Where to take drivers' licence test

[Canamex]

Where in Ajijic or Chapala or in between do expats go to take out a licence when their foreign licence expires, or is there someone specific that they have to go see? The person doesn't speak Spanish.

[OneMexicoExpat]

Here's my article.

How to Get a Mexican Driver’s License in Chapala

Summary

Knowledge of the procedures (both formal and informal), and diligent planning, will minimize the time and hassle it takes to get what you need when dealing with most government agencies in Mexico. That’s especially true when trying to get a Mexican driver’s license.

Body

First, you must be at least 18 years old. The place to apply for your license at Lake Chapala is the Gobierno Del Edo De Jalisco Sria. De Vialidad y Transporte. It’s located at 405 Flavio Romero de Velasco (street) in Chapala. That’s on the northeast corner, where it meets Guerrero (street). You can go there to get a slip of paper with instructions in English or Spanish, but the information is out of date. The instructions in this article are accurate as of January 24, 2013.

Although the office is open from 9AM to 4PM on weekdays, new driver’s license applications are only accepted from 9AM to 1PM. It’s best to come between 10:30AM and 12:00PM because your wait will be shorter, since the first wave of applicants will have finished by then. Be sure that you do not park on the right-hand side of a one-way street (Flavio Romero de Velasco street is one-way). If they catch you, you will get a parking ticket because the law states that you may only park on the left-hand side of one-way streets.

You do not need a facilitator. There is always an officer there who speaks English, and who will help you throughout the process.

Bring the right documents

If you don’t have the following documents, you will have to come back again and again until they are all in order.

• Your official CURP document. (see the separate CURP article regarding what this is, and how to get it).

• Your unexpired Mexican visa card, and a black-and-white copy of both sides of it. For temporary residents, this can be an FM3, an FM2, or a new Residente Temporal card. It can also be a permanent resident card (old style or new style). It cannot be a Visitor’s Permit (FMM).

• Your unexpired passport. Bring a black-and-white copy of the page with your face photo on it.

• Your proof of residence. This can be a utility statement (electric, telephone, water), property tax statement, or Mexican bank statement. It must have your surname (last name) on it, and it must be less than 90 days old. If you don’t have any of those documents with your surname on it, you will have to get a certificate of residency at the Chapala administrative building. If your utility statements are not in your name, it is probably because you rent your home from a landlord or agency, whose name appears at the top. In that case, you need to bring your passport and your current rental lease to the Chapala administrative building. It is the large reddish building on the right-hand side the block as you turn south (toward the lake) from the carretera onto Madero (the main street) in Chapala. There is a nominal fee for the certificate of residency – approximately 25 pesos. The certificate may not be granted the same day, depending on the schedule of the official who has to sign it. You’ll be told when to come back to pick it up.

• You will need to know your blood type. You don’t need a document for this; you just need to say what it is. You can find out what your blood type is by going to any medical clinic or laboratory, and taking a simple blood test. It costs around 100 pesos. It may take a few hours to process.

• You will need about 1,000 pesos in cash.

The Traffic Laws Test

There will be no vision test because the Chapala office does not have vision test equipment. There will not be a written test, either. But there will be a test on a computer touch-screen monitor, designed to determine your knowledge of basic Mexican traffic laws. There are 10 questions, and you need to get 5 or more of them correct in order to pass. The questions are a combination of street traffic scene images, for which you must answer traffic law questions, and just questions without images. The questions are in Spanish, but an officer there will translate them for you. Unfortunately, there is not a study guide for the test, although there is one for the older test, which will certainly be more useful than not studying Mexican traffic laws at all. To see the example test questions for the old test in Spanish, go to http://tinyurl.com/7wehswe. To see the same example test questions translated into English, go to http://tinyurl.com/8db4cg9.

After you have passed the test, you will be directed to a chair in which you will sit to have your photo taken for the license.

On to the Driver’s Test

After waiting in the waiting room, you will be asked to bring your car to the front door of the building (it’s on the right side of the street). That’s the only time you may park on the right side of a one-way street. An English-speaking officer will bring a clipboard with a checklist of tests you must pass, along with two orange traffic cones, and seat himself in your car’s front passenger seat.

Make sure you look at your rear view mirror(s) whenever you start out in traffic, and that you have both hands on the wheel. Also make sure that you come to a complete stop at Alto (Stop) signs, and that you look both ways before entering an intersection. The officer will ask you to pull over to the curb at some point, and then ask you to reverse for a few meters. Be sure you turn on your hazard blinkers when you back up. That’s the law.

Then it’s time for the parallel parking test. The officer will exit the car, place the cones close to the front of and back of your car, and ask you to parallel park in reverse between them, as if they were parked cars. You will have to do this in three moves (not three tries), and end up within a foot of the curb. This is difficult to do, since the cones are not as tall as cars, thereby depriving you of the usual visual markers for reverse parallel parking. If you are able to do this, you have probably passed the driver’s test. If you are not able to do this (and it’s highly likely that most people are not able to do this without extensive practice), you will fail the driver’s test, and must come back in twenty-two days to try your driver’s test again. Without access to cones for practicing parallel parking, you may not be able to pass the test the next time, either. At some point, it will occur to you that there is only one way to pass the driver’ test – to pay a ‘special tax’ to the officer in return for skipping the parallel parking test. 500 pesos is sufficient. Simply take out a 500 peso bill while you’re in the car with the officer, and place it on the dashboard or on the console, and say that you would like to skip the parallel parking test. While many people will object to this method of getting things done, it may be the only way to get a Mexican driver’s license. On the same subject, if you are repeatedly unable to pass the earlier Mexican traffic laws test on the touch-screen monitor, the same technique can be used. Be sure these types of transactions are accomplished one-on-one, and not in the office.

At this point, you’ll want to decide whether you want an automobile license or a chauffeur (chofer) license. You will want a chofer license if you ever need to drive a pickup truck, which, by law, requires a chofer license. To qualify for the chofer license, you need one additional point on your driver’s test. Make sure the officer clears you for that number of points, in that case.

Pay the Fee, and You’re Done

When you passed your driver’s test, the officer may direct you to a nearby tax office to pay your fee. However, that tax office is almost always very crowded and busy. A better option is to make your payment at the Banamex bank near the corner of Madero and the carretera. The fee will be 452 pesos for an automobile license, or 515 pesos for a chofer license (a difference of less than $5.00 USD). When you’re at the bank, mention account (cuenta) 55534-9, branch (sucursal) number 870, reference (referential) number 1. When you bring the receipt back to the tránsito office, your new Mexican driver’s license card will be printed and laminated for you. The card is good for four years.

Applying for a Driver’s License Renewal

You will not need to take a Mexican laws test, a vision test, or a driver’s test in order to renew your Mexican driver’s license. You will need to bring the following.

• Your official CURP document (see above).

• Your unexpired Mexican visa (see above).

• Your unexpired passport. Bring a black-and-white copy of the page with your face photo on it.

• Your proof of residence (see above).

• Your blood type (see above).

• Your existing (and possibly expired) Mexican driver’s license.

The renewal fees are best paid at the Banamex bank (see above) using exactly the same cuenta, sucursal, and referencia numbers. The renewal fee for an automobile license is 383 pesos, and the renewal fee for chofer license is 452 pesos.

In summary, when applying for either a new Mexican driver’s license or a renewal, the key is to make sure you have the right documents with you, patience, and the right amount of pesos.

[anaverde]

I think this was written in January (excellent info and detail...tnx) but I believe I heard you now must go to Guad to do this? Anyone know for sure?

[anaverde]

Sorry, looks like you actually wrote this article on March 16. However unable to access two URL's for tests no matter what I do....cut, paste, etc. Any ideas?

[thesarge7]

Hi folks,

I wanted to let you know about my Mexico Driver's license experience. I live in Joco, and got all my paperwork ready to go, including my residency certificate that I got in Joco. I rent, so the utility bill had someone elses name. The only thing lacking was my CURP. This was in January and we were on our way to the coast for a couple of months, so I sort of postponed my license. By the time my CURP arrived via email, it was nearly 90 days since I had obtained the residence certificate. Cut off for this is 90 Days or I would have had to get new ones. Since I was in Melaque, I decided to go to the Cihuatilan office of Vialidad y Transporte of Jalisco and do my procedure there. Located on the main road #70 (easy to find since the town is small). No problem since we are still in Jalisco.

I went there on April 8, the day they opened after the holiday week, and only 4 days before my 90 day deadline. They were busy as I expected, but not too bad. The procedure was a little different than what is posted above. I paid the fees at Banamex first, ($515 for chofer) and brought the receipt with me. Although they questioned the residency certificate date, after checking with someone, they said it was OK. They did not ask for a lease. I have a current valid U.S. license so there was no need for a driver's test, only the computer exam, which was in Spanish. The inspector was by my side and helping me with interpretation, even though I did not ask for help. He was a BIG help!! AND At no EXTRA cost.

I was in and out of that building in less than two hours!! WITH my license in HAND!! I found the staff here all very helpful, kind and professional. Only one inspector spoke English, and he was great. There were three or four other employees on hand this day, and I think the were about 8 other folks ahead of me when I arrived at 9am. One Canadian lady and the rest were Mexicans.

All in all a pleasant experience.

Good luck!!

[OneMexicoExpat]

Sorry, looks like you actually wrote this article on March 16. However unable to access two URL's for tests no matter what I do....cut, paste, etc. Any ideas?

It looks like the government removed those pages. That test is no longer used.

[johanson]

I renewed my drivers License yesterday in Chapala. It was a snap, because of the instructions above.. I even paid the fee for the renewal before I went. The only thing I forgot to do was bring a copy of the original receipt from the bank. No big deal, I took the original and made a copy of the receipt at a shop across the street returned and after they took my picture and checked my paperwork and took my fingerprints gave me my license. The total process took I think about 90 minutes.

although I spoke in my bad Spanish, apparently there are staff there who speak English should you need help in English. There were even signs up in English saying that you didn't need to bring a translator.

Everyone there was very polite

[losgatos]

OneMexicoExpat's info re: Jalisco drivers license renewal in Chapala is right on. I used these instructions yesterday with johanson's addendum concerning a copy of the bank receipt. Fortunately there were few people ahead of me and I sailed through the renewal process in a half hour or less. Thank you for a well thought out, clear and concise presentation.

[phxfunguy]

Since I was in Melaque, I decided to go to the Cihuatilan office of Vialidad y Transporte of Jalisco and do my procedure there. Located on the main road #70 (easy to find since the town is small). No problem since we are still in Jalisco.

I have a current valid U.S. license so there was no need for a driver's test, only the computer exam, which was in Spanish.

Does this apply in Chapala as well, no driver's test in the car if you have a current valid foreign license? I had never seen that point made before and assumed everyone had to do the dreaded impossible parallel parking maneuver between cones placed right at the bumpers of your car. Even though I plan on keeping my AZ drivers license current when it expires at age 65, I'd like to get a Jalisco one since I'm going permanente now. I'd been putting it off as my current little car has a large blind spot on the sides of the rear making seeing the short cones impossible even though I can park it fine between cars. I'm removing it in 3 weeks while my FM3 is still valid. I was going to practice with my new Mexican plated car a bit when I get it next month before tackling the test. Maybe I can just go in and take the computer test?

[El Toro Furioso]

Hi folks,

I wanted to let you know about my Mexico Driver's license experience. I live in Joco, and got all my paperwork ready to go, including my residency certificate that I got in Joco. I rent, so the utility bill had someone elses name. The only thing lacking was my CURP. This was in January and we were on our way to the coast for a couple of months, so I sort of postponed my license. By the time my CURP arrived via email, it was nearly 90 days since I had obtained the residence certificate. Cut off for this is 90 Days or I would have had to get new ones. Since I was in Melaque, I decided to go to the Cihuatilan office of Vialidad y Transporte of Jalisco and do my procedure there. Located on the main road #70 (easy to find since the town is small). No problem since we are still in Jalisco.

I went there on April 8, the day they opened after the holiday week, and only 4 days before my 90 day deadline. They were busy as I expected, but not too bad. The procedure was a little different than what is posted above. I paid the fees at Banamex first, ($515 for chofer) and brought the receipt with me. Although they questioned the residency certificate date, after checking with someone, they said it was OK. They did not ask for a lease. I have a current valid U.S. license so there was no need for a driver's test, only the computer exam, which was in Spanish. The inspector was by my side and helping me with interpretation, even though I did not ask for help. He was a BIG help!! AND At no EXTRA cost.

I was in and out of that building in less than two hours!! WITH my license in HAND!! I found the staff here all very helpful, kind and professional. Only one inspector spoke English, and he was great. There were three or four other employees on hand this day, and I think the were about 8 other folks ahead of me when I arrived at 9am. One Canadian lady and the rest were Mexicans.

All in all a pleasant experience.

Good luck!!

My wife just got her Jalisco license in Cihuatlan after having downloaded the 102 test questions in Spanish and learning them all. (I gave her two tests and she scored 100% on both.) We paid the chofer fee after a long wait (wish we had known about going to Banamex instead). We had copies of everything that had been requested, but the officer took the originals and made his own copies on their machine. Everyone in the office in Cihuatlan was so nice. The officer, who spoke some English which we didn't return, tried helping my wife with the test and she told him to shut up! She said that she knew the answers and didn't need any help. But it was clear that they didn't want her to fail. The drivers' test consisted of her sitting in the car, parked, and looking like she was driving while the officer took a digital picture of this scene. After reading the complicated and somewhat intimidating instructions from the poster talking about getting your license in Chapala or Guadalajara, I think maybe taking a mid-week holiday to Barra de Navidad or our own La Manzanilla in order to get your Jalisco license with no stress and no hassle might make some sense. (You wouldn't want to stay in Cihuatlan which isn't on the coast but is the municipio for Barra and for San Patricio Melaque.) PS: I got my license in Chapala when the Vialidad was in Riberas del Pilar. No problems, scored 100% on the test, drove around the block for the driver's test and got my license within 3 hours. No mordida for either of us.

[barcelonaman]

what are the benefits of having a jalisco driving licence?

[Ezzie]

what are the benefits of having a jalisco driving licence?

One of the main reasons is if you let your NOB license expire and are unable to go back north to get it renewed. You can drive NOB with a Mexican driver's license.

[All Day]

what are the benefits of having a jalisco driving licence?

For people who live here year around, it's a little more convenient than going back to your home state to renew your expired license.

P.S. Ezzie, we posted at the same time

[Poe Bango]

I just got my first Mexican Driver's License in April (on Flavio Romero in Chapala) and after reading the very good instructions above, wanted to add a few tips that I hope you will find helpful:

1) If you have a CURP #, it's not enough to just show them your card with the CURP # on it. But not to worry because across the street, kitty-corner, there is a papeleria, which doesn't look like a papeleria because there is no sign and they really don't sell much of anything. There's a little "sandwich" board out front that advertises Coca-cola with an arrow pointing into this dark cave. You walk in and there's a counter and a nice lady, and you just hand her your identification, and they have this computer right there -- why they have access to this info is beyond me, but in 30 seconds, she printed out my CURP certificate, handed it to me, and charged me 10 pesos! It was so weird. Only in Mexico. I was really laughing.

2) You must have originals and BLACK & WHITE copies of everything. They won't accept color copies. The front & back of your immigration card must be on ONE side of the paper. They won't accept the front on one piece and the back on a second piece. I also had the papeleria fix that for me.

3) The computer touch screen test is super easy. You only have to pass 6 out of 10. Most of them are common sense and the same as the road rules in the U.S. One of them was a picture of a cop standing in the middle of the road holding his hand out, yet the traffic light is green. The question was: Does this mean: (i) Ignore the police & do what the light says and just drive on, (ii) Do a U-turn?, (iii) run over the police man (or something like that, ha ha). If you don't speak Spanish, the man or woman there will read them to you -- and if you are stuck and just tell him/her you are not sure of the answer, he will point the answer out to you. I observed him doing this to three people there while I was waiting.

4) DRIVING TEST: You will fail the driver's test if you do not turn on your DANGER LIGHTS before attempting the parallel parking portion. I was lucky enough to be told this by a lady in the waiting room who was there to retake her test, and this was the reason why.

5) PAYING: If you want to pay cash, you don't pay it there. You have to go 2 1/2 blocks over to the building where we pay our property & car taxes. It would definitely be easier to pay ahead of time by deposit in their Banamex account.

Buena suerte!

[elrich]

Is there a sign in or ticket system used to be waited on. Also is there a sign in English or a separate line for renewals. Thank you for your response.

[Poe Bango]

Is there a sign in or ticket system used to be waited on. Also is there a sign in English or a separate line for renewals. Thank you for your response.

It's a tiny place with no rules for getting waited on. There are all these plaques up on the wall with one word descriptions of how together they are -- one being "efficient". They are not. They have no system in place. There is no sign-in sheet, no line. No separation between new licenses and renewals. You just have to stand there in front of them and notice who got there first. Then when it's your turn (and I can assure you, more than one person will come in and try to walk in front of you and just go sit down in front of one of the officials), you have to be courteously assertive and run and grab your seat! When you give them your initial papers they will tell you to go sit down in the waiting room. Don't do that. It's actually the Ignoring Room. They will forget about you. Stand around in front of them in the main room and catch their eye and smile every once in awhile. You really have to be on top of it. You have to wait around in between each step.

[jhark]

I just got back from trying to get my renewal. They told me they only did renewals Monday through Friday from 9:30 - 1. It was 12:12 and I was told they weren't doing any more today and to come back on Monday. ARRRGH!!!!!

[Hernan Santiago]

The OP is asking for help on a first time Jalisco license, not a renewal. Big difference. Think she has all of the info she needs and is good to go. Thanks largely to One MexicoExpat who I think has only been here for about a year and has learned a lot more than me in eight years. I am impressed with her knowledge, even though I thought she was an arrogant newcomer at first. My apologies.

[jhark]

The OP is asking for help on a first time Jalisco license, not a renewal. Big difference.

The point was that they have posted times they are open but may change their mind.

[thesarge7]

Glad to see folks are going to Cihuatlan for their license. I did not go there just to get my license. I just happened to be in Melaque just before my paperwork would have expired. (They say that any domicilio papers must be dated within 90 days of your license application). I took advantage of being close to an office that was not busy, and it just happened to be a very pleasant experience. Sorry phxfunguy, I was a little late in responding, but,. if you have a VALID U.S. driver's license, you do not need to do the road test, only the written exam, which is on the computer screen and is in Spanish. And like El Toro Furioso's wife, the inspector did help me as well. I was taking a little too long reading the questions and he seemed to be in a hurry and was jumping to the answers before I was and "guided" me to the correct answer. Yes, it did seem that they did not want people to fail.

As long as your paperwork is in order, and you have paid the fee, then you shouldn't have a problem. If you stop in the Cihuatlan office first, you can go to the display stand or board, and their are some small copies of what the fees are and the account number you need at Banamex. Just bring that with you to Banamex and tell them you want to pay for the driver's license. Good to go!!

[phxfunguy]

Glad to see folks are going to Cihuatlan for their license. I did not go there just to get my license. I just happened to be in Melaque just before my paperwork would have expired. (They say that any domicilio papers must be dated within 90 days of your license application). I took advantage of being close to an office that was not busy, and it just happened to be a very pleasant experience. Sorry phxfunguy, I was a little late in responding, but,. if you have a VALID U.S. driver's license, you do not need to do the road test, only the written exam, which is on the computer screen and is in Spanish. And like El Toro Furioso's wife, the inspector did help me as well. I was taking a little too long reading the questions and he seemed to be in a hurry and was jumping to the answers before I was and "guided" me to the correct answer. Yes, it did seem that they did not want people to fail.

As long as your paperwork is in order, and you have paid the fee, then you shouldn't have a problem. If you stop in the Cihuatlan office first, you can go to the display stand or board, and their are some small copies of what the fees are and the account number you need at Banamex. Just bring that with you to Banamex and tell them you want to pay for the driver's license. Good to go!!

The no driving test rule with U.S. license seems to be applied variably. Folks in Chapala have told me that it USED TO BE the rule here as well, but for several years now they no longer give you a pass like that and you have to try to park your car between cones so close you are likely to fail....unless you leave $400-500 on the dash unless you get the young guy. That was the last evaluation of the mordida situation at our office that I read.

[Cortland]

I have been told that the Chapala office has run out of supplies so right now they cannot issue a driver's licence and that if you need one quickly, you have to go to Guadalajara. I seem to remember other people saying that the driving test has to be taken in the municipality where you live. So for people Lakeside that would be Chapala. I wonder if this is a temporary suspension of the rules until the Chapala office gets re-stocked.

[bmh]

I have been told that the Chapala office has run out of supplies so right now they cannot issue a driver's licence and that if you need one quickly, you have to go to Guadalajara. I seem to remember other people saying that the driving test has to be taken in the municipality where you live. So for people Lakeside that would be Chapala. I wonder if this is a temporary suspension of the rules until the Chapala office gets re-stocked.

We got our fiirst Mexican (Jalisco) driver´s licenses in the Ocotlan Municpailiy and the Chapala Municipality (where we reside) at Riberas del Pillar way back in 2003 or so when we still had unexpired California licenses and, while we both had to take a written test, no driving test was required of either of us. There was no hint of corruption in Ocotlan but. needless to say, Riberas exacted mordida under penalty of failure of the written test back when the test was not computerized and they had you by the gonads. You either paid and passed or refused to pay and then had to go through the whole process all over again and then pay the mordida to pass or do it again like the movie Groundhog Day . No escape when the whole system is corrupt.

I would advise one to go to Guadalajara which is what we do now. Highly efficient and a rapid process even though it´s really crowded, no hint of corruption when we went there for renewals which were issued immediately and no driver´s tests..

One of us also has acquired a driver´s license in Chiapas as well and, once again, no driving test and a very easy written test plus no hint at mordida. .

[southland]

What is the address, or whereabouts, and name of the office in Guadalajara to get a new Mexican Driver's License?

Thx.

[bmh]

El Departamento de Transito is on the right handside as you go north on Av Alcalde and intersection with Circumvalación Division del Norte. It is a glorieta type of intersection. Take 16th of Septiembre, at the Cathedral, it becomes Av. Alcalde keep on going past La Normal until the next glorieta.