Mexico, Puerto Chiapas: Feedback from Cruisers

Posted June 2013

Last year we attended the El Salvador Rally and thought we would leave our catamaran at Bahia del Sol.  But after watching the debris in the estuary and the conditions of the docks we didn’t feel comfortable so we made the decision to return to Marina Chiapas, Mexico.  We left Stray Cat for summer and were very pleased with our decision.  The management is more than accommodating, the security is tight, it is a hurricane hole, has no surge and they will open your boat up for air once a week, clean the bottom monthly and do just about anything else you ask.  And the price is right $200 a month plus a $1 per foot for bottom cleaning.  The marina is only two years old and has nice cement docks, hot water showers, potable water and easy access to town for provisioning.

This past cruising season we went down as far as Panama and made the decision to again return to Mariana Chiapas.  We highly recommend this marina.

Carol & Guy Dean

s/v Stray Cat

Posted 30th April 2013

So I reviewed subjects on clearing into Mexico from the South and our experience has been a breeze.

Before we left Costa Rica we filled out the online TIP form. We had an unfortunate trip up (motor broke down, becalmed 14 days to sail 250 miles etc.).

Two miles out of Puerto Madero Chiapas, we radioed Marina Chiapas and they came out in their panga. We sailed in past the breakwaters and they tied up and motored us into a slip. The Port Captain, Customs, and Health inspection came to the boat. The drug dog sniffed around, then the port captain filled his paperwork and the customs already had our online form printed off. After I signed a few things we were done.

The next morning Enrique drove us to the airport (10 minutes away) where we cleared immigration.

The quarantine officials didn’t ask for any paperwork for our dog, and we politely tied him away from the boat so their dog could work. Now everyone is happy in Mexico.

Chiapas Marina is a 16 peso ride on a collective to Tapachula. There they have a Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Auto Zone, Sam’s Club…….  And it is a $20 cab ride back.

Warning they have no boat parts or accessories.

A lot of people here have decided to leave their boat here for the season because the service has been so great. When they get their travel lift (soon I think) they have a really nice paved yard to work in.

I would totally recommend clearing into Mexico here.

Dave Wyness – SY Cypraea

www.youmeandthed.blogspot.com

(Editor’s Note: If you want to apply for your Temporary Import Permit (TIP) prior to your arrival in Mexico you must have either a US or Canadian address. If you don’t, then you will have to apply for your TIP at your first port of arrival in Mexico. Most Customs officials are not aware of these limitations and ignorant of how to deal with TIP applications on arrival, including the officials at this port. Read more below.

Posted January 2013

Introduction:

Trevor Lusty from Ireland is travelling North on the Pacific West coast of Mexico hoping to cruise The Sea of Cortez March, April and May 2013. On departure from El Salvador, his port of entry choice for entering Mexico was the new Marina Chiapas at Puerto Madero – the first port when coming from the South. Marina Chiapas is perfectly situated for yachts to wait for good weather to cross the infamous Gulf of Tehuantepac, where you need a two to the three-day window to safely transit. Whilst this is a port of entry, the Customs office here had absolutely no idea how to deal with his application for a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) on arrival.

Read about his experience below…

11 January 2013

We are currently stuck in Puerto Madero Mexico since Monday and unable to have the boat cleared in and a Temporary Import Permit issued by the local customs due to no one understanding the changes in the laws from October 2012.

14 January 2013

Position still the same. We are nowhere a week and have made four applications. Two personally and two with an agent, all have been refused.

Simply when the rules changed in October 2012 (with the launch of the new website to make TIP applications prior to arrival in Mexico) the Mexicans didn’t think to see past North America. Their website where you can apply for the TIP in advance will not accept any passport numbers other than Canadian, USA and Mexican – even if you use an address from within any of those countries – the Mexican Customs didn’t know this. In fact, they know little. They have not been trained in the new laws.

In our case, we have every scrap of paper relating to our boat but they are all notarised copies signed by two different solicitors firms, as is our certificate of registry. We also have current photographs of the boat clearly showing the carving number and the HIN number stamped into the hull. None of this is acceptable because they are not the original documents, which are safely deposited in our solicitor’s vault and there they will stay!

The difficulty for the Mexican Customs arises because all North American boats have a new registration document issued every twelve months by the US Coast Guard and ultimately Homeland Security. The document comes in an A4 format normally two pages and is easy to read and follow the relevant numbers etc. and of course it is original. The people that you are dealing with here in Pacific Mexico are based inland and understandably have no idea what a sailing boat even looks like. They are frontier agents, simple people, clearing cars and trucks from Guatemala.

Today, Monday we are waiting to hear back from the agent who is trying again for the fifth time, although without an internal contact in customs I fail to see what will now change. The marina manager continues to assure us that no one will ever ask for this temporary import form! His face went blank when I asked him how we would explain that to customs at an international Mexican airport if we were trying to re-enter the country, had we been stupid enough to leave the boat here in the first place.

The customs gave us three days grace from last Friday to see what they would do, that ends today so I guess by tomorrow we either are cleared in or on our way back to Costa Rica where we still have an active permit.

16 January 2013

• We had success this morning when The Customs intervened from Mexico City yesterday and issued instructions that we were to be allowed entry. This came about after our clearance agent decided to import our boat as a tuna fishing vessel which raised the question why would someone want to fish from a yacht? The answer of course being they don’t, they want to sail on their yacht but you won’t let them import it, however, the law allows them to import a vessel for fishing. Below are the important bullet points that may help other sailors.
• Puerto Chiapas Marina opened in April 2012. At the time of writing (Jan 2013) one hundred and sixty boats have transited through the marina. The facilities are excellent and the staff lead by manager Enrique Laclette are very friendly and very customer focused. The marina provides transportation free of charge to clear papers with the Port Authorities and Customs.
• The customs clearance for sailing boats and acquiring a ten-year Temporary Import  Permit is a new experience for the marina and the local authorities. The nearest facility to accomplish this is a thirty-minute drive inland from the marina to the vehicle frontier crossing point at Viva Mexico, where you will be taken to a toll booth at the side of a very busy and noisy road with no facilities to conduct a conversation. It is advisable to have your documents prepared and organised before you arrive. There is no point going here unless you can speak Spanish to a reasonable level.
• The toll booth is occupied by two members of Banjercito,  which is the appointed bank by customs to deal with issuing import permits and receiving payment. Banjercito will accept credit cards and US dollars, not Mexican Pesos.
• In theory, you are required to bring both originals and copies of your passport, the boat’s registration document, your immigration form (FMM) and a detailed list of the serial numbers of the main engine, generator and all navigational and leisure electrical equipment installed in your vessel.  Copies must be A4 sized paper preferably with a white border to allow for official stamping. You will also be required to fill two more forms with the same information provided by the bank.
• In reality, you may be requested to provide sight of the original bill of sale to you from the previous owner. The emphasis is that you can confirm your identity and that you are in fact the owner of the boat, in other words, be as well prepared as you possibly can. You will be dealing with people with no nautical knowledge.
• We also brought current photographs of our hull identification number and our official registration number engraved into the boat, which proved to be helpful in establishing ownership and the fact that the vessel existed.
• As of January 2013, it is proposed by Banjercito that they will accept your application and then forward your papers to Mexico City for approval, and if successful the local toll booth at Viva Mexico will issue a Temporary Import Permit the following day.
• The Mexican Government invite you to start your application online, unfortunately, their website is not available to vessels registered outside USA, Canada or Mexico. It should be possible to make the application at your local Mexican Consulate.

We spent eight days at Marina Chiapas and made three applications at Viva Mexico which were rejected simply because the staff had no idea what to do. A further four applications were made on our behalf by Grupo Aduanero Intertrade www.intertradeaa.com.mx local clearing agents. Without their intervention, we would never have been able to have the import permit granted. Their fee was a very reasonable $90.

We were charged a total of $74 by Banjercito for the ten-year Temporary Permit.

Noonsite is currently trying to source a list of ports on the West Coast that can deal in a straightforward manner with inward clearance for European cruisers. Any cruisers with experience of this please do get in touch.noonsite@noonsite.com

Update April 2013: If you have already applied for a TIP online in advance, then you will have no problems clearing into Mexico here.

Other South Mexican Port – further notes from Trevor Lusty

According to American sailors, Huatulco is a very difficult port to clear from when heading South. It requires a lot of running around various offices to get papers. In general, though most, if not all, of these boats, is seeking an International Zarpe from the Port Authority and already have the ten-year permit issued from further North.

It seems that the only port on the entire Pacific coast of Mexico that knows how to issue the ten-year TIP is Cruise port in Ensanada. The general opinion is that they seem to be the experts as they get the most practice. I have spoken to an Australian registered boat that cleared in there last year and had the permit issued in minutes, against copies of Australian registration papers.

The real issue is to find a port that has a customs office, otherwise, you are dealing with staff from Banjercito who really don’t have a clue about how to deal with a boat that has a declared value of hundreds of thousands of dollars(when a boat here is a fishing panga). Even the head of customs at the local airport here had no idea what to do or where to refer us.

You can either take the chance here (in Puerto Madero), in the hope that there is now a system of sorts, or go straight up to Ensanada which is two thousand miles away and then miss the Mexican coast. I think it will resolve in time hopefully as more boats arrive here from the South.

All cruisers report being stopped at least four times and boarded twice from The Sea of Cortez to here, the Navy’s interest focused on correct crew papers and drugs. It is unclear if the Navy had an interest in the import permit.

Editor’s Note

Cruisers have reported that obtaining a TIP at the following West Coast ports is pretty straightforward: Huatulco, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, La Paz & Ensendada.

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