Belizeans need exemption letter to avoid deposit in Mexico
The Mexican government has implemented a new law to regulate vehicles traveling through that country. All vehicles transiting to or travelling through Mexico will now be required to pay a deposit ranging from four hundred US dollars to eight hundred US dollars depending on the model and year of the vehicle. Diana Locke, the Director for Protocol and Consular Matters told News Five in a telephone interview that Belizeans can avoid paying the money once they have a Letter of Commitment that will prove to Mexican authorities the vehicle is not being brought into Mexico to be sold. Locke said the document is one that has been in place since 1992, following an agreement between Belize and Mexico that exempts Belizeans from any kind of travel regulations.
Diana Locke, Director for Protocol and Consular Matters
“Actually this Letter of Commitment has been in use since 1992. It used to be used regularly and like everything, after a while it just died away and nobody bothered to say anything or do anything. So now that the Mexicans wanted to put this thing in place we have something that protects our nationals from having to pay any kind of deposit or any kind of fee or anything of that sort. And so we raised this matter with them again. People had just stopped using it and the customs officials in Mexico never bothered them so nobody never bothered to go back and get it but it is something that should have been used the entire time.”
Belizeans are being advised that they should pick up their Letter of Commitment from the Comptroller of Customs in Belize City to present to Mexican authorities in Chetumal. Those travelling from the United States to Belize must obtain their letter from the nearest Belizean Embassy or Honorary Consulate in the USA. If you are unable to get a letter you are advised to pay the deposit through the Banejercito Bank and not pay cash to custom officials. There will be a service charge for all bank transactions and the money is refundable.
