The Forums of Guanajuato
How do you get a Guanajuato driver's license? - Printable Version

+- The Forums of Guanajuato (https://www.gtolist.com/forum)
+-- Forum: General (https://www.gtolist.com/forum/forum-1.html)
+--- Forum: Frequently Asked Questions (https://www.gtolist.com/forum/forum-12.html)
+--- Thread: How do you get a Guanajuato driver's license? (/thread-4868.html)



How do you get a Guanajuato driver's license? - roberb7 - 11-15-2019

1. Gather together and make ONE copy (a) your passport, (b) the front AND back of your residence permit, © utility bills that have your address on them, (d) your existing VALID drivers license,

2. Go to the Red Cross ambulance office near the Mercado Hidalgo.
Just walk in and say you need a health declaration. You will pay 50 pesos for a blood test to determine your blood type. (ie. regardless of the fact that my Medic Alert Bracelet says "B Pos" I still had to have the test.).
The results take one hour (ie. they said one hour and it took just one hour - amazing)
You will then pay 95 pesos to see the medical doctor. You will be interviewed about your health: surgeries, medicine you take, vision and hearing needs, weight (taken) and height (taken).
You will be given a health declaration.

3. Go the the Transito Office. Take the road to Marfil, Yurabuena past the Glorieta Santa Fe toward... Puenticillas. Make a U-turn at the Liverpool/Chedraui and head back to GTO and see a big clearly marked sign "Oficina del Transito" with an arrow (another amazing occurence) and head up the hill a short distance. The entire BIG building is a dark terra cotta - freshly painted. A nice security guard will tell you to park in a fenced in area to the right. Walk into the building about the middle and get in the first of many lines. Show your ONE copy of (a) your passport, (b) the front AND back of your residence permit, © utility bills that have your address on them, (d) your existing VALID driver's license AND all the originals.
Answer lots of questions including how many years you want to buy. I choose 5 years, the max. and the fee was $648 pesos.
Choose to give up your USA driver's license (*) and move to step two OR keep you USA drivers license and take an eye test, hearing test, written driver's test, and physical drivers test. I chose to give up my existing VALID driver's license and for go a driving test by a Spanish speaking examiner and a written test in Spanish.
They will take and keep your USA driver's license, plus hold your residence permit for about 30 minutes.
You will then be told to go to the cashier. You will need to be sure all the answers you gave are correct and have a photo taken, your right and left fingerprint, and your signature. Then you will take a paper outside to another building and stand in another line to pay. Take that receipt back to the cashier and get back your residence permit.
The man will hand you a driver's license!

BTW, I made about 6-7 phone calls to help me translate. You might want to take a Spanish speaker with you to help with the process.

Total cost: $798 pesos ($57.75USD) for a five year license and about 3 hours waiting time.

Jacquie MacKenzie (Jzmackenzie)

(*) A lot of people think that turning in your USA or Canadian driver's license is a big deal. It isn't. If you feel a need to retain your USA or Canadian driver's license, all you have to do is ask the motor vehicle branch of your state or province for a duplicate. There have also been reports that the Transito is returning USA or Canadian driver's licenses after issuing the GTO one.

A couple more notes:

Don't believe anyone who tells you get an "international driver's license", unless you plan on driving in a country where they don't use the Latin alphabet. (And anyway, do you really want to be driving a car in a country where you can't read the road signs?) These things are worth no more than the paper they are printed on.

There is no problem with renting a car in the USA or Canada with a GTO license. However, the first time I did this, the rental agent asked where my birthday is on the license. Surprise, it isn't explicitly on it. However, the CURP number is, and if you look closely at the CURP number, your birthday is embedded in it.