Transito talk at LCS

by sambrit10 Fri Jun 14, 2013 4:18 pm

Just returned from the transito talk at LCS. It was very confusing since everything needed to be translated and it wasn't always clear if the question had been understood as intended. The questions were directed at two "jefes" in transito (don't remember their exact titles).

Two questions that were asked had eye-popping answers for me. So I'm posting them here to get some feedback, especially from anyone who REALLY knows the answer (Spencer??).

First, the lesser of the two, was that you MUST carry the ORIGINAL of your TIP if you have a foreign plated car. NO NOTARIZED COPIES. The guy was very specific about this, said it three times. On the other hand he didn't seem to care if your TIP was expired, that being Aduana's problem.

Second, the shocker for me, was that your U.S. registration MUST BE CURRENT. I know many people driving on expired registration on the assumption that Mexico doesn't care. This guy said that they don't pay any attention to the license plate stickers indicating registration date, but that if you're stopped for a moving violation and your registration ISN'T current, you will not only get a ticket but they can impound the car and arrest the driver!!

Yikes! I thought I only had to worry about the registration if I wanted to drive back into the States! And CA, like most states, requires an every-other-year smog check that makes it impossible to keep the registration current. I do know about the South Dakota solution but thought that was only if I wanted to drive back across the border.

So what's the deal? Is this for real, or was the truth Lost in Translation?

by JayBear Fri Jun 14, 2013 6:03 pm

And the eye opener for me is that you MUST have a Jalisco drivers' license. I have an AZ license and have thought that was just fine. Since our local drivers license place seems extremely corrupt (correct me if I a wrong but I think a LARGE mordida is required) this means I have to take myself and my car to Guad. I am not even sure, based on the discussion, if I am allowed to have a Mexican person drive for me, I DO NOT want to drive in Guadalajara--hey, we all have our abilities, and driving a large van is not one of mine, but I am temporarily stuck with the van.

by sambrit10 Fri Jun 14, 2013 6:20 pm

JayBear, I thought it was resolved that you only need a Jalisco license if you are Permanente. Which maybe you are...? And then as far as who could drive a foreign plated car and who could drive a Mexican plated car ... I was just totally confused.

by Pedro Fri Jun 14, 2013 6:21 pm

they are full of shit and don't know the law. i want names of both right now if not sooner.

by sambrit10 Fri Jun 14, 2013 6:37 pm

Sorry, no idea of their names, but they were pretty highly ranked locally. And they really were trying to be helpful -- I still think a lot of the problem was in the translating. Not to denigrate the translator, because these real-time translations are difficult. But you can easily lose fine shades of meaning when translating in two directions. Usually they were talking directly to the translator (unmiked) so I couldn't hear the original Spanish, but even there I'm sure I could have missed any shades of meaning (eg, words that have more than one meaning in the other language).

Anyway, I'm just anxious to clear it up. And one more question, do you need to carry the title when you're driving? They said no, but elsewhere I've read yes. I sure don't want to carry it unless I have to.

by Pedro Fri Jun 14, 2013 7:06 pm

like i said-it's bullshit. there is only one jefe locally and that's the comandante in chapala. who was the other alleged jefe?
let's get this straightened out before you all shit your pants on misinformation.
just so y'all know the previous comandante is a member of our moto club. this smacks of bullshit or misinterpretation. GIVE ME INFORMATION!

by JayBear Fri Jun 14, 2013 7:09 pm

I am mad as hell and not going to take it any more! (Network quote, one of my faves!) I am carrying my cane and getting out of the car if I get stopped by transitos--and I am very good at using my cane! God bless and protect --and deliver you all from--us little old ladies!

by sambrit10 Fri Jun 14, 2013 9:13 pm

Pedro, let me clarify again: I do think (I hope) that this is all misinterpretation. I posted to get it clarified by someone in the know. Telling me it's "bullshit" isn't helpful unless you can tell me what's true and what's not. Maybe you can get clarification from the previous commandante if he's in your moto club...?

The LCS listing for the event states that the visitors would be the "state and munciipal commandantes" but I'm not clear if that's who actually showed up. I do believe one of the guys was the municipal commandante, though.

Again, definitely NOT trying to stir the pot ... just to get to the truth.

by Lady Otter Latté Fri Jun 14, 2013 9:34 pm

sambrit, your intent was clear to anyone with an IQ higher than double digits.

by Rosa Venus Fri Jun 14, 2013 9:56 pm

So glad I didn't go to that meeting for "clarity".

Motor on.

by Lady Otter Latté Fri Jun 14, 2013 10:04 pm

You and me both, Rosa.

by sambrit10 Fri Jun 14, 2013 10:20 pm

I give the LCS and the speakers who came full points for good intentions, but I think there were too many agendas for all the participants (including or especially the audience) to achieve clarity.

by sambrit10 Sat Jun 15, 2013 8:43 am

Apparently it's not possible to ask a direct question and get a direct answer on this forum without circumnavigating around a lot of pontificating. But I just found this article on Fox:

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/news/woman-thrown-jail-car-impounded-mexico-expired-ame/nX7SL/

OK, it's Fox news ... but it probably really happened, and only a couple weeks ago.

What gives? Has the law changed recently?

by schraderone Sat Jun 15, 2013 9:48 am

sambrit10 wrote:Apparently it's not possible to ask a direct question and get a direct answer on this forum without circumnavigating around a lot of pontificating. But I just found this article on Fox:

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/news/woman-thrown-jail-car-impounded-mexico-expired-ame/nX7SL/

OK, it's Fox news ... but it probably really happened, and only a couple weeks ago.

What gives? Has the law changed recently?

I have consulted with Mexican friends about how to translate all of this into REAL information. They believe that since the national election.......no matter what NEW laws may have been added to the books, This Country is reverting to the old law or old custom
of allowing the police to supplement thier incomes by shaking people down and of course that includes us. So my friends advise
me to carry plenty pesos in the car because ability and willingness to pay the cops will go much farther than any legal papers one
may have . I tend to believe this because I have been waiting to hear a public apology from some, high level official regarding
what happened in Sonora with the lady on the bus...........Im still waiting. Its looking like my Mexican friends are correct, it seems
to be ok for the cops/military to terrorize people and get paid very well for doing so.

by Intercasa Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:05 am

Notarized copy should be fine, give me their names and I will visit them with the federal court ruling and have them rethink their position just like I did with the last guy, I also have a written ruling confirming such from the State legal department.

by sambrit10 Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:23 am

Spencer, thanks as always for your reply. If I can get the names I'll pass them on.

Is a copy of this ruling available somewhere where we can print and carry it in the car?

Can you answer the other (for me, bigger) question, too? Which is: Is it legal to drive in Mexico under a valid TIP but with expired U.S. registration? We are also carrying a (non-notarized) copy of the car title.

by Pedro Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:23 am

Intercasa wrote:Notarized copy should be fine, give me their names and I will visit them with the federal court ruling and have them rethink their position just like I did with the last guy, I also have a written ruling confirming such from the State legal department.

you already gave that to alberto alvarez gomez,spencer. he is hector's replacement.
these people should tell us who "the other" is. if he was from hq-we have a long row to hoe. alvaro may be at wednesday's "special" meeting at that car ranch.

by CanuckBob Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:25 am

Well then we can discuss this with him in person if we are not otherwise occupied.

by Pedro Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:28 am

sambrit10 wrote:Spencer, thanks as always for your reply. If I can get the names I'll pass them on.
Can you answer the other (for me, bigger) question, too? Which is: Is it legal to drive in Mexico under a valid TIP but with expired U.S. registration? We are also carrying a (non-notarized) copy of the car title.

i gave you the answer to those questions above -perhaps you just cared not to read them and critisize instead?

by espíritu del lago Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:31 am

The only constitutional "guarantee" that you have is that you will be treated no worse than a Mexican citizen.

I believe the expats in the Chapala area have been granted a lot of leeway. The times are a changing as progress marches on. Get on board or problems can and will occur. This is not the Mexico of times past, sad but true.

Remember you have a new President and he is making his mark which is his choice to do whether you like it or not..

by sambrit10 Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:40 am

Pedro wrote:
sambrit10 wrote:Spencer, thanks as always for your reply. If I can get the names I'll pass them on.
Can you answer the other (for me, bigger) question, too? Which is: Is it legal to drive in Mexico under a valid TIP but with expired U.S. registration? We are also carrying a (non-notarized) copy of the car title.

i gave you the answer to those questions above -perhaps you just cared not to read them and critisize instead?

>> Sorry, Pedro, but "This is what I do" doesn't answer the question "Is it legal? Has it recently become illegal? Are they just now starting to enforce a law that's always been on the books?" Cases of personal experience are only moderately helpful as sometimes it seems to depend on the mood of the transito officer that day.

Also, when a post starts with an insult, I tend not to read it very carefully, even if the insult was only obliquely directed at me. Just a quirk of mine.

by Pedro Sat Jun 15, 2013 10:57 am

sambrit10 wrote:
Pedro wrote:
sambrit10 wrote:Spencer, thanks as always for your reply. If I can get the names I'll pass them on.
Can you answer the other (for me, bigger) question, too? Which is: Is it legal to drive in Mexico under a valid TIP but with expired U.S. registration? We are also carrying a (non-notarized) copy of the car title.

i gave you the answer to those questions above -perhaps you just cared not to read them and critisize instead?

>> Sorry, Pedro, but "This is what I do" doesn't answer the question "Is it legal? Has it recently become illegal? Are they just now starting to enforce a law that's always been on the books?" Cases of personal experience are only moderately helpful as sometimes it seems to depend on the mood of the transito officer that day.

Also, when a post starts with an insult, I tend not to read it very carefully, even if the insult was only obliquely directed at me. Just a quirk of mine.

lo siento to you. i gave a detailed post on what you can carry on your vehicle legally and it looks like a "mod" deleted it so that's why you couldn't read it. sorry again,sambrit. to reiterate,i carry notorized registration,TIP and immigrante visa. and no you don't need a mexican[jalisco] dl if you have a "valid" dl from whence you came. hopefully the "mod" won't erase this.
also,i didn't post "this is what i do". what gives?

by sambrit10 Sat Jun 15, 2013 11:08 am

Pedro wrote:
sambrit10 wrote:
Pedro wrote:
sambrit10 wrote:Spencer, thanks as always for your reply. If I can get the names I'll pass them on.
Can you answer the other (for me, bigger) question, too? Which is: Is it legal to drive in Mexico under a valid TIP but with expired U.S. registration? We are also carrying a (non-notarized) copy of the car title.

i gave you the answer to those questions above -perhaps you just cared not to read them and critisize instead?

>> Sorry, Pedro, but "This is what I do" doesn't answer the question "Is it legal? Has it recently become illegal? Are they just now starting to enforce a law that's always been on the books?" Cases of personal experience are only moderately helpful as sometimes it seems to depend on the mood of the transito officer that day.

Also, when a post starts with an insult, I tend not to read it very carefully, even if the insult was only obliquely directed at me. Just a quirk of mine.
lo siento to you. i gave a detailed post on what you can carry on your vehicle legally and it looks like a "mod" deleted it so that's why you couldn't read it. sorry again,sambrit. to reiterate,i carry notorized registration,TIP and immigrante visa. and no you don't need a mexican[jalisco] dl if you have a "valid" dl from whence you came. hopefully the "mod" won't erase this.
also,i didn't post "this is what i do". what gives?

Pedro, sorry on my part too if I misunderstood one of your posts or missed one that you posted.

What I read was a post from you that iterated what YOU carry, but it didn't state unequivocally that this was the letter of the law, or give any references to that law, which is what I'd like to see at this point.

We all know that the laws are constantly changing (witness the huge increase in seatbelt fines) and that many (most) of them are selectively enforced, and it appears that foreign plates are most frequently selected, probably because the cop can always find SOMETHING that you've failed to adhere to, failed to carry, failed to notarized, didn't have the original of, etc. I don't want to rely on mordida to get me out of inadvertently breaking a traffic law, especially when the freedom of my car and myself could be in jeopardy. I want to be able to say, "But according to article such and such, my expired registration is perfectly legal in Mexico."

There definitely seems to be a push to get rid of foreign plated cars and this may all be part of that.

So, still looking for the answer. If your deleted post contained this info I would like to see it again, by PM if necessary.

by itsme Sat Jun 15, 2013 4:37 pm

TOB had a detailed report of what was said and who was there. These are the people we have to deal with and not Pedro or his cronies.

http://www.chapala.com/webboard/index.php?showtopic=44738&hl=

Hope this link works.

by lunateak Sat Jun 15, 2013 5:08 pm

Thanks for the info.

On another note some time ago I was banned on TOB for offering a link to this board. Just saying....

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