In Mexico City, preparing a driver's license to drive a car is very easy. To do this, you do not need to pass a theoretical or practical exam and you do not need to have a license issued in another country. Licenses are issued daily and are valid for 3 years.
(As of November 2024, it is possible to obtain a permanent driving license in Mexico City. If you do not have a provisional driving license issued in Mexico City, you will have to take a driving theory test)
Papers
No special paperwork is required to obtain a license. Prepare:
- Mexican resident card, temporary or permanent,
- Passport (not necessary, but just in case),
- Mexico City Home Address Proof — government utility bill not older than three months. Ask your landlord or neighbors for an invoice.
Later, add a receipt for payment of the fee for obtaining a license. One paper photocopy is required of each document.
To acquire a valid driver's license for the first time in Mexico City, a resident does not need to have a foreign driver's license or pass exams in driving theory and practice.
Where to buy
Select one of the modules of the Metropolitan Transport Secretariat for issuing licensesHere. There are stationary modules, and there are mobile ones, or rather, located in mobile kiosks. Choose Módulos Fijos (the first four on the list), which are open daily from Monday to Sunday from 9:00 to 21:00. Mobile modules (Módulos Móviles) operate on weekdays from 9:00 to 18:00, and you will not always be able to find services near them, say, if you need to make photocopies of documents. Modules at city halls (Módulos en Alcaldías) almost always require an appointment to attend, and opening hours must be determined individually — usually on weekdays from 9:00 to lunch.
Although the Transport Secretariat advises that you pre-register for any of the modules, it is not necessary to do so. In large modules there are almost no queues, and if there are, they are small. If you want to make an appointment in advance, you can make an appointment hereaddress. To register, you need your CURP (on the front of your resident card) and proof of home address.
Get your license
Go to your chosen module and tell the information desk that you need a driver's license (Licencia de conducir). They will ask you a couple of questions to make sure that you are not renewing your license, but getting it for the first time, and then they will do everything for you.
Your documents will be checked. You will be asked to sign an authorization statement confirming that the information you have provided is correct. In addition, you will be issued a receipt for payment of the state duty.Driving license type A for driving a car with a validity period of 3 years costs 1049 MXN(2024).
From November 2023, a Type A driving license no longer entitles you to drive a motorcycle. To have this right, you must acquire a driver's license type A1 (driving a motorcycle only, costs 525 MXN) or A2 (driving a car + motorcycle, costs 1049 MXN). In order to acquire a driving license type A1 or A2, you must pass:
- physical and mechanical inspection of the condition of the motorcycle,
- checking helmet and protective equipment,
- testing theoretical knowledge of motorcycle driving,
- test of motorcycle driving skills.
All these checks in Mexico City are carried out by CONOCER certified centers, their contacts can be foundHere(Centros evaluadores block). Based on the results of the verification, a certificate is issued, which will cost 460 MXN and has no validity period. This is required when obtaining a driver's license.
In large modules, you can pay here, in special terminals, in cash or by credit card. If you get a license in a mobile module, it is better to pay in advance using thislink. But with this payment method you will need to provide your RFC tax number.
In the central modules, after payment, you will be given a ticket with a number and asked to wait. When it’s your turn, go to the designated window with all the papers and the payment receipt.
You will be asked to provide contact information and asked questions about your vision and blood type. It is not necessary to know your blood type, then it will not be indicated on your license. They will then be asked to sign another set of papers that they have just printed out. You will be photographed, fingerprinted and a sample signature taken on an electronic tablet. Then they ask you to wait again.
After some time, you will be given your rights, and you are obliged to immediately check the accuracy of the personal data specified in them. If you find an error, request a replacement right here. Later it will not be possible to replace the rights, but only to prepare new ones again.
You are able to exchange the received temporary (with a validity period) rights for permanent (unlimited). We told you how to do thisHere.
We are ready to help you create a Mexican permanent driver's license.
From the following publications you will learn how to obtain a driver's license in other cities in Mexico: inCancunAndPlaya del Carmen.