Depends on status | Fine on a TIP for temporary residents; a problem for permanent residents |
| Pets | Bring | Straightforward for dogs and cats with the right paperwork |
Driving down: the temporary import permit
- Who qualifies: foreigners entering as visitors or temporary residents, for one vehicle.
- How long: for temporary residents, as long as the residency, including renewals (Customs Law, Article 106-IV).
- Where to get it: online from Banjercito up to six months before you enter, or at a Banjercito office at the border. Bring the title or registration in your name.
- Cost: a permit fee plus a refundable deposit — US$400 for 2007 and newer vehicles, US$300 for 2001–2006, US$200 for 2000 and older.
- Who else can drive it: your spouse, parents, children or siblings, another foreigner with qualifying status, or a Mexican national when one of those people is in the car (Article 106).
- Leaving for good: cancel the permit at a Banjercito office when the car leaves Mexico, or you risk the deposit.
US and Canadian car insurance isn't valid in Mexico; buy a Mexican policy before you cross. All the details are in the temporary vehicle import permit guide.
The Baja California peninsula and some areas along the US border are treated as free zones where a TIP isn't needed, but you need one as soon as you drive beyond them.
Bringing pets
| Coming from | What Mexico requires (2026) |
|---|---|
| United States — dogs | An inspection document from a USDA-accredited vet, issued within 5 days before travel, confirming the dog is free of New World screwworm (SENASICA rules from August 4, 2026) |
| United States — cats | Exempt from the screwworm inspection |
| Canada | No certificate; inspection on arrival |
| Anywhere else | A health certificate no more than 15 days old, with rabies vaccination, deworming within six months and no external parasites |
Every pet is inspected by SENASICA on arrival. Airlines set their own stricter rules on crates, breeds and temperatures — check them before you book. More in moving to Mexico with pets.
Household goods (menaje de casa)
A menaje de casa is a shipment of your used household belongings. How the Customs Law treats it depends on your status:
| Status | How goods come in | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary resident (and student) | Temporary import of used goods for as long as your residency lasts, including renewals | Customs Law, Article 106-IV(b) |
| Permanent resident, or Mexican returning home | Imported free of foreign-trade taxes, if the goods were used during your residence abroad | Customs Law, Article 61-VII |
Both routes come with conditions set by the Customs Regulations and SAT's rules, and neither covers vehicles or goods used for commercial or industrial activities. Professionals' scientific instruments and tools of the trade can be included under Article 61-VII.
How it works in practice
- Make a detailed inventory in Spanish (and your own language), listing each item; for electronics, include brand, model and serial number.
- Have it authorized by the Mexican consulate near your current home, along with your residency visa or card — ask the consulate for its requirements and fee before you book a mover.
- Hire a mover with a Mexican customs broker (agente aduanal) who clears the shipment at the border or port.
- Keep the paperwork: the stamped inventory and customs documents prove the goods entered legally.
Moving with luggage only
Most new residents never file a menaje. Personal belongings in your luggage come in under the normal traveler allowances, and a few extra checked bags often cost less than shipping. Customs may inspect your bags at the airport, so keep receipts for new, expensive items and avoid bringing multiples of the same new electronics.
Things people often wish they'd packed:
- Prescription medicines in original packaging, with copies of the prescriptions
- Specialist cookware and good kitchen knives
- Bedding in specific sizes, and quality towels
- Clothes and shoes in larger sizes, which can be harder to find
- A spare laptop charger and any hobby equipment you rely on
What's easy to buy in Mexico
- Furniture: department stores, home stores and local carpenters (carpinteros) who build to order.
- Appliances: big-box stores in every large city, plus local repair services.
- Online shopping: Amazon México and Mercado Libre deliver to most cities.
- Housewares and décor: markets and artisans — one of the pleasures of furnishing a Mexican home.
When to do what
| When | Car | Pets | Belongings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–6 months before | Decide: drive, sell or store | Check airline rules; book pet-friendly flights | Decide what to ship; get mover quotes |
| 1–2 months before | Apply for the TIP online; buy Mexican insurance | Book the vet visit for the right window | Prepare inventory; consulate authorization |
| Days before | Pack title and registration | Screwworm inspection within 5 days (US dogs) | Hand over to mover |
| Arrival | Cross with the permit sticker on the car | SENASICA inspection | Broker clears shipment |
Keep reading
Logistics · Pets
Moving with pets
What Mexico requires to bring a dog or cat in 2026 — by the country you're coming from — including the new screwworm inspection for dogs from the US, what happens at the airport, and what not to pack.
Logistics · Driving
Car import permit (TIP)
Who can drive a foreign-plated car in Mexico, how long the permit lasts for visitors and temporary residents, the fee and refundable deposit, who else can drive it, and how to cancel it.
Residency · Temporary
Temporary residency
Everything about Mexican temporary residency in 2026: who qualifies, the income and savings each consulate asks for, the documents, the consulate interview, the 30-day canje, what the status lets you do, renewals and the switch to permanent.
Residency · Permanent
Permanent residency
How to become a permanent resident of Mexico: the seven routes in the Migration Law, 2026 income and savings thresholds for retirees, switching after four years of temporary residency, costs, your rights, and the path to citizenship.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive my US car in Mexico as a resident?
As a temporary resident, yes, with a valid TIP that lasts as long as your residency. As a permanent resident, generally not, except in the free zones.
Do I need a health certificate to bring my dog to Mexico?
From Canada, no. From the US, SENASICA now requires a USDA-accredited vet's inspection document, issued within 5 days before travel, confirming the dog is free of New World screwworm. From other countries, a health certificate no more than 15 days old. Every pet is inspected on arrival.
Can I bring my household goods to Mexico duty-free?
Permanent residents can import used household goods free of foreign-trade taxes under Article 61-VII of the Customs Law. Temporary residents bring them in temporarily for as long as their residency lasts. Both need a consulate-authorized inventory and must meet the customs regulations.
Can I include my car in a menaje de casa?
No. The Customs Law excludes vehicles from the household-goods exemption.
Is it worth shipping furniture to Mexico?
Usually not. Shipping, broker fees and the paperwork often cost more than buying locally. Ship valuable, sentimental or hard-to-replace items.
Do US appliances work in Mexico?
Yes. Mexico uses 127 V at 60 Hz with plugs similar to US ones, though many older homes lack grounded three-prong outlets.
Sources & official references
- Ley Aduanera (last reform DOF 19-11-2025), Articles 61 and 106
- Banjercito — vehicle import permits
- SENASICA — traveling with pets
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Consulates interpret rules differently — confirm with your consulate or a licensed professional before acting.