Mexico travel with an expired US DL license...

[Jim]

Screwed up and forgot to renew my DL when I was back home in Oregon, and my upcoming travel plans to visit my daughter in Minneapolis will take me a couple thousand miles away from my home base.

My DL will expire in a couple months while I'm here in Mexico, two driving hours from the border, in San Felipe, Baja. My home state is Oregon so not one of the border states, unfortunately. I've been a full timer for 13 years.

My question is this, what's the possible penalty for a tourist driving in Mexico with an expired DL if I ever do get stopped for something down here?

Thanks!

[3oaks]

pianotuna wrote:
............................ I'd not be driving in a foreign country unlicensed. In my Jurisdiction no license = no insurance. Too risky for me.

My first thoughts, exactly.. I would never take that chance.

[moisheh]

Call Mexican DMV: You must be joking. First of all they probably do not answer the phone. Secondly they will speak Spanish. Thirdly I don't think you can get a Mexican license on a tourist vehicle. Have you called your own DMV?? The odds of a Mexican trafico seeing that your license has expired are about one in a million. However you might try and find out if your Mexican insurance is valid with an expired license. Can it be renewed by mail? Can a family member help? You could DHL the papers to and from Mexico. Or UPS if in the states.

Moisheh

[path1]

Call Mexican DMV and check into getting an extension. If you can't then ask ...

My question is this, what's the possible penalty for a tourist driving in Mexico with an expired DL if I ever do get stopped for something down here?

[Tiger4x4RV]

Re AAA: Here in SoCal, many DMV services are available through AAA; DL renewal is not one of them.

As far as I can find, such services are not available at Oregon AAA.

From the Oregon DMV website:

When you can renew:

Up to twelve months before or after your license expires;
Six months after military discharge.
Out of state? Call DMV at 503-945-5000.
You will have to apply for a new driver license, pay the original fee and take tests if your license has been expired for more than a year.

You need to:

Fill out the application;
Take it to a DMV office;
Show proof of physical address and identity;
Pass a vision test if you are 50 or older;
Pay the $40 renewal fee; and
Get your picture taken.
After you meet all the requirements:

You will get an interim card to use as proof of valid driving privileges.
The Post Office will not forward a driver license. Use your current mailing address on the application

[Jim]

@Tequila: Like most states, Oregon has a complex procedure for renewing while out of country, definitely not by phone, and I don't qualify for several reasons related to my pretty much constant travel. My DL even has a line under my name that says 'Continuous Traveler'.

@Pianotuna: What has AAA got to do with renewals of drivers licenses? I'd be curious to know.

[pianotuna]

Join AAA and renew the license. I'd not be driving in a foreign country unlicensed. In my Jurisdiction no license = no insurance. Too risky for me.

[Tequila]

good question, I doubt they will notice even if you do get pulled over. If its posisble see if you can renew it over the phone or get a temp by mail and have a freind send it via DHL which is reliable in Mexico