Go Back   Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB > Regional Forums > Central America and Mexico
Central America and Mexico Topics specific to Central America and Mexico only.
Photo by Daniel Rintz, Himba children, Namibia

The only impossible journey
is the one
you never begin

Photo by Daniel Rintz,
Himba children, Namibia



Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 9 Nov 2012
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
Posts: 3,491
Belize please for a day or two....possible?

Wondering if it's possible to cross into Belize from Mexico for a few days without having to cancel our Mexican TVIP's on the bikes?
__________________
Sara

Those who say something is impossible should not hinder those who are achieving it!






www.worldwideride.ca

HU RR Finding Freedom...World Wide Ride
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 10 Nov 2012
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Langley, B.C. Canada
Posts: 47
Hello Saralou,

Two differing views here. I asked when I bought my TVIP in La Paz, before boarding the ferry to mainland Mexico, whether I needed to cancel my TVIP if I was going to return to Mexico after travelling through Central America and South America. My original plan was to ride back home. I will now ship it. The helpful lady behind the counter said it was risky because if anything happened to you or the bike while outside of Mexico you would forfeit your deposit. But when I exited Mexico for Guatemala in October I had to go to the Banjercito first, where they cancelled the TVIP. I was then directed to Migracion where they asked for the cancelled TVIP that was given to me at the Banjercito. Could I have sneaked around the Banjercito? Maybe, but it was quite obvious I was on a bike and they were right next door to each other. Then again, each border is different. You could always ask if they allow a short trip into Belize without going through the process all over again. On a side note, the helpful lady was not sure if every border crossing had a Banjercito where one could cancel the TVIP. I thought that was a bit strange. Maybe she was wrong. Best to ask. Someone else might chime in with their own experience. Hope this helps.

Regards Mike.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 10 Nov 2012
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Guatemala
Posts: 45
It is common practice for people from Guatemala to get a TVIP for six months and cross the border multiple times, as the permit is valid for all that time. The BANEJERCITO officer at Ciudad Quactemoc tipped on to this bit of info. Reality is, they don't care, they have your money. The only place where such document gets requested at, is the custom/military check points 100 kms from the border.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 10 Nov 2012
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: where the truck is stopped!
Posts: 120
Like the other fellow said. It really depends on the guys at the border. I've crossed many times with the TVIP still valid and not been asked for it. I've also crossed and been asked for it and when that happened I just showed an older one from times past and all was fine.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 10 Nov 2012
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Norwich,Ontario,Canada
Posts: 1,051
Yes you can go to Belize for a few days.
Mexico will now let you retain your TVIP so that saves you and them the bother of cancelling and refunding the deposit , only to have to take out a new one and deposit > Got that ?

You will however be asked to cancel your Tourist Card. Then when you return to Mexico you need to apply for and pay for a new tourist card . This is a regrettable expense, but not the end of the trip deal breaker.
And mikey, in the case of your potential plan to travel to South America before returning to Mexico it makes no sense to even think about keeping your TVIP going. The helpful lady was right. Would you actually get back to Mexico and exit to the USA before the six months expires ? Unlikely. You would just be asking for problems of having an expired TVIP and that means also that you would have THROWN AWAY YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT.
There are indeed several border crosings into Guatemala with no Banjercito service , even with no Migracion.
If you cross those you are supposed to have your papers already in order by visiting one of the other points where those services are available .
or if you cross without that precaution you should limit yourself to a short exploratory trip but not carry on deep across Guatemala
Once you hit the Belize side of the border you MUST buy their liability insurance for bikes , they do check at roadside.Reasonable price, get the week, it costs no more than it does for three days.
You wil not regret it, once you start exploring the back roads you will find a week is used up pretty quick .Take the long ride down to Punta Gorda and back, out to Cayo, the ruins of Xunantunich and or Caracol, a ride up through the modern Spanish Lookout Mennonite colony and by contrast the other much more conservative old fashioned horse-and buggy colony around Shipyard.
Take a short trip through Belize City, it can look a bit of a dump but is interesting because of just that.
__________________
http://advrider.com/index.php?thread....207964/page-5 then scroll down to post #93

Last edited by Sjoerd Bakker; 10 Nov 2012 at 23:49.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 13 Nov 2012
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
Posts: 3,491
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sjoerd Bakker View Post
Yes you can go to Belize for a few days.
Mexico will now let you retain your TVIP so that saves you and them the bother of cancelling and refunding the deposit , only to have to take out a new one and deposit > Got that ?

You will however be asked to cancel your Tourist Card. Then when you return to Mexico you need to apply for and pay for a new tourist card . This is a regrettable expense, but not the end of the trip deal breaker.
And mikey, in the case of your potential plan to travel to South America before returning to Mexico it makes no sense to even think about keeping your TVIP going. The helpful lady was right. Would you actually get back to Mexico and exit to the USA before the six months expires ? Unlikely. You would just be asking for problems of having an expired TVIP and that means also that you would have THROWN AWAY YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT.
There are indeed several border crosings into Guatemala with no Banjercito service , even with no Migracion.
If you cross those you are supposed to have your papers already in order by visiting one of the other points where those services are available .
or if you cross without that precaution you should limit yourself to a short exploratory trip but not carry on deep across Guatemala
Once you hit the Belize side of the border you MUST buy their liability insurance for bikes , they do check at roadside.Reasonable price, get the week, it costs no more than it does for three days.
You wil not regret it, once you start exploring the back roads you will find a week is used up pretty quick .Take the long ride down to Punta Gorda and back, out to Cayo, the ruins of Xunantunich and or Caracol, a ride up through the modern Spanish Lookout Mennonite colony and by contrast the other much more conservative old fashioned horse-and buggy colony around Shipyard.
Take a short trip through Belize City, it can look a bit of a dump but is interesting because of just that.
Thanks Sjoerd,

As we figured you can go but in the end it will depend on the boarder official and the mood of the day.

Thanks for the insight.
__________________
Sara

Those who say something is impossible should not hinder those who are achieving it!






www.worldwideride.ca

HU RR Finding Freedom...World Wide Ride
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 19 Nov 2012
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 19
Question

At the end of November I'm going to be heading south into Mexico at Tijuana, going down the Pacific coast, crossing into Guatemala at Ciudad Hidalgo, wandering around Central America, then crossing back into Mexico in February at Las Champas and headed up the Gulf Coast to Brownsville, Texas for some sun and fun with the Spring Breakers.
http://snipr.com/reno-padre-atitlan

Would someone confirm that you can pay the 6 month TVIP deposit at one Banjercito and redeem the deposit at another?

Are there any suggestions (cost advantages) for one Mexican insurance company over another?

Thanks
__________________
2007 Suzuki Boulevard S83
http://snipr.com/reno-padre-atitlan

Last edited by cyberbiker; 12 May 2013 at 19:11. Reason: Corrected link
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 19 Nov 2012
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
Posts: 3,491
mexico

Good luck on your trip. Yes you can pay and redeem deposit at different places. The cheapest insurance is thru Mexpro.com and is easy to buy it online. Sara
__________________
Sara

Those who say something is impossible should not hinder those who are achieving it!






www.worldwideride.ca

HU RR Finding Freedom...World Wide Ride
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 20 Nov 2012
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 19
Thanks, Saralou. I checked out Mexpro and posted it's quote at
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...nce-cost-67420. I hope others post on that thread too so we can keep running comparisons for Mex and Ctrl Amer countries.
__________________
2007 Suzuki Boulevard S83
http://snipr.com/reno-padre-atitlan
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 20 Nov 2012
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Norwich,Ontario,Canada
Posts: 1,051
Cyberbiker.
Las Champas ? a new one on me. Please explain where it is in Mexico or Guatemala or Belize and what highway does it feed into ? .
Is it a teeny tiny crossing inthe middle of a jungle somwhere? I will check my maps tonight =) Carefull, those are not always serviced and can lead to problems with documentation.
As Saralou points out you can turn in the TVIP at any of the official Mexican border customs terminals when going back to the USA. This can be either immediately at the border in Brownsville or Reynosa, and Nvo.Laredo but it can also be done at the roadside customs terminal like the one at km53 on Mex 57 at Allende , Coahuila. Just so you know you have lots of options.
__________________
http://advrider.com/index.php?thread....207964/page-5 then scroll down to post #93
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 21 Nov 2012
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sjoerd Bakker View Post
Cyberbiker.
Las Champas ? a new one on me. Please explain where it is in Mexico or Guatemala or Belize and what highway does it feed into?
It is where Guat CA1 ends at the Mexican border. Las Champas is a little settlement right on the Mex side of the border. The nearest Mex municipality of Ciudad Cuauhtemoc, about 2km further into Mex, is the official border crossing name. Thanks for catching that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sjoerd Bakker View Post
you can turn in the TVIP at any of the official Mexican border customs terminals when going back to the USA. This can be either immediately at the border in Brownsville or Reynosa, and Nvo.Laredo but it can also be done at the roadside customs terminal like the one at km53 on Mex 57 at Allende , Coahuila.
Can the 180-day TVIP also be turned in at any US major city Banjercito like San Francisco or Sacramento? That would be more convenient because, once back into the US at Brownsville, TX, I may want to hop back to Mex a couple times on my way by Loredo, El Paso, Tucson, etc., en route to Reno, NV. Turning it in when I am sure I will not return (like in Sacramento 132mi from Reno) permits me to leave my options open on the way home.
__________________
2007 Suzuki Boulevard S83
http://snipr.com/reno-padre-atitlan
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 21 Nov 2012
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Norwich,Ontario,Canada
Posts: 1,051
Ciberbiker . Definitely a big fat emphatic capitalized NO on the possibilities you float of cancelling the TVIP in Reno or ANY other point not at the Mexican side of the border.These offices deal with othe things but will not cancel TVIP for you, not their duty.
You CAN leave Mexico and keep your TVIP ,not a problem that is totally legal and permitted so you can come back for multiple visits..
But to CANCEL you must be at a border facility as described , anywhere along the entire Mex/ US border and you MUST have the motorcycle present at the time you cancel it.
Once you decide you are ready to cancel the TVIP BEFORE it expires then just take a ride to the border and hop into Mexico to visit the Banjercito office there . They will cancel it , take a picture of the VIN plate on the bike and give your credit card the refund for the deposit you paid.
Your options for border crosssings to the USA are wide open, any one with a Banjercito will do the work for you ( not all have Banjercito now, eg Tecate is iffy they tell me ). As long as you have the bike right there to show them.

As for the Champas border crosssing , now I understand. You are off a bit with the crossing name however , This crossing of CA1 to Mexico's Mex 190 at Cd Cuauhtemoc is on the Guatemala side actually called La Mesilla, the name of the town right there on the border on top of the mountain. Your map led you astray.Naughty map .
__________________
http://advrider.com/index.php?thread....207964/page-5 then scroll down to post #93
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
London, England to Otranto, Italy on an MT350 Mt350Rider Ride Tales 6 14 Feb 2017 15:36
Travel distance per day in central asia (the 'stans) ctech83 Route Planning 1 16 Jul 2012 13:51
West Africa visas - 2011 experience africano sub-Saharan Africa 12 7 Apr 2012 13:39
Adelaide to Anchorage Adelaide to Anchorage Ride Tales 4 3 Jan 2012 09:07
Egyptian around 30 states Heeso North America 6 13 Nov 2011 01:06

 
 

Announcements

Thinking about traveling? Not sure about the whole thing? Watch the HU Achievable Dream Video Trailers and then get ALL the information you need to get inspired and learn how to travel anywhere in the world!

Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's the list of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now
, and add your information if we didn't find you.

Next HU Eventscalendar

HU Event and other updates on the HUBB Forum "Traveller's Advisories" thread.
ALL Dates subject to change.

2024:

Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!

Questions about an event? Ask here

HUBBUK: info

See all event details

 
World's most listened to Adventure Motorbike Show!
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)



Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.

Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!


 

What others say about HU...

"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia

"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK

"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia

"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA

"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada

"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa

"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia

"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany

Lots more comments here!



Five books by Graham Field!

Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook

"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.



Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!

New to Horizons Unlimited?

New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!

Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.

Susan and Grant Johnson Read more about Grant & Susan's story

Membership - help keep us going!

Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.

You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.




All times are GMT +1. The time now is 20:45.