Before departing your last port for Mexico you must secure proof of the port of your departure. This Carta Mandato (mandatory letter), is a necessary document to present to immigration upon your arrival. Note that it is not necessary to have this prepared by a US immigration official. Simply present yourself before a notary public, properly completed, sign it, get your signature notarized and you are done. Andromeda's first Importada issued June 6, 2007. Upon her return to Mexico, 10 years having passed, she needed a new Importada. I did the paperwork cha cha at the Officina del Capitania del Puerto de Cancun, paid their $60 US fee and Andromeda now wears her new Importada decal on her aft portside port window. (How about this for an unexpected requirement: Pesos are not accepted as payment of this fee by the Mexican government! I had nothing but pesos, except for the fortuity that I was armed with a Visa credit card which was accepted.)
It is muy Importante that one retain the original Importada. Surrender and formal cancellation of any prior importada is prerequisite to the issuance of a new importada. Upon its formal cancellation el official de aduana (customs) issues a fancy certificate "Importacion Temporal De Embarcaciones Certificado De Retorno". The certificate is a document printed with as much complexity as the Importada; apparently to defy attempts at counterfeiting.
I must emphasize how critical it is to maintain possession of your original Importada. It must be tendered for cancellation even if it has expired, as Andromeda's had. Also note: a cruiser is entitled to only one Importada per owner. So, if you sell your vessel and buy another, if you present in Mexico asking for an Importada for your new vessel you must surrender the importada you obtained for your prior vessel.
Keep copies of your Importada for presentation to any marina you wish to visit and for haul out at any yard. Presentation of the Importada document and your Certificate of Documentation will be demanded. In addition to exhibiting the original, have copies to hand over. It is de rigueur in Mexico that you furnish any copy required. Do not expect anyone, neither government, yard, nor marina to make copies for you.
Once you obtain your Importada, you are good for 10 years and can freely sail from port to port in Mexico without checking in or suffering any further documentation burden.
George Henry
S/V Andromeda, IP 44-35,
Isla Mujeres, Mex.
