Rocky Point and many parts of the state of Sonora are in the "Free Zone". This tourist, or border zone, can extend up to 70 miles into Mexico, as it does near Rocky Point & the Sea of Cortez, or as little as about 12 miles, as it does south of Nogales. American citizens can travel in the free zone without a tourist card or a vehicle permit. So for your vacation to Rocky Point, you will not need a permit, however you will need Mexican auto insurance.
Travelers staying in Mexico for more than 72 hours & not more than 180 days, or traveling beyond the "border zone" need Mexico tourist cards. Mexico tourist cards (called an FMT) is a government card declaring that you have stated the purpose of your visit to Mexico to be tourism , and which must be carried while you are visiting Mexico.
The minimum required insurance coverage to drive in Mexico is civil liability insurance which covers you in case you cause injury or damage. Some American insurance policies claim they will cover you, but usually only for physical damage. Your American liability insurance usually is not valid in Mexico for bodily injury, check with your carrier.
ARIZONA LAW REQUIRES THAT YOU BE GIVEN THIS NOTICE WHEN MEXICAN INSURANCE IS SOLD IN THIS STATE Arizona Revised Statutes 20-422-C "This policy is issued by an insurance company that is not regulated by the Arizona Department of Insurance. The insurance company may not provide claims service (in Arizona) and may not be subject to service of process in Arizona. If the insurance company becomes insolvent, insured's or claimants will not be eligible for protection under Arizona law." ALSO: WE ONLY WRITE FOR THE LARGEST MEXICAN COMPANIES, AND IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ AND UNDERSTAND THE FOLLOWING:
1. Your failure to declare a towed trailer, or a towed or transported vehicle of any kind, will void most Mexican insurance policies. Please declare any such units, now!
2. All Mexican insurance has 2% deductibles in Category 1, and 5% deductibles in Category 2. Minimums also apply, which preclude you from collecting payments for minor accidents.
3. You must report accidents or losses in Mexico, and you must obtain an adjuster's report before leaving Mexico, or there is no coverage. The company may require you to obtain a police report before you can file a claim. You should obtain both before leaving Mexico.
4. Mexican policies do not respond to lawsuits filed outside the Republic of Mexico, even if all parties are from another country, and policies do not respond when passengers sue each other, "the driver" or "the owner." (If being sued by a passenger back in the United States is a concern, you should call your regular insurance agent from here and bind an umbrella policy.)
5. Medical Payments coverage for passengers is provided up to the limits of the policy. Some agencies offer policies with higher limits than ours. (There is no medical payment coverage for quads, cycles, sand buggies, dune buggies, and "Drivers License Policies" have "no medical coverage".)
6. Uninsured Motorists and Underinsured Motorists coverage is not provided!
7. No coverage is provided if the driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or is not a licensed driver at the time of the accident.
8. Vehicles operated in races, speed trials, off-road or on beaches are not covered, and loss or damage to the vehicle due to overloading or operation on rough roads is not covered.
9. Theft coverage is provided only if the entire vehicle is stolen. Partial theft and vandalism is not covered by this policy. Pilferage, the stealing of your personal items from your vehicle, is not covered. However, most homeowner's policies cover this type of theft worldwide.
10. If you purchase "Liability only" it does not provide coverage for collision, overturning of the vehicle, fire, natural phenomena, accidental glass breakage or theft of the vehicle.
I don’t know how many of you have used a taxi here, but the taxi operators are hoping that you use them more into
the future. So much so, over 200 taxi operators went through 40 hours of training regarding methods of providing a higher quality of service. Much of desire for
this training came from within the industry, as serving the public better is in their best interests. In an unrated issue, recently they have requested a rate
increase for fares. The current rate for fares are as follows:
In-town service:
Tourist developments (in-town):
Currently there are no rental car companies at the airport. However there was a sign on the airport
fence saying "Alamo car rental coming soon". If you would like to rent a car in town, there are several companies. The present airport is located just on the
out shirts of town (very short distance). There are several U.S. car companies that allow their cars to be taken from the U.S. into Mexico. For a list of
the local companies & these U.S. car rental companies,
see our Auto Rental Section.
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Crossing the Border
New Coastal Highway
