Update on buying MX plated cars & MX license

[Jzmackenzie]

FYI

After weeks of careful research, there is a Mexican plated vehicle sitting outside my office door today. As the back of my "No Immigrante" visa is a 4, my next step is "residente permanente." To do this requires either not owning a vehicle, buying a MX plated vehicle, or nationalizing the vehicle you drove here (as long as it was manufactured in the US/Canada/MX).

After narrowing down the vehicle options, I used Mercado Libre to compare Kelly Blue book values with prices in Mexico - all over Mexico. I was able to find what I wanted in Irapuato, GTO, MX. I was told to stay in the same state to avoid "about 17 pages of paperwork." As it turns out, the owner just moved from Mexico City and had those tags! I forged ahead anyway after checking a site the Mexican government updates every 48 hours with NIV (VIN) numbers of vehicles reported as stolen. The one I wanted to buy was not there.

I had money wired to GTO. However, like most things in Mexico, getting what you want in your hand takes time. I took longer to get the cash in my hand, than for the international wire to get to Mexico. It took from 9am to 3:30pm for the bank's branch to gather about $5K in cash.

Yesterday we drove to Irapuato to get the vehicle. I had my passport, FM3, three utility bills (two in my landlord's name), my home rental contract, and cash. I was told that I could NOT get Mexican plates "unless you can prove the city where you live with a Mexican document." Fortunately, I had my Mexican driver's license with the notation "Cajones, Guanajuato, Mexico," on it. If you plan to live here, you might take note of the value of that ID. Be aware that you will have to give up your USA license when you apply (no worries, a duplicate can usually be ordered online).

How to Get a Mexican Driver's License

STEP ONE: Gather together and make ONE copy (a) your passport, (b) the front
AND back of your FM3 visa, © utility bills that have your address on
them, (d) your existing VALID drivers license.

STEP TWO: Go to the Red Cross ambulance office next door to Mexicana Comerical.
Just walk in and say you need a health declaration. You will pay
$50pesos for a blood test to determine your blood type. (ie.
regardless of the fact that my Medic Alert Bracelet says "B Pos" I
still had to have the test.).
The results take one hour (ie. they said one hour and it took just one
hour - amazing)
You will then pay $95 pesos to see the medical doctor. You will be
interviewed about your health: surgeries, medicine you take, vision
and hearing needs, weight (taken) and height (taken).
You will be given a health declaration.

STEP THREE: Go the the Transito Office. Take the road to Marfil, Yurabuena past
the Glorita Santa Fe toward... Puenticillias. Turn around and head
back to GTO and see a big clearly marked sign "Oficina del Transito"
with an arrow (another amazing occurance) and head up the hill a short
distance. The entire BIG building is a dark terra cotta - freshly
painted. A nice security guard will tell you to park in a fenced in
area to the right. Walk into the building about the middle and get in
the first of many lines. Show your ONE copy of (a) your passport, (b)
the front AND back of your FM3 visa, © utility bills that have your
address on them, (d) your existing VALID driver's license AND all the
originals and your health declaration. .
Answer lots of questions including how many years you want to buy. I
choose 5 years, the max. and the fee was $648 pesos.
Choose to give up your USA driver's license and move to step two OR
keep you USA drivers license and take an eye test, hearing test,
written driver's test (in Spanish), and physical drivers test. I choose to give up my existing VALID driver's license.
They will take and hold both your USA driver's license and your FM3/FM2
for about 30 minutes - this also happened when I got the Mexican plates - I suspect they are researching your credentials during that time.
You will then be told to go to the cashier. You will need to be sure
all the answers you gave are correct and have a photo taken, your
right and left fingerprint, and your signature. Then you will take a
paper outside to another building and stand in another line to pay.
Take that receipt back to the cashier and get back your FM3/FM2.
The man will hand you a driver's license!

BTW. I made about 6-7 phone calls to Jolene to help me translate. You
might want to take a Spanish speaker with you to help with the
process.

Total cost: $798 pesos ($57.75USD) for a five year license and about 3 hours waiting time.

[philyrossy]

So, did you get your Mexican plates for GTO? Where and how long and how much did it cost? Any problems? And, if you give up your DL, do you skip all those tests, and if you want to keep your DL, do you have to take all those tests? Thanks.

[roberb7]

I got a GTO driver's license today, and did so by following Jzmackenzie's instructions.

As she implied, you have a choice of how many years you want the license for. It now costs 705 pesos for five years. I went for three years, and that was 570 pesos.

The only problem I had was, the phone bill I had was for December. The guy said it was too old. I also had a bank statement that was less than a month old. He wouldn't take that, either. It had to be a phone bill, water bill, or electric bill. So, I went to an internet cafe across the street, logged into my phone company account, downloaded the latest bill, printed it, and went back across the street to the DMV.

When I went in there, I had the faint hope that they would give me the equivalent of my British Columbia Class II license (which allows me to drive highway coaches with air brakes), which they call Type B. Nothing doing. The rule is, you can't get a Type B license until you've had a Type A (the common ordinary license for cars and pickup trucks) for three years. Not a big deal, since I can't legally work in Mexico anyway.

[pianoheat]

I wonder if they treat Expats differently. My wife who is Mexican bought a used Mexican vehicle. She wasn't required to take a blood test or get a doctors approval and she didn't need a Mexican license they accepted her Colorado license. That was about 2 years ago. I wonder if things have changed or there is a double standard.

[roberb7]

I got GTO plates yesterday for a car I imported from the US. The importation was easy, but getting GTO plates on it requires time and trouble.
On my first trip to the tránsito, I paid a 163 peso fee for document validation. They gave me a receipt that I had to take to the Centro de Revision Vehicular.
Good luck finding this place. It's in Puentecillas, and it's on the right, between GTO's only traffic light and the pedestrian bridge near the tránsito. There's a sign for it, but it's not very visible.
The visit to this Centro de Revision Vehicular is part of the process of making sure that your car wasn't stolen. They check the VIN and look under the hood. You pay them 131 pesos, and they stamp that receipt, which you take back to the tránsito office three days later.
You pay another 950 pesos to get the actual plates. The registration fee is 400 pesos for subsequent years.
As with driver's licenses, they're very sticky about proof of residence. Phone bills and CFE bills only, and they need both sides of the first page of the phone bill.

[vanessak]

Roberb7,
I see that you got a Mexican driver's license, but was that necessary to get plates for a vehicle (ours is Mexican made and plated).

Thanks

[MarionP]

You do not need a Mexican Drivers licence. Contact Sonia Diaz in San Miguel she will help you through the process for a small fee. Her email is soniangel32@hotmail.com. You can also google her name and find her website.

[roberb7]

One other note on this topic. In addition to renewing your vehicle registration every year (no, you will not get a renewal notice in the mail), you are required to get an emissions inspection every six months. The months when you get this done are determined by the last digit of your license plate number. The inspections are done at a place above Barrio Encino. After they do the inspection, you get yet another sticker on your windshield.

[vanessak]

Thanks Marion! I have emailed Sonia and will get her assistance. Also thanks to Roberb7; we are behind on the emissions I think!

[MarionP]

You are welcome, I also know a person here in Guanajuato who can help you get an emissions test done.