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COUNTRYSIM CARDBORDER COSTS / INSURANCENOTES / border crossings procedures / SCAMUSALook at T-mobile in US. They offer a contract with unlimited texts & data and 20c / min voice through much of the world.Gecko?Insurance. Progressive. Thum?Insurance. Allstate. Gaico. Seabridge. The quotes vary from $500 to $1700 for 6 months and some are more generous than others in terms of liability limits.More notes on the process of buying a vehicle in the USA page (beginning)CANADAa SIM card is typically $15. I just went shopping around for plans today, ended up going with Koodo, $45 for 2GB and unlimited Canada wide calling and international texts. They had good deals on greater amounts of data as well. Virgin had almost identical prices. Freedom did have cheaper plans if you need a lot of data (Their 10GB plan can’t be beat) but I didn’t need that much and their coverage is not as good, basically just in the city.Same as USASame as USAMEXICOClaro or Movistar were great for me. One of them had over 1GB for specific apps (whatsapp, facebook...), and when I crossed into a new country I used the remainder of the prepaid plan via roaming. Worked well for me, but I also did end up getting a newSIM?in each country, which wasn't a big deal at all.Mexican auto insurance. Bajabound. “If you don’t have us insurance, there is a small premium added to the policy. HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" have had to file a claim. I was treated professionally and had money wired?to my account in less than three weeks.?Some of the other brokers sell policies for only Baja or one state. Others offer policies from Qualitas. That one is not worth the paper it’s printed on.?Make sure you get a full-country policy underwritten by Chubb/Ace or Mapfre.”“We just priced?insurance?on? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" got several cost estimates online and then chose the one with the most coverage. Beware that Mexican law changed a couple of years ago and liability limits for those injured are now increased and it is recommended to carry at least $300,000 in liability coverage.”$23.00 USD?or $390.00 MXN? per person for the tourist card. Maximum duration 180 Days $60.00 USD?for the vehicle permit, maximum duration 180 days (often matched with tourist card). PLUS you must leave a deposit between?$200.00 USD?-?$400.00 USD?depending on age of vehicle. Better to pay in USD, but you can use your VISA card to pay and and leave the deposit.?If your vehicle is an RV, there is no deposit required for the permit.?More notes on the process in the Mexico page 38.SCAM: When leaving the country, you will be asked by immigration to show proof that the fee for your FMM has been paid. This will generally be paid to Banjercito along with the car permit fee when first entering the country. A common scam however, particularly at the Belize border, is to request payment when the fee has already been paid, but proof of payment can not be provided. ?If the immigration officer requests payment directly to himself or another immigration officer - this is bribery and you?should not pay anything?without getting an official receipt.BELIZEIt’s a small country, no need for sim dataSanta Elena (Corozal) border, Cost for visas: $0Cost for vehicle: $5 USD for fumigation, or BZ$10.00 BZD. The fumigation station at Chetumal will also take pesos ($80.00 MXN).Owner must pay?BZ$30.00 BZD?Foreign Vehicle Border Processing Fee (trailers, cars, vans, autos).?You have to purchase insurance. This is done past the customs checkpoint, at the INSURANCE CORPORATION of Belize, Ltd building. Typical cost for 7 days is?BZ$30.00 BZD (12€).A very effiecient and smooth border crossing even by vehicle.?The steps:Go to the Mexican immigration booth, hand in your tourist cards and have your passport stamped.Go to the Mexican Banjercito and have your Vehicle Import Permit cancelled and your vehicle deposit ($200-400) refunded.Drive over the bridge.Stop at the fumigation area to have your car sprayed.Park in the marked lot outside the immigration building.Go to the immigration counter and have your passports stamped or visas issued.Go to the customs counter, present your vehicle title and get an import permit.Go back to the car and drive through the gate, an official may inspect the contents of your vehicle, the VIN and the plates to make sure they match the permit.Go to the Insurance office and buy mandatory insurance for the duration of your stay in Belize.Put the insurance sticker on your car windshield. HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" CA-4 Border control agreement. This agreement grants travel between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua for a TOTAL of 90-days. The number of days remaining on your CA4 is written in your passport as you travel from country to country. The 90-day limit begins when you enter any country that is part of the CA4 agreement. To avoid penalty and fines, Exit the CA4 countries and enter into Costa Rica or Mexico/Belize before the 90-days limit expires.GUATEMALA?Claro is in most Central American countries, a separate?SIM card?is required since on different systems.?Have used combination of Tigo and Moviestar.?Tigo worked well in Guatemala and Honduras. Belize has it own one, just like nicaragua. Guatamala and Honduras do not do insurances (simply not available, and not mandatory). If you would find an insurance (and I doubt it), covering all of central america, the individual countries will simply tell you that it is not valid, since there is no offices in the country itself.If you came in from Belize, there is an office in Flores where you can get it.?Q40.00 GTQ?for fumigation.Q160.00 GTQ?for the vehicle entryQ10.00 GTQ for the bridgeSCAMS: There is no cost entry into the country. see note below: It seems that the 20 GTQ/person entry fee for Guatemala is a scam. No one else paid the fee, and the immigration agent refused to give a receipt, stating that the passport stamp was the receipt.If coming from? HYPERLINK "" \o "Belize" Belize, the bridge fee at the border is only?Q10.00 GTQ, not more! They will try to charge you more! NOTE:?The CA-4 stamp that most nationalities get allowing entry to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua for 90 days is supposed to be free, but some customs officials will ask for money. Politely ask for a receipt, and?do not pay?unless you are given a receipt for this. To avoid ire from the immigration officials it is recommended to pay the fee, which is dubbed "beer tax". IF you don't pay, they may refuse entry for unknown reasons.(October 2017)Enter huge fumigation garage just after exit from BelizePull to the right and park after fumigation.On your right will be a window where you need to pay for the fumigation (cost 37Q). An official will come out and check your license plate. Once you pay you will receive a receipt for payment and a document that has your license on it. Check it and make sure it is accurate and keep it handy.Cross the street to immigration and Aduana. It might be behind a truck. It is an open front, metal roof building. Get in line and get your passport stamped for entry. Confirm it is enough time. 90 days maximumGo to the left of that line (2 steps away) and start the process for your TIP (Aduana). You will be required to show documents that will confirm the VIN and license plate. You will need copies of the title, registration, as well as the stamped Passport of the driver. Copies may be obtained at a copy place around the corner to the left (when looking at the street) down two buildings and to the left again (pink building) or across the bridge at a building on the right. This is where a helper comes in handy.The Custom official takes the copies of your title, registration, passport and THE FUMIGATION RECEIPT and creates two sheets of paper with your vin on it. CHECK THE VIN closely. You then take the documentation to the pay window on the right wall (pay 160Q). After paying, return the stamped document to the same custom official, and they will give you the TIP Sticker and the document back. They will also visit your vehicle to confirm it is the correct one with the VIN.Pull forward towards the cone and the bridge. You will hand over your documentation. The person will confirm your license plate, and hand it back to you with a big smile and a "welcome to Guatemala".On the other side of the bridge an official will ask p for 30Q as a "city tax". Get a receipt.EL SALVAD.It’s a small country, no need for sim dataAs of February 2017, entrance to El Salvador is free for the travellers & the vehicle. Cost of mandatory FONAT card:?$10.00 USD?for 30 days. Longer is available.1 copy of everything, not particularly curropted.HONDURASIt’s a small country, no need for sim data$3.00 USD?per person for entry (price as of 24th April 2016)Payment of?$35.00 USD?for vehicle permit (price as of Feb 2017)The Police and Military will absolutely try to bribe you if you do not have 2 safety triangles and a fire extinguisher. Many Overlanders have special stories about how common bribery is in Honduras, with most foreigners being stopped 5-10 times on the Pan American Highway alone.Passport of registered owner (original and 4 copies). HYPERLINK "" \o "Vehicle registration" Vehicle registration?(original and 4 copies). HYPERLINK "" \o "Drivers license" Drivers license?of registered owner (original and 4 copies).4 more copies of the owner's Passport, clearly showing the Honduras immigration stamp and the entry payment receipts.If you are coming from a country where Yellow Fever is endemic, officials at the border may ask you for your vaccine certificate.NICARAGUAClaro is in most Central American countries, a separate?SIM card?is required since on different systems.?Have used combination of Tigo and Moviestar.Had no problems with Moviestar in Nicaragua. Free for the vehicle import,?$3.00 USD?for fumigation,?$12.00 USD?for insurance (30 days, third party liability, mandatory),?$12.00 USD?per person.2 USD pp for your exit from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. They only accept USD in cash; No credit/debit cards, No Cordoba (local currency).MANDATORY, BEFORE GOING TO THE BORDER: fill out the form, which you can find at? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" don't have to get your entry form exactly right, but I've been told you should not arrive before the date you mentioned on the form. Meaning, if you get to Nicaragua later, but everything has been submitted and approved, no problem.?As far as filling it out, just put as much info as you can and don't worry about the bits where they ask for companies.“I Had to show the form and border agent looked at the approved email on my phone and nodded. Nothing else, did not need a copy either”.Ironically, EXITING is much harder, and is known to be one of the more difficult "exits" in Central America. Get sign-off on your paperwork from both a customs officer and a police officer.Take your temporary import permit and the signatures gained above to customs, where they will sign more things, and cancel the permit.The registered owner is stamped out of Nicaragua at immigration.When actually driving out, present the piece of paper with signatures.COSTA RICAClaro is in most Central American countries, a separate?SIM card?is required since on different systems.?Have used combination of Tigo and Moviestar.Using Kolbi in Costa Rica - the easiest and quickest to set up and get activated.It’s mandatory to buy insurance at the Costa Rican border or they won't let you enter.?$35.00 USD?for 3 months for a 4x4.?€38.00 EUR?for 3 months for a TOYOTA camper van.Vehicle Free. Exit fee from Costa Rica to Panama: 8 USD per person paid in cash. SCAM: Some people have been forced to pay on credit card which has then been charged multiple times. Say you don't have a credit card and pay with cash. There are Impuestos de Salida tiendas nearby that accept cash. The credit card machine at the immigration office is for convenience. But the stamp will only be applied to your passport once the official sees the receipt for the exit tax.As you drive over the border you will pass through fumigation (free) and be given a receipt.The owner of the vehicle gains entry at immigration (migración), including a stamp in their Passport. A copy of this new stamp is required.Insurance for the vehicle must be purchased. (see below)The owner must show the new Passport stamp (including a copy),? HYPERLINK "" \o "Drivers license" Drivers license, the original? HYPERLINK "" \o "Vehicle registration" Vehicle registration, vehicle insurance and the fumigation receipt to customs (aduana).The owner is issued a temporary import permit for the vehicle.Police bribery is not common in Costa Rica, but it certainly does happen. Be careful, if you bribe the wrong one you risk jail!Hwy 27 is a toll road, goes from San Jose City to Caldera, Puntarenas.?Free option is Hwy 1 but it takes twice as much time and probably will spend the booth money on gas.PANAMAClaro is in most Central American countries, a separate?SIM card?is required since on different systems.?Have used combination of Tigo and Moviestar.Vehicle Free. Fumigation cost: 3 USD for a campervan (as of April 2017)Insurance: Insurance is mandatory in Panama and you will be forced to buy it at the border before you are allowed to enter. There are always agents at the border to buy from. $15.00 USD?for 1 month for a 4x4.The owner of the vehicle gains entry at immigration (migración), including a stamp in their Passport.Insurance for the vehicle must be purchased. (see below)The owner must show the new passport stamp, the original? HYPERLINK "" \o "Vehicle registration" vehicle registration?and vehicle insurance to customs (aduana).The owner is issued a temporary import permit for the vehicle.The major highway from Panama City to Colón is tolled. Also the major highways around Panama City are toll roads and you need to buy the toll road card, you can't just pay cash.?SAN BLAS FERRY CROSSING: In August 2015 the San Blas Ferry will restart their service, providing a RORO vehicle service between Panama & Colombia.Details of the service, prices & schedule can be found here? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" San Blas Ferry InformationOverland Sphere, has made an arrangement with the owner to provide an exclusive discount of up to 30% to overlanders who make a group booking through them, to take advantage of this discount and to join one of the group bookings please see the San Blas Ferry thread in their? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" FB GroupCOLOMBIA Claro is now the market leader with about 1/2 of all customers and the best network, followed by Movistar and Tigo as smallest net.You now have to register your IMEI with your carrier or your phone will be blocked in 30days. To find out your 15-digit-IMEI enter *#06#Registration is free, but you should have a proof of purchase of your phone. insurance in Cartagena upon entry of the vehicle. Look for SOAT locations. $15-30. €49.74 EUR?for 3 months for a Toyota Hiace camper van model 2009 (purchased April 2017).Check the procedure with the ferry crossing.Passport of registered owner (original and one copy) HYPERLINK "" \o "Vehicle registration" Vehicle registration?(original and one copy) HYPERLINK "" \o "Drivers license" Drivers license?(original and one copy)Direccion De Investigacion Judicial (original and one copy) from office in Panama City. (If coming from?Panama)ECUADORBy law you have to be an Ecuadorian citizen to buy a SIM card. In practice it's easy to find a store that will activate it in someone else’s name, and then transfer it to you a few days later. The store will still want identification however, so bring your passport.Ecuador has three network operators, Claro, Movistar and CNTThere was no option to buy insurance at the border, it’s not mandatory.No fees for vehicle and no fumigation.Same as above. Tap water in Ecuador is generally not safe to drink. Every corner store sells 1 and 2 liter bottles, and 20 Liter bottles can be purchased for approx.?$6.00 USD, though much of that money is deposit on the bottle, which they want you to return. Once you have the big bottle to return, the cost is?$2.00 USD.PERUthree major operators Movistar, Claro and EntelMovistar offers the best coverage, but at higher rates.?Visitors may encounter problems as some shops are not aware that foreigners can activate SIM cards through their passports. This is granted in Article 9E of the new law (see? HYPERLINK "" decreto),The border from Ecuador at Tumbes, insurance can be purchased in the parking lot of the migracion / aduana. Update Aug 2017: insurance is sold inside the building where you get your vehicle's temporary import permit. S/20 for 3 months for a truck camper. One company is "la positiva", it’s about 10 uss p month. After having checked with several Peruvian insurance companies, "La Positiva" was the only one that would give me a shorter insurance period than one entire yearIf you drive a camper van like VW T3-T4-T5, or a Fiat Ducato, or a Chevy/ Dodge van, you can register your van as a "panel van" so the agent knows exactly what category/class to put your vehicle. Apparently they dont have campervan category. We bought ours in Cajamarca. They need your registration (or title), passport & CIP (the customs document you get). You can also pay by credit/ debit card.?Also you require the standard items such as triangle, fire extinguisher and first aid kit. The police can check and if they catch you out you will have to pay the price.Toll roads: USD $2-3 for at least 100km.?It is mandatory to put on headlights on all main roads, be careful to put them on, police will stop you for not having them on. The official fine is?S/.300.00 PEN?Soles for not having it on when required.?Bribery is very common. You will be stopped and if all is not correct you can be threatened with an official fine and a trip to the police station. If you prefer to bribe don't stress and pay too much. Usually S/. 20 is enough.Tap water in Peru is not safe to drink. Every corner store sells 1 and 2 liter bottles, and 20 liter bottles can be bought at most large grocery stores.MERCO-SUR (Covers Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.)ALLIANZ. La Segunda. PENTA Seguros Generales.Seguros Illimani - Loaza street in La Paz, GPS: S16.499098 W68.1333, address Edificio Mariscal de Ayacucho, Callé Loayza n: 233 Lo compre con un poco mas de ciento cuarenta dolares americanos . Y sí, es tambien para matricula extranjera. La duracion por este costo es de un a?o, pero tambien puedes comprar solo para seis meses. The office is downtown La Paz in Bolivia (see iOverlander) but if you google the name I'm sure you'll find a website.Delta brokers - same building as Illimani, $130.00 USD?for 12 months for a 4x4 camper in 2014, issued by illlimani Seguros Mapfre - choose the “Seguro RCI” plan good for all of South America except for... if I remember correctly, Ecuador and Columbia. Very reasonable rates? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" - Third Party Liability insurance for motorhomes in Argentina and bordering countries (Argentina, Uruguay, Brasil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile)BOLIVIA?Entel has the best coverage and their best deal is 288Bs for 10GB. Tigo has worse coverage but the data is cheaper.?IF YOU CAN, BUY INSURANCE FOR MERCO-SUR AREA ONLINE BEFORE ARRIVAL.IF YOU DIDN’T: “Unless things have changed, you will not get?insurance?at the border at Copacabana but may have to risk driving to La Paz. Risk is twofold - have an accident, or get stopped and fined or both”For Bolivia- no?insurance?needed under 30 day travel, but the police might still give you a hard time. Jan-2018: to buy SOAT as a foreigner in La Paz is on Avenida Comacho in the downtown area VERY near to the migration office where you extend your entry permit in 30 day increments.No vehicle fees or fumigation for TVIP. Usual procedure.The police might record the information from your new temporary import permit before you leave the border and stamp the other side of the permit. They might also ask you if you have all the required items in your car (including wheel chocks and insurance). If you say you don't, they will ask for a "voluntary contribution" = bribe. Say politely you don't understand, take the stamped permit and leave.Two safety triangles, a first aid kit and fire extinguisher are mandatory.Roads in Bolivia are typically very poor quality. Only a few major highways are paved, everything else is gravel that ranges is commonly rutted, full of pot holes and extremely dusty.?All paved roads at tolled, you can expect to pay around?$b15.00 BOB?every 50 - 100km.Police bribery is extremely common in Bolivia. In the Santa Cruz area they tried to sell us an "order de translado" for 30BOB. You DON'T need that! It's only if you have a car on a trailer!?Tap water in Bolivia is not safe to drink. the water in Tarija have a good quality and is safe to drink.CHILEEntel has the best coverage. Movistar is the second best company, but south of? HYPERLINK "" \o "Coyhaique" Coyhaique, they only have coverage in Cochrane. Virgin Mobile has good deals on prepaid SIM cards and uses Movistar's network. WOM has cheap plans but switched roaming from Entel to Claro by the end of 2015. A good comparison can be found? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" here. If there is a public library in town, there will be free Wi-Fi.No vehicle fees or fumigation for TVIP. Usual procedure.It is?required to have a reflective vest on board for roadside repairs.For toll roads, see other file.Mind you that if you cross from Argentina in the south of Chilli, you are not allowed to carry fresh meat, diary, even eggs.?ARGENTINAClaro, Moviestar and Personal, same share of the market. vehicle fees or fumigation for TVIP. Usual procedure. Insurance mandatory, you must have it at the border. In cars: fire extinguisher, warning triangles, first aid kit; headlights must be on at all times . It's important to know fines are not payable on the spot, so no policeman can collect money for fines on the road.Tap water is generally safe, but bottled water is recommended outside main cities and townsPARAGUAYTigo and personal are the main ones. Paraguay has a very poor landline network?No vehicle fees or fumigation for TVIP. Usual procedure.Main routes are generally In good condition for Latin American standards. Once off the main routes things can get tricky as most are unpaved, especially access roads to properties. Lots of mud when it rains.? Bribery uncommon.URUGUAYSmall country, no need for sim cardNo vehicle fees or fumigation for TVIP. Usual procedure.Highways along the edge of the country, especially along the south are all paved and generally good. Highways in the interior are well maintained gravel. In general Uruguay's got flat boring and well maintained road. Bribery uncommon.Sim card: HYPERLINK "" : auto insurance in Spanish, (Seguro Obligatorio Automóviles Transito).. Further you get away from the border... usually the more difficult it is to buy Soat for a foreign plated vehicleChips: this is how sim cards are called in L.A.Source: HYPERLINK "" EMERGENCY NUMBERSAmericasUsa&Canada911Costa Rica112, 911El Salvador911Mexico066 (police); 065 (medical)Panama112, 911 South AmericaArgentina101 (police); 107 (medical)Brazil190 (police); 192 (medical)Chile133 (police); 131 (medical)Columbia112 (landlines); 123 (cell phones)Ecuador101 (police); 911 (medical)Peru105 (police); 106 (medical)Uruguay911Venezuela171 ................
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