mexican drivers licence

[zico]

I intend to visit Mexico in the near future and would like to see as much of the country as possible. Can I get a Mexican drivers licence easily and quickly? I live in the Uk but do not have a driving licence.

Zico

[d360]

Well nothing is easy in Mexico unless your ordering a Cerveza! but it may be eaier than getting a license in your country.

When it comes to acquiring a Mexican drivers license just take along your passport and your FM-2 or FM-3 and you will be issued a license within an hour at the Secretaria de Transportes y Vialidad. Or depending on what part of Mexico you arrive in the procedure will be you can get a driver's license from the Transit Department at each of the 16 "delegaciones" throughout the city. You will need the originals and 3 copies of the following documents:


A valid passport
FM2 or FM3
Proof of Address (i.e.: bill from the telephone or utilities)
Health declaration
A valid foreign driver's license
You might have to take a written exam in order to qualify for the license.


Tourists may drive with an international license or the drivers license of their own country which I highly recommend. Just get one in your own country first.


Next: Buy Mexican Auto Insurance.

Mexican auto insurance is a must if you plan to do anything more than a quick hop across the border since, in the case of an accident Mexican authorities will not accept foreign auto insurance policies. Any Mexican auto insurance coverage you purchase should include claims adjusters that will come to the scene of an accident and an attorney.

This is very important since, in the event of an accident, you are not allowed to move your vehicle and you may be detained by the police in the event that anyone is hurt until fault can be established.

Enjoy the drive and keep safe! I hear driving in Mexico is interesting.

Dan

Originally Posted by zico

I intend to visit Mexico in the near future and would like to see as much of the country as possible. Can I get a Mexican drivers licence easily and quickly? I live in the Uk but do not have a driving licence.

Zico

If you don't currently have a driver's license for the UK, I'm not sure what you'll be able to do in Mexico. I read somewhere awhile back that it's possible to get licensed in Mexico even if you don't have a license from your own country, but I'm yet to see any info that backs that up. Instead I've since read many times over that a valid driver's license from your country *is* required. If you do have that UK license, it's supposedly very easy to start driving in Mexico (bringing a car in is another matter, but being from the UK I doubt that would be an issue for you).

If you get that far, follow D360's advice on the insurance. Insurance from outside Mexico means nothing to them and you may as well be considered un-insured, which isn't a great idea if you're gonna be driving in a foreign country.

Good luck. I'll post more info if I find it.

[zico]

Thanks for the advice guys - things are a bit clearer now.

zico

[d360]

Glad to be of help. Please report back if you find out that you can get a license in Mexico.

[Wiggity]

If I have a suspended DL in America.
Is there anyway to obtain a mexican DL while I stay in the country for 2 years on business?

I don't believe so, at least not until your US drivers license suspension is over. At that point you shouldn't have much problem. I know that there's the Drivers License Agreement here in the States that keeps you from being able to drive in other states when you have a suspended licence, and I *believe* it also applies to Canada and Mexico (and they're working on getting it to apply to Europe as well).

How much time left on your suspension? What kind of suspension might also play into how easy it is to get licensed in Mexico once you've done your time.

[camjamy]

You can get a Mexican drivers license with out a license from another country. I know in guanajuato even if you have a foreigan licence you have to take there driving test. One catch is that you have to prove you live at a Mexican address, which sometimes is not easy. There is no real mail in Mexico so showing something with your address often hard, the gas bill or electric bill are a few ways to do it. I am going to take the test next week

Can anyone out there tell me where I can find the study book in Spanish or English?

[Conti]

How long will you be there? It is worth the hassle?