Hi People, Ive just met a couple of middle aged US motocyclistasts that have managed to get from the US/Mex border to Mazatlan without getting a touristo pass or a temporado importo pass for their motos. They want to ride to Panama then return to the US but having met me they realise what they should have done at the border. They went to the Aduana/Migration office at the port and said " Yo Estupido" and can I pay the fine etc. but to no avail, "return to your crossing point and start again and this time get it right", a round trip of lots of miles and if you get caught you will lose your moto. Mazatlan is a major touristo place but I think that they have been dealing with desk people rather than those who can decide, they have admitted their mistake are getting no real help from the local officials. ( go back to the border and start again) Anybody any ideas for getting them and their motos into Guatamala so allowing them to re-enter Mexico going through the correct procedures this time. Ride safe.

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Mike
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Mike is riding the twisty road in the sky

Mike, I had no paperwork for mine in Mexico as I came across the river from Guatemala. The guy that did my passport in Mex didn't deal with vehicles (no Aduana there) and told me to go to immigration in Palenque, which I did but they weren't even slightly interested in giving me any paperwork and told me 'no problemo'.

At the US border, I rode straight through no problem. However, not so sure about the main guatemala border further south but if they were to cross the river border (you pay about $20 per bike to take them across the river), there's no Aduana and hence they will have no problem. From there its an easy ride to Flores/Tikal etc.

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Mike


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Mike's suggestion may actually work.

Good luck them,

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

They should just keep going, relax take it easy and leave the country without stopping when they get to the border. They have already got as far as Mazatlan so why worry. The next time they come in they will know what to do. When they get to Guate they should make sure to do it right.

So Garry, are you saying at the Mex/Guat. border, one need not stop at all?

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

By now the lads have already decided to either return to the US border entry side or to risk moving onward so what I say is not goig to influence them .
Tsk,tsk, for not having done enough research before starting the trip , obviously from now on they should be checking this Horizons Unlimited site .
Continuing onward is a bit risky- there may well be some roadside checkpoints where they ask to see the documents and then they would face some problems. The difficulties will depend to a big measure on the particular mood of the officials they have to deal with- some can be downright nice guys willing to help, others are happy to stick to the book and make life difficult. Granted , southward bound traffic is less prone to get stopped than northbound which is the favourite direction for illegal migrants and drug smugglers, but still the possibility exists.
Leaving Mexico for Guatemala without getting stopped at the border is only possible at a few small remote crossings where neither country has a customs presence, and then it is expected of the traveller that he goes to the nearest such facility to check out of Mexico , and to officially announce his entrance in Guate .Try this at one of the regular and manned crossings and Mexicans will want to see at least your exit stamp, the Guate side may actually send you back to Mexico for an exit stamp before the will let you in. Just riding thru like you can at the US/Mex border is not possible, they have barricades across the road and you do not pass without the documentation.
Sorry , but the fault for this screw up is completely that of the two boys who rode in expecting the Mexicans to babysit them. They should be happy to head back to the US border to get things set right. If any foreign traveller demonstrated a similar ignorance and got as far into the USA without proper papers Homeland Security would have them thrown in jail awaiting extradition, as a number of Europeans have already discovered after overstaying the term of their I 94 forms.

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http://advrider.com/index.php?thread....207964/page-5 then scroll down to post #93