MEXICAN DRIVERS LICENSE for foreign applicant

Mexican drivers license are issued by the individual Mexican States.

Foreigners must submit the following documents:

1. Official Identification
Passport & FM-2 or FM-3

2. Proof of Residence
Rental Contract or Utility/Telephone Bill or Local Bank Statement.

3. Medical Certificate

Medical Health letter or certificate including Blood Type, General health report and results of Vision Test. The eye chart test is still administered in the event that your medical report does not include information regarding your vision. It appears that they no longer accept a certificate from a private hospital. There is a hospital in Fracc. La Lejona behind the Mega Commercial that offers this service. They do not do it at the Hospital General. Apparently there is also a lab/farmácia 2 blocks from the Transito office where you pay 30 pesos. Also, medical certificate is not required when renewing a Mexican driver's license.

If you have a valid license from another country, a road test is not required. You will probably be asked to turn in your existing license; however, you may be allowed to keep it if you can demonstrate that your foreign license is an essential requirement of local authorities at your home or workplace abroad.

A written test

A written test will be administered (in English or Spanish) with 30 multiple choice questions. You must score 25 correct answers to pass this test.
 
The first 20 questions are sometimes ambiguous and some words are mistranslated from Spanish to English (e.g. the use of the word “exceed another car” instead of “passing another car”. The last 10 questions are focused on testing your recognition of road signs (e.g. federal highway signs, slippery conditions, no passing lane, etc).
 

Click here for the Manual de Manejo (in Spanish only) a pamphlet to help prepare for the exam. The Guanajuato Transit Department web site http://transito.guanajuato.gob.mx has been difficult to access but currently seems to be working.
 
After acceptance of the preceding documentation and successfully passing the multiple choice test, you will be photographed and fingerprinted. A driver’s license will then be prepared by an electronic scanning device and permaflexed.

 

Invoice

An invoice will be prepared for your choice of term of the license namely:
2 years MXN 405 Pesos, 3 years MXN 514 Pesos, 5 years MXN 623 Pesos.

 

The invoice must be paid at the Cashier’s office located at the Plaza Real del Conde (opposite the Soriana Supermarket) The Cashier’s office is open until 3:00 pm.

 

After paying the license fee, you must again return to the Transit Department Office with the paid and stamped invoice and you will be handed your Mexican license.

A few words from our correspondent…

1. They actually do answer the phone (I have called three times during the past week) and they are both polite and helpful.
 
2.The eye chart test is still administered in the event that your medical report does not include information regarding your vision.
 
I went to the Hospital de la Fe Monday morning and the doctor manning the emergency entrance typed up a brief 6 line letter indicating that I am in good health, my blood is type A+ and I can see with glasses. No physical exam was performed. The Hospital had my blood type on file. Perhaps it's cheaper and quicker to walk 2 blocks from the Government office to the lab/farmácia and pay 30 pesos.
 
3. You can take the exam as many times as necessary but you must come back the following day. The dog- eared laminated exam sheet looked as if it had been around since the time of Henry Ford. I suspect that the questions may be the same each time. If you flunk you might try to find out which questions you got wrong. The passing score is 25.  
 
4. I arrived at the Transit office, Tuesday morning at 8:15 am. A second person arrived at 8:30 and by 9:30 there were five or six more. Only three of those were applying for a driver's license  Most were there for traffic violations. There were three transit officers and some clerical assistants.