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Sonora eases auto, tourist permit steps

NOGALES, Sonora - No more half-hour waits while harried officials peruse your car registration when you drive into Sonora. No more 20-minute stands in line as car permits are meticulously peeled off the windshields of 30 cars in front of you. Trying to cash in on more than the sinful offering of its border towns and burgeoning Puerto Peñasco, the government of Sonora is finishing construction on a checkpoint in southern Sonora, turning most of the state into a "vehicle free-zone" for tourists and returning Sonoran compatriots. The new checkpoint is designed to free travelers from a time-consuming, somewhat intimidating process and is scheduled to begin the first week of December, officials said. A status as a vehicle free-zone means Arizona travelers will be able to drive their cars through most of Sonora without having to stop off for a car permit through the "Only Sonora" program, said Adalberto Rosas Mazón, foreign commerce coordinator for the state of Sonora. The way the situation is now, travelers have to stop 15 miles south of the border at Kilometer 21 for tourist and vehicle permits. Those are offered either for all of Mexico through the federal office or state offices at the checkpoint. Getting a tourist permit can take 10 minutes, but a vehicle permit for people driving as near as the capital, Hermosillo, for example, can take upward of 30 minutes. During the Christmas season, waits of two hours for a vehicle permit are not uncommon, said Raul Carrasco, owner of Mexico Getaways, 4625 E. Broadway, Suite 112. "This is going to cut down on the red tape," he said. The new state checkpoint, located at Kilometer 98 between Guaymas and Ciudad Obregon seven hours down Highway 15, is intended to make it easier for drivers to navigate most of the state without having to worry about car permits, Rosas said. You'll still have to stop at the border for a tourist permit. And if you intend to drive past southern Sonora into the rest of Mexico, you will need to obtain a car permit, he said. "We are trying to do this as fast as we can so we can start by the beginning of December. It's when most of the people come from the United States to visit their relatives," Rosas said. Under the Only Sonora plan, Sonora pays the $29 federal permit fee for vehicles as a way for the state to encourage travelers to venture into the state. The fee is for a federal vehicle import permit that regulates the temporary importation of vehicles into the country. But the program also makes the state responsible for ensuring the vehicles do not remain in Mexico. State officials found that in the past, some drivers would get the Only Sonora permit, then leave the car behind, either with family members or by selling it. Rosas said that 622 cars were impounded through last August and another 1,000 permits were recovered this year. The plan will make it possible for Sonorans living in the United States to drive home to Sonora without the hassles of vehicle permits. It's also a way for Sonora to reach out and show off its cultural and artistic history to travelers who may not know much about Sonora beyond the cheap curios and two-for-one drink specials offered inside Nogales, Sonora, strip clubs and the beaches along the Gulf of California. "It's one of those steps that makes Sonora less intimidating and helps put Sonora on the list of destinations to explore," said Mitch Nichols, president of Nichols Tourism Group, the Phoenix-based firm hired by Sonora to help define where to focus tourism advertising campaigns. While Puerto Peñasco and Nogales are recognized by Arizonans, the haciendas in Alamos and the history-rich banks of Rio Sonora in the eastern part of the state aren't as well known, he said. The vehicle free-zone status puts Sonora a little bit ahead of the tourism leader to the west, Baja California, said Alma Gamez of Baja California Tours, a Tijuana-based wholesaler that represents hotels in Baja California to tourists in the United States. Drivers to Baja California still need a vehicle permit if they're driving more than 75 miles into the state, Gamez said.