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Driving a Financed Vehicle in Mexico

Driving a Financed Vehicle in Mexico


Before traveling into Baja or mainland Mexico it is a good idea to check with the company through which you financed the lease or purchase of your vehicle, to see if they have special requirements for international travel. Many lien holders require their clients to request an official letter of permission to be carried with their Mexican insurance policy throughout the entire trip.

Individual banks and financial services have different procedures for how you should go about obtaining a letter of permission. It is also important to note that many companies will not allow you to travel in Mexico with your financed vehicle for a period longer than 30 days. You should always contact your lending institution directly to make sure that you know their particular policies and expectations, and are following the correct steps to receive a letter of permission well in advance of your departure date. Some lenders notarize their letters, which lengthens the processing time. Using a FAX machine to send and receive information from your bank or financing company will expedite the process significantly.

Does your finance company need a copy of your Mexican insurance policy?

Policies may be sent your finance company by email. Please contact us if you would like for us to send your policy to them. We will need the fax number or email address, your policy number, and any contact information so that the fax goes to the correct department.


Generally it is recommended that customers who will be traveling with a financed vehicle allow a minimum of 7 - 10 days in advance of travel to complete the steps necessary to get this important letter of permission from your lending institution. Although some institutions work more quickly than others, if you wait until the last minute to make your request you may have to postpone your trip until the permission letter arrives!

Step-by-step instructions to receive formal permission to travel south of the border from some of the commonly used financing companies:

Bank of America
Bank of the West
TD Auto Finance
Ford Motor Credit
Ally Financial
Honda Financial Services
Navy Federal Credit Union
San Diego County Credit Union
Toyota Financial Services
USAA
VW Credit
Wells Fargo Dealer Services

Bank of America

Bank of America clients are required to carry a letter of permission on their trip. To receive this letter, complete the following steps:

  • Contact customer service at 1-800-215-6195 to request out-of-border form which Bank of American can send to you via fax or postal mail.
  • Prior to faxing/mailing form back to Bank of America, be sure to include:
    • Exact dates of departure from and return to USA
    • Copy of vehicle registration
    • Year, Make, Model, VIN number
    • Proof of Mexican insurance on the vehicle
    • Fax number where you can be reached, if you want to receive your letter of permission by fax
  • Your Bank of America account must be current and have been open for at least 90 days before the request.

If you fax your request, Bank of America can generate the letter of permission on the same day or within 24 hours. If you send your request by regular US mail, it may take 3-5 days for your request to be processed.

It is recommended to carry the letter of permission everywhere you go on your trip and if you decide to extend the dates of your travel while in Mexico you need to call Bank of America to get a new letter of permission with extended dates reflecting your new itinerary.


Bank of the West

Bank of the West clients are required to carry a letter of permission on their trip. To receive this letter, your account and U.S. insurance must be current. Complete the following steps:

  • Fax or mail a written request for letter of permission to Bank of the West Collateral Department 402-918-6055 (FAX).
  • Include:
    • Exact dates of departure from and return to USA
    • Your account number and name
    • Vehicle license plate number
    • Proof of Mexican insurance on the vehicle
    • Fax number where you can be reached, if you want to receive your letter of permission by fax

Bank of the West clients are strongly encouraged to submit their request in writing at least three weeks prior to travel departure. Average processing time is between 3 and 5 days, but depending on the customer account it can sometimes take longer. Once Bank of the West has approved the request, a letter will be generated and can be faxed or mailed back to you. There is a $10 fee that will be applied to your account for processing. The authorization letter may be over-nighted for an additional $10. The letter of permission will be on letterhead but not notarized. It is recommended that it be carried at all times during your trip. The maximum allowance for the vehicle to be out of the country is 120 days. You can reach Customer Service at 1-800-827-7500 Ext 4900.


TD Auto Finance

TD Auto Finance clients are required to carry a letter of permission on their trip. To receive this letter, complete the following steps:

  • Telephone a Customer Service representative about your individual account 10 - 15 days prior to your scheduled departure for Mexico.
  • Fax (1-888-548-3574) or mail the following documents:
    • Exact dates of departure from and return to USA
    • Addresses and telephone numbers of where you will be staying in Mexico
    • Proof of Mexican insurance coverage, as well as proof of domestic insurance coverage
    • Three personal references with different mailing addresses in USA, including their contact information

From the receipt of your request, it typically takes TD Auto Finance 7-10 business days to generate a letter of permission which they will either fax or mail to you according to your preference. This letter should be carried with you at all times during your trip. You can reach Customer Service at 1-800-556-8172.


Ford Motor Credit

Ford Motor Credit clients are required to carry a letter of permission on their trip. To receive this letter, complete the following steps:

  • Telephone Ford Motor Credit at 1-800-727-7000 to request travel form and to find out your payoff amount. You are required to have full coverage for the entire payoff amount of the vehicle.
  • You will need to fill out the following information on the travel form:
    • Exact dates of departure from and return to USA
    • Addresses and telephone numbers of where you will be staying in Mexico
    • Payment information if payment is due while travelling
    • Vehicle information: make, model and VIN
  • Purchase Mexican insurance.
  • Your policy must reflect the exact dates of your travel to and from Mexico, show an accurate VIN number, list Ford Motor Credit as the lien holder on the vehicle.
  • The name on your insurance policy must match the name on your Ford Motor Credit account.
  • Fax proof of Mexican insurance to Ford Motor Credit.
  • Your request is forwarded to Ford Motor Credit management for approval.

If approved, Ford Motor Credit will generate a notarized permission letter for you to carry during your trip. There are many qualifying situations and each case is evaluated individually.

It typically takes between 24 - 48 hours for your letter to be generated. It is then faxed or mailed to you. Each letter of permission is valid only for the dates of travel indicated on your request. If you decide to extend your stay you must call Ford Motor Credit to obtain an updated letter of permission.


Ally Financial

Ally Financial clients are required to carry a letter of permission during their trip. In order to receive the letter, your account must be current, at least 6 payments must be made on the loan, and your account may not have any negative credit marks. To receive this letter, complete the following steps:

  • Purchase Mexican insurance
  • Make sure insurance policy reflects exact dates of your trip into Mexico
  • Telephone Customer Service at 1-800-200-4622
  • You will be directed to fax your proof of insurance and written request for a letter of permission to Ally. The fax number will be given to you by an Ally representative based upon your account type
  • Your written request must include:
    • 1 personal reference from the US who has a separate residence
    • Proof of Mexican insurance with Ally listed as lost payee, customer or co-buyer must be listed as the insured. Collision deductible should not be more than 2% of insured value or $500, theft deductible should be no more than 5% of insured value or $1K, $50k minimum for third party property damage is required, as well as $50k minimum for injuries to third parties, or $100k combined single limit
    • Complete VIN and detailed description of the vehicle, dates of coverage, and account number
    • Provide instructions for Ally to return letter
  • Your Ally account will be reviewed to ensure that your deductible requirements are appropriately covered by the insurance policy you have purchased.
  • If approved, your letter will be faxed or mailed back to you. Turnaround time is 3-5 business days

It is recommended that you carry the letter of permission everywhere you go on your trip.


Honda Financial Services

Honda Financial Services clients are required to carry a letter of permission during their trip. To receive this letter, complete the following steps:

  • Telephone a Customer Service representative about your individual account 7 - 10 days before your intended departure. Honda recommends allowing 10 days.
  • Your Honda representative will give you fax number or mailing address to send your written request and documentation to, depending on your particular account.
  • Include:
    • Your Honda Account Number
    • Exact dates of departure from and return to USA
    • Proof of Mexican insurance coverage
    • If you purchased the vehicle: Shows Full Coverage
    • If you are leasing the vehicle: Must show coverage in the amounts of $100,000.00 bodily injury per person, $300,000.00 bodily injury per accident, $50,000 property damage
    • Honda must be on the policy as the loss payee
    • Honda Financial Services Address must be on the policy:
      PO Box 6070
      Cypress, California 90630

From the receipt of your request, there is a minimum turnaround time of 24 hours to generate a letter of permission which they will prefer to mail to you. The letter of permission is notarized, so they prefer not to send it through a fax machine. This letter should be carried with you at all times on your trip, and is valid for only the dates specified on your request. You can reach Customer Service at 1-800-445-1358.


Navy Federal Credit Union

Navy Federal Credit Union requires that customers obtain a letter of authorization with them during their trip which can be accessed online.

  • Type “letter of authorization” in the search bar once signed into your account
  • Fill out form and fax or mail back
  • If the form is faxed, a response will be ready within 2-3 hours. If sent via postal mail, it will take 7-10 business days.

Any further questions can be directed to NFCU Customer Service at 1-888-842-6328.


San Diego County Credit Union

San Diego County Credit Union clients are required to carry a letter of permission during their trip. To receive this letter, complete the following steps:

  • You will need to notify the Credit Union in order to obtain permission from management. A phone call will suffice, or stop by your local branch.
  • Tell SDCCU the exact dates of your travel and where you will be traveling.
  • Once approval has been obtained, you will need to sign a form provided by SDCCU.

Your letter will typically be generated on site (if you go directly to your local branch), although in some cases it can take several days to receive approval and have the letter generated and faxed or mailed to you. You should carry it with you at all times on your trip. You can reach Customer Service at 1-877-732-2848.


Toyota Financial Services

Toyota Financial Services (TFS) clients are required to carry a letter of permission during your trip. To receive this letter, complete the following steps:

  • Telephone TFS to request authorization form which can be faxed, emailed, or mailed to you
  • If approval is given, purchase Mexican insurance policy. Be sure to include TFS's name & address in the lien holder or loss payee field:
    • Toyota Motor Credit Corp.
      PO Box 105386
      Atlanta, GA 30348
  • Fax proof of insurance along with the authorization form to number given by TFS Customer Service Representative.
  • TFS reviews your coverage, makes sure that all information is correct.
  • TFS emails, faxes, or mails you the letter of permission.
  • Processing a letter of permission typically takes TFS between 24-48 hours, however it is highly recommended by the company to allow one full week for processing.

It is important to note that letters of permission from TFS are only valid for 30 days or less. If you want to stay in Mexico longer than 30 days, you must actually return to the USA and get a new consent letter. (It may be possible for you to have the letter faxed to your location in Mexico, each decision is made on a case by case basis.) The letter of permission should be carried at all times on the trip. You can reach Customer Service at 1-800-874-8822.


USAA

USAA clients are apparently not required by USAA to carry a letter of permission on their trip, however it is highly recommended and USAA will generate a letter of permission for clients who request it. To receive this letter, complete the following steps:

  • Telephone USAA at 1-800-531-2265 to find out what the procedure is to get a letter of permission based upon your individual account.
  • Provide USAA with the exact dates of your travel and proof of Mexican insurance policy.
  • Allow 1 - 2 weeks advance notice for the letter of permission to be generated.
  • A notarized letter will be faxed or mailed to you at the number or mailing address you provide to the USAA Customer Service Representative.

It is important to note that letters of permission from USAA are only valid for 30 days or less. If you want to stay in Mexico longer than 30 days, USAA will fax a new letter to your location in Mexico, however they caution that Customs does not always accept faxed letters and sometimes require an original notarized letter. If you decide to request a letter of permission to verify the legality of taking your vehicle into Mexico, you should carry it with you at all times.


VW Credit

VW Credit clients are required to carry a letter of permission during their trip. To receive this letter, complete the following steps:

  • Telephone a Customer Service representative about your individual account at least 7 - 10 days prior to your scheduled departure for Mexico.
  • Your VW representative will give you fax number or mailing address to send your written request and documentation to, depending on your particular account. You can also make the request verbally via telephone and then mail in your documentation.
  • Include:
    • Name, telephone number.
    • Exact dates of departure from and return to USA.
    • Addresses and telephone numbers of where you will be staying in Mexico.
    • Proof of Mexican insurance coverage.
    • Insurance policy must cover cash value for total theft and damage - the value of the policy must be more than or equal to payoff amount.
    • Co-buyer and customer must both be on the insurance.
    • Three personal references in USA including their contact information.
    • References cannot be living at the same address.

From the receipt of your request, it typically takes VW Credit 48 hours to generate a letter of permission which they prefer to mail to you as it is a notarized document. They will fax it to customers upon request but caution that the document may not be considered legal if it is merely a fax copy. Your letter of permission should be carried with you at all times on your trip, and is valid for only the dates specified on your request. You can reach Customer Service at 1-800-428-4034.

It is important to note that letters of permission from VW Credit are valid for only 3 months or less.


Wells Fargo Dealer Services

Wells Fargo Dealer Services (WFDS) clients are required to carry a letter of permission during their trip. To receive this letter, fax or mail your written request to WFDS including:

  • Proof of Mexican insurance including policy number and telephone number
  • WFDS must be listed as the lien holder or loss payee on Mexican insurance policy
  • Evidence that insurance coverage is equal to or greater than 80% of the current loan balance; average cash value is acceptable
  • Your WFDS account number
  • Whether or not your title has been perfected
  • Your contact information
  • The declaration page for your policy
  • Indicate how you would like to receive the approval. Options are email, fax, or mail

It typically takes 3 business days for a request to be processed once it is received by WFDS, not including return mailing time.

It is important to note that letters of permission from WFDS are only valid for 60 days or less. If you want to stay in Mexico longer than 60 days, additional approval by account manager is required. The letter of permission should be carried at all times on the trip. You can reach Customer Service at 1-800-289-8004.

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