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US Driver's license


virgogirl

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Hello, helpful web boarders. My US Driver's license expires 1 year from now. I am able to drive my foreign plated vehicle (unless law changes) for another 3 year on my RT. Can one obtain a Mexican driver;'s license and be legal operating the foreign plated vehicle with the mexican license? Also does it matter if the foreign plated plates are current down here? I have no intention of going back to the states for these things, except for bringing the foreign plated vehicle out of the country once i go permanente in 3 years.

A friend mentioned that some states will renew your DL by mail and you fill out a form on line. But i don't believe New Mexico does that.

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My understanding. You can certainly get a Mexican drivers license and it will be legal. With a permanent visa you cannot drive a foreign plated car here but with a RT you can. Usually it does not matter if your foreign plates are current as long as your insurance company allows it.

A lot of foreign plated vehicle owners used to use the South Dakota plating scam to have up to date plates. Now some are using state of Mexico plate scam.

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I had heard that you only need the current plates if you drive over the border back into the states. Not planning on that. Just need to know if I can combine a current mexican driver's license with the foreign plated vehicle. Cedros, sound like you think that works. Hope to hear from others. 

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"Scam" is a little harsh. I don't see anyone being defrauded here. When I had my U.S. car down here with Ca. plates I would have been more than happy to renew them with Ca. and give the money to them. Unfortunately Ca. requires proof of insurance before plating so that was out. South Dakota ended up being the lucky recipient of my cash.

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2 hours ago, cedros said:

A lot of foreign plated vehicle owners used to use the South Dakota plating scam to have up to date plates. Now some are using state of Mexico plate scam.

To bad that you decided to call the SD plate use a 'scam'. As others have stated it is nothing of the sort. Perfectly legal and above board. Useful to thousands of folks living in Mexico but wanting to maintain a 'current' plate on their foreign vehicle. 

Now the State of Mexico plate thingy..... that is certainly something one will want to shy away from.

 

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While I get that you'll needed to argue the "scam" VS "COMPLETELY LEGAL" aspect of the SD plate option, the questions still remain with this OP. 

Can one drive a foreign plated vehicle (have RT status) and let the plates expire here and still be OK? 

Can one drive the foreign plated vehicle and obtain the Mexican Driver's license when the stateside license expires and be legal?

Thanks ahead of time for keeping to the topic of the questions. 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, virgogirl said:

While I get that you'll needed to argue the "scam" VS "COMPLETELY LEGAL" aspect of the SD plate option, the questions still remain with this OP. 

Can one drive a foreign plated vehicle (have RT status) and let the plates expire here and still be OK?   NO

Can one drive the foreign plated vehicle and obtain the Mexican Driver's license when the stateside license expires and be legal?  YES, you can drive legally with a current drivers license from Mexico, USA, or almost anywhere. But, the car‘s registration must be legal in its home jurisdiction.

Thanks ahead of time for keeping to the topic of the questions. 

 

 

 

 

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Getting a license in the US in any state is a legal transaction.  I don't want to debate it, just define it.

Here is the dictionary definition of scam.

scam


Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to scam: Snopes, SACM

scam

From the dictionary:

(skăm) Informal

n.
A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle.
tr.v. scammed, scam·ming, scams
To defraud; swindle.

[Origin unknown.]

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On 10/23/2017 at 1:02 PM, virgogirl said:

While I get that you'll needed to argue the "scam" VS "COMPLETELY LEGAL" aspect of the SD plate option, the questions still remain with this OP. 

Can one drive a foreign plated vehicle (have RT status) and let the plates expire here and still be OK? 

Can one drive the foreign plated vehicle and obtain the Mexican Driver's license when the stateside license expires and be legal?

Thanks ahead of time for keeping to the topic of the questions.

Actually your initial questions were answered by the very first Post by Cedros... look at it. He just also made an incorrect statement that needed to be corrected. I'm not aware that we Posters get to control what will be discussed in a thread..... especially if something needs to be corrected.  YMMV

 

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Rick

Yes Cedro did a good job of responding. I believe I could get the Mexican licence and drive the foreign plated,,seems OK. But Cedro said "usually" around the question of expired plates. This left my question hanging and I wanted to hear from others. My drivers license is good for another year, but my plates have expired this month. It seems RV Gringo believes the reg. must be current in its home jurisdiction. So running around with expired plates may not be the thing to do. 

I still don't give a rat's tail about defining scam. But thanks. Others may benefit from those debates.

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44 minutes ago, virgogirl said:

It seems RV Gringo believes the reg. must be current in its home jurisdiction.

I didn't believe him, so I wrote an insurance firm, Mexpro. I asked them if the car's registration had to be current for insurance coverage. Their answer was: 

Good afternoon,

Yes your U.S. vehicle registration must be valid at all times to have the policy enforced through us.

Thank you.

Lupita Alvarez
Account Manager

Cross Border Insurance

214 East Birch Avenue | Flagstaff, AZ 86001

 

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Quote

 

My insurance company (AXA) and one other said the opposite to Angus above. They (AXA) said the foreign plates do not have to be current for your insurance to be valid.  The police here do not care whether your foreign plates are current or not. So for me the only consideration was whether or not my Mexican vehicle insurance would be valid. So check with your insurance company as they vary.

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45 minutes ago, cedros said:

My insurance company (AXA) and one other said the opposite to Angus above. They (AXA) said the foreign plates do not have to be current for your insurance to be valid.  The police here do not care whether your foreign plates are current or not. So for me the only consideration was whether or not my Mexican vehicle insurance would be valid. So check with your insurance company as they vary.

And whatever you do, don't rely on a verbal answer from your insurance agent. Even in the US, MOST of the time a verbal representation of an insurance agent does not alter what is in the written policy. Yes, if the agent is in error the consumer is usually protected by the fact that most agents (in the US) must carry errors and omissions insurance so you can sue them. Do you suppose that is true in Mexico? (if you do, I have a bridge that will go on sale publicly tomorrow and will make you a great deal, today only.) Have a competent lawyer read your policy and render an opinion as to whether they can weasel out if you have a serious accident, which is when and only when they will consider doing so. Remember, the smart person buys insurance of any type not to protect himself from things that will piss him off but for things that will send him to the poor house.

If AXA and any other company is willing to put in writing the opposite of what Angus received you would probably be on solid ground, as long as the letter was from the actual company, not just one of their independent agents.

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Spencer, of Chapala Law, has posted the Jalisco traffic laws, which do require that the vehicle be in Mexico legally, and that it be legal to drive in its home jurisdiction. That would definitely require current registration and inspection.

I have some 35 countries under my belt, and I do not know of any country which allows you to drive an unregistered vehicle on public roads.  Common sense seems to apply, but some scofflaws see to want to argue the point.  The proof of the pudding will be when you have a serious accident with injury or death to another. Confiscation and prison will follow and insurance will fight hard not to pay if the vehicle was not legal and proper & the driver licensed and current in all respects, including the correct INM status.

If one wishes to do otherwise, they may run naked in the streets for all most of us care, but if they involve us in an accident.......!!!

No food, no water, no phone calls..........Clank!

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Virgogirl--you should not let your US license lapse. Get it renewed because you won't have to prove residence or have to take a driving test like a new license requires. 

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3 hours ago, pappysmarket said:

And whatever you do, don't rely on a verbal answer from your insurance agent. Even in the US, MOST of the time a verbal representation of an insurance agent does not alter what is in the written policy. Yes, if the agent is in error the consumer is usually protected by the fact that most agents (in the US) must carry errors and omissions insurance so you can sue them. Do you suppose that is true in Mexico? (if you do, I have a bridge that will go on sale publicly tomorrow and will make you a great deal, today only.) Have a competent lawyer read your policy and render an opinion as to whether they can weasel out if you have a serious accident, which is when and only when they will consider doing so. Remember, the smart person buys insurance of any type not to protect himself from things that will piss him off but for things that will send him to the poor house.

If AXA and any other company is willing to put in writing the opposite of what Angus received you would probably be on solid ground, as long as the letter was from the actual company, not just one of their independent agents.

I made sure I got that information from AXA in an e mail which I saved. Who knows what would happen in a crunch. What ever you are comfortable with. I wonder if you were from say Texas but had North Dakota plates on you car and had an accident. Could the insurance company deny your claim because you really had no connection with ND?

Anyway it is a moot point with me as I now have a Mexican plated car.

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Usually you have to go to Guadalajara to get a license but from time to time their travelling license issuers come to Chapala, or Ixtlahuacan or Riberas. Sometimes you can get one in Ocotlan. They will post somewhere shortly in advance the different locations.

 

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Well, my driver's license is good for another year. But the plates expire end of this month. New Mexico now has online registration renewal. The problem is that I no longer have insurance for the US. I only have a current policy thru O'rourke for Mexico.In order to do online renewal, I would have to buy US insurance. That could be complicated since I have allowed the US policy to run out shortly after I crossed the border with my AAA traveler's insurance. Even if I decided to buy insurance in order to complete the renewal, I think I would run into trouble since the cart hasn't been insured in the states for about 1 year. When that is discovered in the system, the send you a suspension for driving without insurance. So this would probably be an obstacle. 

I am grateful for all the input. I am going to call O'rourke and talk to the agent about requirements of legality. You have all been very helpful in allowing me to see my options and overcome the obstacles.

I just called O'rourke and she is investigating for me but she said she thinks it is not a problem to go with expired plates.

As a side, once I was impounded for "parking funny" in Ajijic during the footraces. I had a comment that I should have a pity party and drown my sorrows from a lady who took rides from me frequently. That experience had me rethink who I put in my car and call a friend. Keeping a car in this country takes money and a lot of hoop jumping.

 

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Your insurance company is not the law. The state of Jalisco traffic laws are what you must read and understand; especially the part about your car having to be legal to drive in its home jurisdiction. Your Importada Temporal allows your car to BE in Mexico, but it does not allow it to be driven on the public roads.  Only a current registration (plates) and insurance allow that privilege.

You are just looking for someone to tell you what you want to hear, and are asking someone who has a financial interest in keeping you as a client.  Bad move!

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1 hour ago, virgogirl said:

Well, my driver's license is good for another year. But the plates expire end of this month. New Mexico now has online registration renewal. The problem is that I no longer have insurance for the US. I only have a current policy thru O'rourke for Mexico.In order to do online renewal, I would have to buy US insurance. That could be complicated since I have allowed the US policy to run out shortly after I crossed the border with my AAA traveler's insurance. Even if I decided to buy insurance in order to complete the renewal, I think I would run into trouble since the cart hasn't been insured in the states for about 1 year. When that is discovered in the system, the send you a suspension for driving without insurance. So this would probably be an obstacle. 

I am grateful for all the input. I am going to call O'rourke and talk to the agent about requirements of legality. You have all been very helpful in allowing me to see my options and overcome the obstacles.

I just called O'rourke and she is investigating for me but she said she thinks it is not a problem to go with expired plates.

As a side, once I was impounded for "parking funny" in Ajijic during the footraces. I had a comment that I should have a pity party and drown my sorrows from a lady who took rides from me frequently. That experience had me rethink who I put in my car and call a friend. Keeping a car in this country takes money and a lot of hoop jumping.

 

O'Rourke sounds correct.

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RV. Please post the Jalisco law that states that  a foreign vehicle mus be legal to drive in it's home country. I have never found that in print.

 

Virgo Girl. I assume you have a current address in New Mexico. Consider a major accident that results in claim of a Million dollars USD. I believe that most States in the US and most Provinces in Canada have a provision that Drivers Licenses are only issued to residents. If it is discoverd that you are a resident in name only your state license will be cancelled. Most State and Provincial driving licenses expire 6 months after you leave.

 

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