Car in Chapala.

Patrick O’Heffernan Ajijic JAL. Each year you have to renew your car registration by March 31. In Jalisco you get a discount if you pay early, starting in January.  Theoretically, you can do this online at the site of the La Secretaría de la Hacienda Pública  You will need your license plate number  (placa in Spanish), your VN number, and your old vehicle registration card (tarjeta de circulación in Spanish). If the site is working, you can pay online and then after March, take your receipt to the traffic office in Chapala and pick up your new registration card. There are also some Oxxo’s and banks that will take the payment. Best to do it in early January because the discount is highest and the crowds are smallest. Keep the receipt in a safe place.

If you are re-registering a car from another state in Jalisco, the cost, red tape, hassle and time involved go way up. You will need a lot of documents,  you will have to get up at 5 in the morning and go to a registration office in Guadalajara, you will have to have the car inspected,  and you will run into problems if the VIN and motor numbers do not match the numbers on the facturas (bill of sale),  or  if the original factura has no motor number – not uncommon.

You will need 3 copies each of (these requirements can vary from office to office):

• Original factura and all preceding changes of ownership. 
• Proof of residence
• Identification,  like a US passport
• Proof of legal residence in Mexico
• ‘Baja’ from the last owner or the license plates
• Receipts from the last 5 years of ‘tenencia’ payments  (or fewer if the car is not 5 years old)
• CURP
• RFC
• Report from the REPUVE proving the car was not stolen
• A print out of a Google Map showing the address of your proof of residence

Once you have gathered and verified your documents, go online and make an appointment with the Verificación Vehicular.   Set up a user name and password and follow the prompts. Print out your appointment confirmation and bring it with you or you won’t be admitted into the  Verificación Vehicular office.  The closest office is in  Tonalá, but there are offices  all  over Guadalajara and Zapopan, but none in Chapala or Jocotepec.  A map of the registration centers can found at https://gobiernoenlinea1.jalisco.gob.mx/vehicular/#/mapa-recaudadoras

The website tells you “not to be surprised if the process is completed in one day”, not a reassuring message, especially since some Facebook posts report three trips to a Verificación Vehicular to finally get the documents the way the clerk of the day wanted them..   Also, don’t be surprised that you have to show up at 6:30 am because the office opens at 7 and if you not in line by 7 am you will not be allowed in and have to start the appointment process all  over again.

You vehicle will be inspected, then you have to pay the taxes, fees and license plate charges, which are based on a formula but can run over $10,000 pesos for a late model car. Part of the inspection involves checking your VIN and motor numbers and making sure they agree with the previous registration and facturas. If you don’t have the paper receipts for the previous registrations, even though the stickers are on the car window, you may be asked  go pay all previous registration fees.

While in the Verificación Vehicular office , you will sit and wait until you are moved into the first chair and called;  you will have to show your documents to three different people, so keep them in good order. If there are no problems, the process will take 7 -8 hours.

If you bought your car in Mexico City or it has a Mexico City license plate, the process is more difficult because Mexico state has a reputation for registering vehicles that can’t be registered in other states. In this case it is best to use a gestoria de vehicular service or an automotive facilitator who specializes in obtaining plates. In Chapala, you can contact Antonio Regalado of R&R New and Used Cars and Car Solutions, Luis Perguero, or go to Pat’s Plates on Facebook.