8 replies to this topic

[pedro malo]

Question #3:

Can a person holding FM2 status still use a US drivers license to drive a vehicle (owned or rental) in Mexico or is a Mexican drivers license required to drive once holding FM2 status?




That's it for now and thanks so much again!

pm

[holdrja]

A related question - if I switch from an FM3 to and FM2 - can I still keep my American car?

[Ajijic]

You can have a US driver's license with a FM2. Sometimes handy to have both and show the state driver's license when in Mexico and the Mexican license when NOB.

You can have a foreign plated car as long as a "rentista" meaning income from retirement. If you have a "working" FM-2 visa you can not have a foreign plated car. I believe "working" includes earning income from rentals etc. A "working" FM-3 allows one to have a foreign plated car.

[bmh]

FM2 only last 5 years then you have to give up your foreign car if you become Inmigrado.

[Ajijic]

In 5 years the Immigrations laws can be changed or even in 5 weeks. lol

[Intercasa]

Foreign licenses are accepted, only FM2 (inmigrante) rentistas may import, drive (without the importer if not spouse or family) or have the privilege of driving past the importation expiration date.

[pedro malo]

Thank you everyone for helping clarify these points, especially to you Spencer, I will be contacting you soon.

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[eagles100]

How does a person keep a driver's licence in their own country while not living there? I'm from Canada.
I understand the first year, you just keep using it but beyond that, do you simply give an address in your country, as in a relative's? Same for insurance back home? How do you pay it if you're not there? We plan on coming back once a year so I suppose that would be the answer; not sure.

[phxfunguy]

Over the years I have known several expats who lived permanently on various islands in the Caribbean but who needed to keep a stateside drivers license current for trips back so they could rent a car. Each one used a friend's or relative's address and changed their licenses to that state. Most of them chose states where licenses do not need to be renewed every 1 or 2 years for their own ease, then plan a trip to that friend or relative's house before the license expired for a renewal. For example in Arizona, where I am from, your first license is good until your 65th birthday, then renewed every 5 years after that, and as you get older, the period shrinks down to yearly at 80 (I believe.) I don't know about Canadian rules, but maybe some provinces are more lenient than others on the period. Some also acquired a local license if there was any advantage to it, but as I recall in most cases, the US license was accepted in most of those islands like here. They would also use this address for bank accounts and credit card companies even though all transactions were managed online like we do here. We all know what credit card companies might do when you give them a foreign address unless the card originates in the foreign country. Likewise it makes it a lot easier for traveling and booking online to use a US/Canadian home address for hotels, plane tickets, insurance, etc.