thelog.com Mexico Cruising Guide Part 4: New TIPs resolves ‘paperwork Cha Cha’ problems By Capt. Pat Rains


The Mexico cruising “Class of 2014” will be the first to use the revamped TIPs-or Temporary Import Permits-for U.S. or non-resident boaters entering Mexican waters for the first time. Last year, problems with the TIP form – which ordinarily allows boaters to keep their vessels in Mexico tax free for up to 10 years – inadvertently lead tax investi- gators to impound 330 yachts in nine marinas.


The new TIPS were unveiled in San


Diego in June by officials from Mexico, and they were first made available to boaters in August. Licenciada Dina Madrid came from Mexico City to announce the newly released 10-year TIP at a boat show seminar packed with recreational boaters and marine indus- try representatives. Madrid delineated 22 specific changes on the new TIP forms and explained how each improvement now clarifies in English and Spanish some of the more confusing terminology, and how each change corrects past deficiencies. She explained that one of the first changes is that the vessel owner’s name may be different from the person bring- ing the boat into Mexico, but the TIP will always be carried in the owner’s name. If ownership changes, the origi- nal TIP must be cancelled before the new boat owner can obtain a new 10- year TIP for that vessel. Another major clarification is the difference between the hull identification number (HIN) and the vessel’s state registration or Coast Guard document number. Mistakes in these three areas caused most of the impoundments. She also announced newly stream-


lined rules for how U.S. boaters can obtain and renew TIPs in the future. It can be obtained for $45 in advance online, or in person for $51. Madrid also announced the new English / Spanish website where the new TIPs can be obtained online: bit.ly/1uoQS5m. Lic. Alejandro Santander, director of


the Mexico Consulate, assured the crowd of boaters that Mexico has taken the impound issue seriously and has been working for months on changes to the federal tax and importation laws so this problem doesn’t happen again. Santander said boaters who already


have a TIP and need to make changes – such as replacing boat parts brought down from the U.S. - may do so at the nearest Port Captains office or nearest Aduana office. They don’t need to exit Mexico to update their TIP. But he reminded boaters that they are legally required to keep the TIP onboard the boat while in Mexico. He made the analogy of driving in the U.S. without your drivers license. “You can’t just tell the officer that you have one but you left it at home.”


take all day – two days if you don’t start early or it’s a weekend or local holiday.


Domestic Port Clearance After you’re cleared into Mexico, each controlled port (i.e. it has a Port Captain) that you enter requires you to notify the Port Captain upon your arri- val and departure. To comply, notify eit- her (a) the marina you’re using in that port (call on VHF, sign their log book or fill out their form), or (b) the Port Captain by VHF 16 / 22 or go in person. This is the streamlined version. If someone on your Crew List wants


Santander’s office is in the Mexican


Consulate Building in downtown San Diego, and he invited boaters to contact him if they encounter problems with the new TIP. Sra. Tere Grossman, president of the


Tourist Marina Owners Association of Mexico, came from San Carlos, Sonora, to speak about the most common mis- takes boaters have made in filling out the TIP forms, and how to remedy these problem. Grossman is the founder of Marina San Carlos and Marina Seca, where hundreds of U.S. yachts summer over each year. Grossman said the marina owners


group has been working with the feder- al tourism department for 15 years to iron out paperwork wrinkles – usually before they occur, she said. During the question and answer session, Grossman was able to help many boaters in the audience with specific concerns. Also presenting the paperwork semi-


nar were the marina managers or dock- masters from 13 different marinas along Mexico’s Pacific coast.


Basic paperwork Cha Cha


International Entrance into Mexican Waters At your first Port of Entry you make


your International Entrance (Entrada Internaciónal) and clear into Mexico. Ensenada has the only CIS (Centro Integral de Servicios) office so far on Pacific Mexico, where yachts can get the streamlined clearance. Here, represen- tatives from all the required port autho- rities (Migración, Capitanía, Aduana, API, plus SEMARNAT and the Navy) are on duty 9-5 M-F, plus a bank kiosk where you pay several small fees at once by credit card. Instructions are posted in English; they speak English. When done, copy and keep all stamped documents and receipts safe until you leave Mexico. Note:We urge yatistas to clear in at Ensenada, because you’re an undocu- mented migrant until you go somewhe- re else. If you continue down Baja and are boarded or have trouble, you will be in violation of the law. The only excep-


tion is for individual pleasure boats for- mally registered in a current Baja Ha Ha, FUBAR or sanctioned yacht race, because before you left the U.S., those event organizers had completed your international port clearance paperwork listing all the vessel and all people onboard. To enter Mexico at any Port of Entry other than Ensenada (Pacific Coast) or Puerto Juarez (Caribbean Coast), you must do it the old way: visit Migracion, Capitania Aduana and API (if it’s an API port) separately, often spread across town. Between each office, you dash to a bank to stand in line to pay a small fee, dash back to get a stamp, then on to the next port official elsewhere. That method of International Arrival can


to leave your crew, you must draw up a whole new Crew List and perform a complete domestic port clearance with that person’s passport before he or she departs. It’s considered a crime to arrive in port with someone on your Crew List missing. If you wish to add someone to your Crew List, same procedure: visit at least the Port Captain and Migracion to get your new Crew List signed on and stamped. Mexican Navy patrols can ins- pect your despachos in port and at sea, insuring that the passports and visas of the people on board exactly match your Crew List.


International exit At your last Port of Entry before you


depart Mexico, take your Crew List and receipts from your Entrada Internaciónal to the Port Captain, and you’ll get a Zarpe or International Exit


See PAPERWORK page 34


The Log • Sept. 26 - Oct. 9, 2014 • 33


Ensenada’s Baja Naval offers world- class marina and boatyard services


Baja Naval was estab- lished in 1987 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Its mission is to provide cus- tomers with an economical and professional haulout experience, while increasing the safety and value of their yacht.


Baja Naval’s 120,000-


square-foot facility and 75- ton Travelift allow its staff to work on as many as 32 boats simultaneously. Baja Naval is a full-service boatyard. In-house work- shops include carpentry, bottom work, LP paint systems, mechanical services, naval architecture, hull extensions, stainless steel or aluminum mig and tig welding, and teak deck systems, among other services. This allows Baja Naval to work on fiberglass, wood, steel and alu- minum boats, providing clients with a capable, stable and growing team of experts and artisans. Baja Naval also owns and operates a marina with 50 slips for boats up to 100 feet. It provides fuel, restrooms and


showers, a concierge, computer hookups, Wi-Fi, free long-distance phone calls to the U.S. and 24-hour manned and electronic security. In 2005, Baja Naval started manag-


ing Gran Peninsula Yacht Center, which offers a 2,500-ton Synchrolift capable of hauling vessels with lengths up to 80 meters and beams up to 16 meters. For more information, visit


bajanaval.com or call 01152 (646) 174- 0020. For boatyard information, email Guillermo@bajanaval.com; and for mari- na information email Marina@bajanaval.com.


Photo courtesy of Capt. Pat Rains


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