Importing a used car from the US to Mexico

The decree that decides which cars qualify

Definitive imports of used vehicles run under a decree published in Mexico’s federal gazette (DOF) on 4 November 2024. An amendment from November 2025 keeps it in force until 30 November 2026. If your car will cross after that date, ask your customs broker whether the decree has been extended or replaced before you buy.

• Age band: the model year must be 8 to 9 years before the year of import. The decree counts a model year from 1 November to 31 October, so let your broker confirm the exact window for your crossing date.
• Where it was built: the VIN must show the car was made or assembled in Mexico, the United States or Canada. A US-market car built in Japan or Germany doesn’t qualify under this decree.
• Duty: 10% ad valorem. Residents of the northern border strip, Baja California, Baja California Sur and the partial region of Sonora can pay 1% on cars 5 to 9 years old, if the car stays in that zone. IVA, ISAN and the customs processing fee go on the same pedimento.
• How many: a private person who isn’t on the importers’ register (Padrón de Importadores) can bring in one vehicle every 12 months.
• Who files: an agente or agencia aduanal, one pedimento per car, at a northern border customs office or one of the maritime customs offices named in the foreign trade rules.

Title brands that stop a car at the border

Article 6 of the decree bars any car whose circulation is restricted or prohibited in its country of origin, or that was reported stolen. The 2026 foreign trade rules (RGCE, rule 3.5.1) turn that into a table of US title wording. A car is refused if its title or a history check shows, among others:

• Parts only, dismantlers, destruction, junk, crush or scrap
• Non-repairable, non-rebuildable or not street legal
• Water damage, fire damage, frame damage, recycled or crash test vehicle
• Named salvage types such as flood salvage, salvage-parts only, salvage/fire damage, bonded salvage or salvage with replacement VIN

A plain salvage title isn’t on that list by itself, and a total-loss or flood record can pass when the title also reads clean, rebuilt or corrected. The exceptions turn on exact wording, so send your broker the title type shown on the lot before you bid, not after.

The emissions certificate

Gasoline cars must meet NOM-041-SEMARNAT-2015. At the border your broker verifies a US emissions certificate with a certificate number and QR code, the VIN, OBD monitor results, photos of the car and its VIN labels, and odometer history. A certificate that can’t be verified is rejected, so check the auction’s dashboard photos for warning lights.

Leaving the US by land

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) needs the title, and a salvage title is accepted, at least 72 hours before export, and the car itself when it crosses. Every used vehicle also needs an Electronic Export Information filing in AES, whatever its value, with the ITN on the export papers. A lot sold without the title in hand can’t clear CBP until the title arrives.

Your broker checks the history too. Check it first

For US and Canadian cars under 30 years old, the broker must run a history check (stolen status, title type, VIN decoding) through a provider registered with ANAM, and check REPUVE. That happens after you’ve paid for the car and its transport. Your own report before the auction is how you avoid a car the border turns back.

In the report, look for brands from earlier states as well as the current title, flood or water events, and a mileage trail that makes sense, since the emissions certificate records odometer history too. The auction record shows the lot photos and the title and odometer at sale.

Checklist before you bid

1. Decode the VIN with the VIN decoder: confirm the plant country (US, Canada or Mexico) and that the model year fits the 8–9 year band.
2. Copy the title type from the lot page and compare it with the RGCE table. Ask your broker about anything unclear.
3. Run a CARFAX or AutoCheck report for brands from other states, total-loss and flood events and the odometer trail.
4. Check the lot photos: does it run, is there water inside, are the VIN labels intact?
5. Confirm the decree is still in force on your crossing date.
6. Make sure the title is in your name or endorsed to you: the broker attaches it to the pedimento.

A CARFAX report costs $14.99 here, and most reports arrive within a few minutes of payment.

What our reports cover

CARFAX and AutoCheck cover vehicles sold in the US and Canada: title brands from every state, total-loss and auction events, and recorded mileage. The auction report shows a Copart or IAAI lot as it was sold, with photos, recorded damage, and title and odometer at sale. We don’t handle customs, shipping or the pedimento.