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Motoring to Mexico? Expect to pay Mexican government will start charging sizeable bond for autos By PETER WONG Among the issues that Mexican consular officials will cover at a Medford meeting this weekend is a new requirement for U.S. motorists to post a sizable bond if they want to drive more than 20 miles into Mexico. Consular officials from Portland plan to explain the requirement, which a spokesman says is intended to discourage people from driving from the United States and leaving cars unregistered in Mexico. The public meeting is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church, 85 S. Holly St., Medford. It is intended for people who seek general services from the consulate. A second meeting, intended for consular officials to hear from local Hispanic leaders, is scheduled from 3-5 p.m. today at the church. "The meetings are not primarily for the bonding requirement," Milo Salgado of Medford said. "But it is a very relevant issue. Many people from here go down there in their cars." Now, U.S. motorists pay $11 for a sticker good for a specified period. The vehicle fee is in addition to the visitor fee of $15 per person for trips longer than three days. But under the new requirement, which takes effect Dec. 1, motorists who plan to drive beyond the U.S.-Mexico border area will have to post a refundable bond in cash or with internationally accepted credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard or American Express. The amount of the bond is linked to the car's model year. For the newest 1999 and 2000 models, the bond is $800; for models between 1994 and 1998, $600; and for models 1993 and older, $400. The requirement also applies to buses. The bond is required only for motorists who venture into Mexico beyond a series of 26-kilometer checkpoints, roughly 15 to 20 miles south of the U.S. border. If motorists enter the Mexican interior at one checkpoint but plan to leave through another checkpoint, consular officials say they should inform customs officers of their travel plans to avoid problems with bond refunds or credits. Salgado said the requirement is likely to affect tourists who drive their own cars into Mexico. A consular official from Portland who declined to be identified said the new requirement is intended to deter people, including Mexican residents of the United States, from leaving their cars with family members or others in Mexico. He said the government estimates that up to 200,000 cars are driven from the United States and left unregistered in Mexico. He compared it with the illegal practice by some residents in neighboring states of registering their cars in Oregon, which has a two-year registration fee of $30, one of the nation's lowest. Salgado said he knows nothing about how widespread such a practice may be. "But it is true that you see a lot of cars with license plates from here (in the United States) in the towns of northern Mexico,'' he said. "So I think it is a relevant issue." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA