By Carol S. Billups

 

Moving to Cabo San Lucas is not difficult. But it does take some planning.

 

The first to-do item? Get your paperwork in order. In the past,you were able to travel to and from México using only a tourist visa, but now you will need a resident visa. The forms and fees are quite affordable.Unless you are fluent in Spanish, though, you will probably want to hire someone to help you through the process. If you are moving to Méxicofor work, your employer may be able to help. The process needs to be initiated at a Mexican consulate in the United States or Canada (if you are from one of these countries, of course). There, they will begin the paperwork and perform an interview. You will need to make an appointment for this visit.Once the consulate has completed its portion of the task, you will have to report to the immigration office in Los Cabos to have your status formalized. You can learn more and start the process at www.inm.gob.mx.

 

If you choose to import your vehicle—as opposed to driving with your current registration—this task must also be initiated in the home country prior to your move. Only a legitimate border broker can legally import your vehicle; the minimum charge is about $1,500 U.S. Restrictions on the age and make of your car also exist, so it pays to consult a professional well in advance of moving day.

 

Now, those garage sales. The experts we consulted (expats who recently made the move to Los Cabos) were very clear that bringing too many belongings with them was their biggest regret. Be ferocious with yourself; just get rid of the unneeded stuff. Family heirloom? Send it off to the next generation for safe keeping. Give away when appropriate, sell what you can, and donate what you can’t, they advise. Most of your belongings in your current home won’t fit your Los Cabos lifestyle anyway. Bringing them with you will only increase the weight of your shipment and bring up the cost of moving.

 

 

 

When you are shipping merchandise into México, you will pay a 16 percent import duty. If you cannot produce a receipt for the item,aduana (“customs”) will assign what it believes to be fair market value. New or used items are treated equally—with only one exception: the menaje de casa, which is a once-in-a-lifetime exemption for an individual or family moving its primary residence to México. The requirementsto obtainmenaje status are quite rigorous, so using a consultantlike an international mover or importer makes sense. In order to use the menaje, you will need to pack in a particular manner and inventory each item you are bringing. The paperwork process begins at the consulate; in this case, a border broker must be involved. Once your shipment reaches the border, it will be transferred to the border broker. He or she will bring it across the border after fulfilling all legal obligations and then forward it to your mover in México. Here’s the catch: The border broker won’t cross your belongings until you’ve had your resident visa stamped here in Los Cabos. So once your property reaches the border, it is held and will stay in limbo until you get to Los Cabos and have your papers processed. All goods brought in under the menaje must be used items. If you even one or two new items purchased for the move, it will delay your shipment and may result in a fine.You can learn more about the menaje at https://www.sat.gob.mx/aduanas/pasajeros/Paginas/Menaje_casa.aspx.

 

Your pets are more than welcome to make the move with you, but you will need to bring a current health certificate showing their vaccinations; this certificate must be issued by your veterinarian no more than 30 days prior to travel.

All of this may seem like a lot of work, but the expats we consulted all agreed that making the move was worth it. After all, it’s the biggest adventure of your life. So, what are you waiting for?

 

Carol Billups is broker-owner of Cabo Realty Pros in Cabo San Lucas. She can be reached at (624) 147-7541 or on her website,www.caborealtypros.com. And, yes, her wedding china and crystal are still in theirshipping containers in Los Cabos even after all these years.