Auto Insurance
Insuring your automobile is mandatory in Mexico. We can provide vehicle insurance for Mexican state-registered vehicles as well as for automobiles registered in Canada and the US. In addition, we have insurance for vehicles in Guanajuato state with an UCD permit. Please email me for details.
Guanajuato Driver’s License
For a Guanajuato state driver’s license, one must be a Temporary or Permanent Resident.
You will be required in advance to know your blood type as it is noted on your license.
By law, you must have a Guanajuato driver’s license to register a car in Guanajuato state and to drive a vehicle registered in your name in Guanajuato state. This is becoming the norm throughout Mexico. I would not buy a vehicle until you have a driver’s license and you have fully been informed of the requirements to register a vehicle in Mexico.
A driver’ license is by appointment. To make an appointment, several documents including passport, resident card, utility bill, medical form, etc need to be emailed to the state license office in Guanajuato City. You will also need a brief medical. Joanna is available in San Miguel to assist with obtaining a Guanajuato driver’s license. Please email Joanna.
When you have a driver’s license from another state in Mexico or from another country, a driving test and a 30-question multiple-choice test written in Spanish are not required. However, the name on your driver’s license must be identical to your name on your resident card. Example: John R Smith is not the same as John Robert Smith to the license office staff.
A beginner’s license is available starting at age 15 up to when one turns 18.
Guanajuato Vehicle Registration
Registration of a vehicle is completed at an office called Rentas. A person requires a valid CURP (akin to SIN / SSN) to register a car. A CURP is only available to citizens and those with a Temporary or Permanent Resident visa card.
Tourists may not register a car in Guanajuato state as they have no CURP. The Rentas office is very selective and all documents must be exact. Scooters and ATVs also require registration and license plate. Please wear a helmet. If your license plates are held on in a way that they are not easily removed such as rivets (which are illegal), this may result in a fine and the vehicle being towed.
To register a vehicle please contact Joanna Francis who is a part of my team. She is professional, knowledgeable and bilingual. Please email Joanna.
You must carry your original vehicle registration called tarjeta de circulacion proof annual registration fee called “refrendo” is paid and your original Guanajuato driver’s license..
Guanajuato State Handicap Parking, Annual Registration Fee, Emissions Test
Guanajuato State’s handicapped parking permit is obtained by making an appointment in Silao, seeing the assigned physician, complete a form and photos. Once that is done, you must write a letter in Spanish asking for “handicap parking”. Then, submit all of it to the Rentas office in San Miguel. This is a two-day process.
Guanajuato state refrendo (annual car registration) fee may be paid online or at a bank. It must be paid in the first 3 months of the year regardless of when you first registered your vehicle. If you bought and registered a vehicle in October for example, you renew in the first 3 months of the year and not on the anniversary of when initially registered. There is also an additional fee called tenencia on any vehicle worth more than ~600,000 pesos, when new. Electric vehicles are exempt from tenencia.
Guanajuato state emissions tests are required for cars registered in Guanajuato state. This includes new cars. Emissions test schedule (by license plate):
5 and 6 January and February; July and August
7 and 8 February and March; August and September
3 and 4 March and April; September and October
1 and 2 April and May; October and November
9 and 0 May and June; November and December
Testing is required every 6 months including for new cars. Vehicle verification will be carried out through the appointment system, which may be made here: https://citas.smaot.app Or telephone SMAOT: 473 735 2601
To drive your Mexican-registered car in Mexico City, any day and any time, you need a 00 or 0 emissions test and sticker. The 00 is for a new car and it is good for 2 years. The 0 is for 6 months and it is for those not new. The test center requires an appointment. There are very few testing centers for the 00 and 0 permits. For those in San Miguel, you must go to Celaya. The cost is about 550 pesos. Some other states have a similar program for 00 and 0 emissions permits. Your emissions test must be completed in the state in which you live.
Hybrids and Battery Electric Vehicles
In Guanajuato state, for a electric / hybrid vehicle, an emissions test is not required. For a hybrid, you will be exempt from emissions tests for 8 years. A battery electric vehicle is exempt from emissions tests forever.
UCD Permit
The UCD (Unión Campesina Democrática) permit is for vehicles from the US and Canada wishing to legally drive in the states of Guanajuato, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Michoacan only to Morelia.
Permits are available in San Miguel de Allende and there is no need to leave home as I deliver to you.
Your visa status is not relevant.
Applicable to vehicles 2012 and older.
Each January you renew.
You will receive a letter from SAT and head of police for Guanajuato state stating your vehicle is legal.
You must have your UCD plate on the back of your vehicle and your US state or Canadian province plate on the front.
Upon receiving your UCD permit you will need an emissions test.
Your current insurance policy may not cover you with an UCD permit. You may need additional coverage and I am able to refer you to a person who provides this service.
You will continue to show as having a car in Mexico and your TIP deposit will be forfeited.
