Mexico - Convert Foreign Driver License

Advertisement

Procedure

If you are converting a license from a country other than Canada, Mexico or one of the US Territories, you must take the full - written and road - test plus the eye test.
If you are from a country listed in the 1949 Road Acts Convention, you must have a sponsor and you must present your valid driver's license from that country and if needed, an English translation of the license.
Please note: An International Driving Permit cannot be converted to a Mexican Driver's License. An International Driving Permit does not confer any driving privileges but is a translation into ten major languages of the relevant information contained on the driver's home country license.

Advertisement

Required Documents

• Your current drivers license (the out-of-state one). Without it, the licence issuing authority will consider you unlicensed and youll have to start from scratch. This means taking and passing the written and driving exams.
• Proper identification. In some cases, your current drivers license will suffice. This will depend on the licence issuing authority. Otherwise youll need to present at least one form of primary identification. This usually entails a passport or birth certificate.
• Provide proof of your Social Security number. Or, if you dont own a number, present a letter from the Social Security Administration explaining why.
• Provide proof of residency. Some states may require two proofs of this.
• Pass a vision test.
• Have payment for new driver license.

Office Locations & Contacts

The Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Secretara de Comunicaciones y Transportes, "Secretariat or Ministry of Communications and Transport" SCT) of Mexico is the national federal entity that regulates commercial road traffic and broadcasting.
Secretara de Comunicaciones y Transportes
Xola & Eje Central, Mxico City.
Phone: 52 55 57239300

Eligibility

If youre a foreign traveler with a visitors visa, you may drive in Mexico provided you have a valid driver license from your home country and an International Driver Permit. Generally, this is valid for one year, before you must transfer your drivers license.

Fees

Explain the fees structure which is required for obtaining the certificate/document.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

If your driver license has been expired for an extended period of time, you will not be allowed to transfer your license. Instead, you must apply for a new license, which most likely will require passing a vision test, written exam, and driving test.
You may convert a license if you:

• Provide a certified driving record (not more than thirty (30) days old) from the country or territory where you are licensed.
• Take and pass an eye test.
• Take a written test if your license has been expired for more than 1 year but less than 4 years.
• Take a full test - written and road - if your license has been expired for more than 4 years.

Once your license is converted, you will be given a temporary Photo-Imaging license, valid for 30 days. A permanent license will be mailed to you.

Required Information

Customer information;

• full legal name
• residence address
• city
• state
• daytime telephone number
• gender
• birth date
• birth place
  

Foreign license information (as it appears on the foreign license);

• full legal name
• residence address
• license number
• issuing country
• issue location
• issue date

Certification;

• signature
• date

Need for the Document

A new state requires a new drivers license. Depending on the status of your current driver license, the process regardless of state is generally easy.
Still, youll need to act fast. Most states require new licenses for new residents within a designated period of time after establishing residency.

Information which might help

Beyond learning foreign traffic laws, consider these tips to help breeze through your international driving experience:

• Carry an international driving permit and your state drivers license at all times.
• Carry the countrys traffic laws manual for a reference when you need it. You can find this information at a foreign embassy in Mexico, a foreign government tourist office, or at an international car rental company.
• Ensure you meet the minimum and maximum driving age requirements.
• Determine whether or not you need any kind of special drivers permit to drive in certain areas.
• Use your seatbelt.
• Obtain liability insurance when you rent a car.
• Review the rules of the road. Foreign countries often require drivers to obey new and different traffic laws.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

http://www.sct.gob.mx/en/road-infrastructure/general-directorate-of-road-development/about-us/location/
http://www.puertomanzanillo.com.mx/engi/0000001/home

Others

• Traffic rules vary from country to country. You might drive on a different side of the road, signs might be posted in a foreign measuring system, and you might see unfamiliar road signs.
• Before you start driving, take some time to study the traffic laws of the country. Learn about the countrys road signs and rules, and the penalties for traffic violations. You will feel more at ease behind the wheel when you have a handle on this information.
• Typically, you can access information on foreign traffic laws through the regions motor vehicle agency. Similar to the Mxico, most foreign countries maintain departments of transportation or driver and vehicle services. Seek out the appropriate agency, then inquire into resources on traffic laws. These agencies might provide you with useful tips, as well as driving manuals.