More on Refrendos or Tenencias (Taxes) for Mexican Plated Cars

After several days of the system being down of the website we needed to get our official receipts we were able to print out the necessary documents.

We then found out that you had to wait approximately 3 months to actually receive the sticker you put on your car.

You have to go to the license office in Chapala, Jalisco on Degollado #306 (one block from Cristiana Park) to pick up your actual tenencia and sticker for your car.  The phone # for this office is (376) 765-2064.  I am going to try and call this office prior to my going there to see if my papers are, in fact, ready.  I have been told “good luck with that” which does not inspire confidence.

In the meantime  I have copied my official receipts for our three cars and put them in the glove box of the cars. This way if we are stopped for not having our stickers prominently displayed on our windows of the cars we can, at least, prove that we have paid the tenencias in question and have the receipt in hand to show the transito or police.

I will then be able to further explain that I am waiting to be able to pick up the actual hard copies of the tenencias and pray that this will be sufficient to save me from a possible fine.

Although I am very proud that we have been able to get this far independently I am not yet sure it was worth it.  Paying someone to do this for us may the route we return to next year depending on what happens when I try to pick up the papers in Chapala in 3 or so months.

Paying a small fee to have someone do this for you may be the way to go.  You simply pay them for the tenencia on your car, which is a standard flat rate depending on any infractions you have run up over the past year, and wait for the phone call saying your papers are ready to be picked up and all of these transactions take place in English.

Anyway I am hoping that I am able to pick up our tenencias in a timely fashion so we are safe for another year.

Next thing we have to do is renew our Mexican driver’s licenses.  I will give you the information on how to do this when I have the correct information.

Wish me luck!