My semi-annual post?

Sorry, friends. I am a slacker. I have been quite pre-occupied with my life since my last post (not to mention, horrified that someone would leave such a vituperative comment on my page as a result of my post — more about that later).

Registering the car in Yucatan.

Things here in Mexico are complicated. The bureaucracy can be mind-boggling, although I suspect that foreigners in the US feel the same. I have much greater empathy for people who move internationally, as nothing *feels* simple, especially when trying to do it in another language.

To give you an example, we have been working on getting our Yucatan drivers’ licenses and car registration. So far, we have accomplished the latter, but it took the help of a lawyer, 4 months and 8 visits to the SSP (our DMV equivalent) to get it done. Apparently, Yucatan is one of the strictest states here. There are so many people that come and go that they want to be sure you are really a resident and not just someone passing through.

The process included:

1. SSP writing a letter to INM (immigration) asking for a letter saying we actually live here.
2. Spending 4 hours waiting at INM to give them the letter.
3. Going to a bank to pay a fee required by INM.
4. Going back to INM to find out that we needed to submit a form changing our address.
5. Filling out change of address forms online.
6. Another visit to INM with the change of address materials to, once again, ask for the letter.
7. Another visit to INM to pick up the letter.
8. Ooops! Not our fault — the SSP computer system was hacked. Come back next week (x 2).
9. Another trip to SSP (4 hours) to give them the letter, copies of the current registration, proof of registration, and copies of light bills (to prove our address) and the sales receipt to show we own the car. (Oops! We didn’t have the original! Lose your turn, go back to “go”, and try again in two weeks.)
10. Have our attorney draft a power of attorney for someone in Queretaro to pick up the original proof of ownership in Queretaro (where we bought the car) and FedEx it to a friend there, who just happened to be coming to visit us the next week. How lucky! (Note: They would not mail it. It had to be picked up in person.)
11. Another 4-hour visit to SSP, this time the process was stopped because they could not verify the signature on the original sales document (see step 10, above) (!). Go three steps back, pay another $300 pesos for them to send a request to Mexico City for verification of the signature. Come back in two-weeks.
12. Document received. Go back to SSP. Move to the physical examination stage (checking that the VIN matches the registration) and moving on to the “get the registration/license plates stage.”
13. Ooops! Once again there was a document missing. So pay another $300 pesos for them to send a letter to Queretaro to ensure we don’t owe any back property taxes or parking tickets, and come back in two weeks.
14. Last trip to the SSP. Another four hours. Finally, pay the fee for the registration (about $100 US), leave with the plates.

Four months. Approximately 30 hours of waiting time. Success!

Next step… drivers’ licenses.

WTF?

I appreciate feedback on my posts. That said, however, if you insult me, call me names, or use foul language, your comment will not be posted. I appreciate that people have different opinions on things. Remember, though, this is MY blog, not yours, and you WILL BE POLITE! If you want to explain your position and why it matters, I am good with that. If you just want to call me stupid and a leftist F*tard, take it somewhere else.