Mexico's Used-Car Import Decree Is Due to Expire November 30: What Expats Need to Know

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The decree that lets you legally put a US or Canadian car on Mexican plates at a reduced duty is set to run out on November 30, 2026. As of early October, we have not found an extension published in Mexico's official gazette, the Diario Oficial de la Federación (DOF).

We don't think that calls for panic. This framework has been renewed over and over since 2011. But the last two renewals both came late, and one of them left a five-week gap when cars could not be imported under it at all. If you were planning to nationalize a vehicle this year, the calendar now matters.

What Is Expiring on November 30?

Mexico's Used-Car Import Decree – What Is Expiring:

The rule in question is the Decreto por el que se regula la importación definitiva de vehículos usados. The current version was published on November 4, 2024 with a one-year life. On November 5, 2025, President Claudia Sheinbaum signed a one-line amendment that changed nothing except the end date, which is now November 30, 2026.

It continues a regime that began on July 1, 2011 and was renewed ten times before it lapsed on September 30, 2024.

In plain terms, the decree lets you permanently import a used vehicle whose VIN shows it was built in Mexico, the United States, or Canada (first digit 1 through 5) without a prior import permit from the Economy Ministry and without a manufacturer's certificate of origin. It also sets the reduced duty:

• Rest of the country: model years 8 to 9 years old pay a 10% duty.
• Border region: residents of the northern border strip, Baja California, Baja California Sur, the partial Sonora zone, and the municipalities of Cananea and Caborca can import model years 5 to 9 years old at 1%, and 10 years old at 10%. These cars are meant to stay in the region.
• One car per person: an individual can import one vehicle every 12 months without joining the importers' registry.

Vehicles reported stolen, barred from the road in their home country, or unable to meet mechanical and emissions standards are excluded. The 16% IVA, customs fees, and your broker's fee come on top of the duty.

– This Is Not the Chocolate Car Amnesty –

A lot of coverage mixes these two up, so we want to be clear. The cheap autos chocolate regularization, the one that cost $2,500 MXN, was a different decree. It was abrogated by a decree published on December 31, 2025, and stopped taking new applications on January 1, 2026, after more than 2.5 million vehicles went through it.

What expires on November 30 is the ordinary, legal import route through a customs broker. We cover that process step by step in our guide to importing a car to Mexico permanently.

What Happens If the Decree Lapses?

Mexico's Used-Car Import Decree – If It Lapses:

Without the decree, a used car falls back on Mexico's general tariff schedule. That means a prior permit from the Economy Ministry and a duty that can reach 50%, according to a motion filed in Mexico's Congress during the last gap. The other route is the USMCA (T-MEC) preference, which requires a certificate of origin from the automaker. For a private owner with a nine-year-old SUV, that paper is hard to get.

We have two recent examples of how this plays out.

– The 2024 Gap –

The old decree expired on September 30, 2024. The replacement was not published until the evening of November 4. For five weeks, imports under the reduced rates stopped. The Tijuana weekly Zeta reported more than 2,000 vehicles waiting on the US side to cross through Tijuana alone.

– The 2025 Close Call –

Last year's extension was published in the DOF's evening edition on November 5, 2025, the same day the term ran out. Border outlets reported that imports paused for about a day while brokers waited.

So renewal is the pattern, but punctuality is not. It is also worth remembering that this government has shown it will end a car program outright. It closed the chocolate amnesty nine months before its scheduled end date, after years of pressure from Mexico's auto dealers. We are not predicting that here. We just would not plan around a guarantee.

Who Should Care About This Deadline?

Mexico's Used-Car Import Decree – Who Is Affected:

– Temporary Residents Moving to Permanent Residency –

This is the group we worry about most. A Temporary Import Permit (TIP) is tied to your immigration status, and permanent residents cannot hold one. When your status changes, the car either leaves Mexico or gets nationalized. If you were counting on nationalizing it, the decree is what keeps the bill reasonable.

– Permanent Residents in Baja and the Sonora Zone –

You can drive on foreign plates inside the free zones, so nothing forces your hand. But if you wanted Mexican plates at the 1% border rate, that rate lives in this decree.

– Anyone Planning a 2027 Move With a Car –

Do not build a budget on today's rates. Price the move both ways, with the decree and without it.

– Who Is Not Affected –

Tourists and temporary residents driving on a valid TIP are not touched by this. Neither are cars that have already been imported. Under the decree, your customs entry document, the pedimento, is the proof that the car is legally in Mexico, so keep it safe.

The Model-Year Clock Is Also Ticking

Mexico's Used-Car Import Decree – The Model-Year Window:

There is a second date that matters more for some owners than November 30. The decree defines a model year as running from November 1 to October 31, and customs brokers roll the eligible window forward every November 1.

For imports to the interior, brokers are currently quoting model years 2017 and 2018. On November 1, that is expected to shift to 2018 and 2019. In the border region the current band is roughly 2016 through 2021.

Two things follow from that:

• If you own a 2017, your practical deadline for the interior is October 31, not November 30.
• If you own a 2019, your window opens on November 1, in what is currently the decree's last month.

Brokers apply these cutoffs by VIN, so confirm your exact vehicle before you make plans.

Importing your car or buying one here? Click here for a free Mexico auto insurance quote.

What We Would Do Before November 30

Mexico's Used-Car Import Decree – What to Do Now:

1. Check the car first. Look at the first digit of the VIN and the model year. If it does not fit the bands above, the deadline is not your problem and you need a different plan.
2. Call a licensed customs broker (agente aduanal) this month. Ask for a written quote and a timeline. The US side requires the title and vehicle to be presented for export 72 hours before crossing, so this is not a same-day errand.
3. Ignore anyone selling "regularization." The $2,500 peso program is closed. Anyone still offering it is selling something that no longer exists.
4. Keep a plan B. For many of us, the simpler answer is to buy a car in Mexico. Some expats also look at keeping a car registered through South Dakota while they remain eligible for a TIP.
5. Line up insurance for the new plates. A tourist policy written for a foreign-plated car stops fitting once the car is nationalized. You will need a Mexican auto policy in place the day the plates change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico's Used-Car Import Decree – Frequently Asked Questions:

– Has the Decree Been Extended Past November 30, 2026? –

Not as of early October 2026. Any extension has to be published in the DOF, and the last two appeared at the final hour or after it. We will update this article when that changes.

– If It Expires, Does My Imported Car Become Illegal? –

No. A car that already has its pedimento was legally imported. A lapse affects new imports, not completed ones.

– Is This the Same as the Chocolate Car Program? –

No. The chocolate car amnesty ended on December 31, 2025. This decree covers standard imports through a customs broker with duties and IVA paid.

– Which Model Years Qualify Right Now? –

For the interior, brokers are quoting 2017 and 2018 until October 31, with 2018 and 2019 expected from November 1. The border region allows newer vehicles. Always confirm by VIN.

– Could I Still Import in December If There Is No Extension? –

On paper, yes, under the general rules with a prior permit and a much higher duty. In practice, when the decree lapsed in 2024, imports at the border simply stopped until the new one was published.

Final Thoughts

Mexico's Used-Car Import Decree – Final Thoughts:

Our honest read is that an extension is more likely than not, and that it may well arrive late. That is fine if your plans are flexible. It is a problem if your residency is about to change, your TIP is running down, or your car is a 2017 that ages out on October 31. If that is you, we would get a broker's quote now instead of waiting on the DOF.

Whichever way you go, make sure the car is properly insured for the plates it ends up wearing.

Get a fast, free insurance quote or schedule a 15-minute call with a broker to talk through your situation.

Related Articles:

• Taking a Car to Mexico Permanently: How to Import a Car to Mexico
• How to Get a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) in Mexico
• Driving in Mexico on Foreign License Plates
• Buying a Car in Mexico
• Tips for Driving in Mexico