Lost Driver License in Mexico
 

Canadian here on a journey to Panama aboard a KLR650. My question to the group is can I ride without a drivers license in Central America and not experience any major hassles?

I was recently robbed of all my important items in Mexico City last week. All I have is a passport and debit card. My thoughts were to continue riding without any License and have a note (in Spanish) explaining I was robbed ect.. and providing the details of my Canadian license (that I know) in case I get stopped by the police.... I can assume if I get stopped by the police like this a bribe will be expected which I am happy to pay (im expecting 500 pesos).


I would like to get everyone's thoughts and suggestions on this. I do have a drivers license, just not on me at the moment.

I will be getting a temporary license in the mail in approximately 4 weeks time sent to my Canadian address. This temporary license is on a piece of paper which will be scanned and sent to me... Keep in mind I will get this legal paper in 4-5 weeks from now...

in nicaragua your vehicle will be impounded if you are stopped without a license. i also doubt they will accept a non-photo license, especially a scanned version

You're making a strong case for reporting a driver's license lost and receiving a duplicate before leaving on a trip. Not that you or I would ever consider such a thing. Just don't confuse the two and present the "lost" one to law enforcement in your home country.

Mark

Yes Mark. Truly amazing how many overlanders misplace their license just before heading off.

Been itching for someone to keep it for ransom so I could just drive off but hasn't happened so far. I also had some good photocopies made and laminated and they were accepted most times

i cant speak for other US states, but florida makes it dead simple to have multiple legitimate originals of your DL. all one has to do is go online and order a 2nd or even 3rd. only the issue date changes, # and exp date remain. also works when you move.



i keep my old address license in my truck in nicaragua with the reg and insurance card. my current DL stays in my wallet.


anyway, i wish the OP luck. maybe it would be worth a quick flight home to get a new legit license.

I've heard that before, a quick flight home ill be dropping a good $1,000. not to mention bike storage and additional expenses, time is also sensitive aswell.

But this time you'll be making copies - laminate them.
And keep a backup on the web somewhere.
And store a photo of them on your phone/camera.

Same with your passport, c cardS (you should have more than 1 c card - from different banks).

This could save you $1,000 ... or more.

I don't know if the Canadian Consular services might be of any help but it won't hurt asking them. . It seems you might be stuck in Mexico until you get a replacement . If this robbery happened last week in Cd Mexico , where are you now and how did you already arrange for the replacement license to be sent to your home ?
This is just speculation , but consular services are supposed to help their nationals with problems .
Check with the Canadian embassy in Cd Mexico , maybe they can speed up the replacing formalities and get the new piece of plastic , not just a paper facsimile , shipped using their diplomatic mail . I know a DL is not a passport , but it is a form of provincial government document .

ok smart guy. keep on with your trip through central america without a valid license. just be sure to tell us how much more than $1000 it costs you when your bike gets impounded and they refuse to give it back to you until you show them a valid license.


perhaps you need to be told: central america is an "anything can happen" place. one cop may warn you while the next guy handcuffs you. nicaragua right now, is NOT the place to be screwing around. the cops have become quite the murderous bunch and have ZERO patience for anyone.


a good friend of mine used to tell his kids, "ok wise guy. just remember, hard head makes a soft ass!"

I had my wallet stolen while living in Mexico, including my drivers licence. Yes, it was a royal pain. There was no way I could get a new one issued without showing up at the motor vehicles branch in BC in person, so I ended up flying back on my next holiday and getting a replacement licence.

I had a color photocopy laminated, and kept that in my wallet from then on and kept the legit licence hidden away. I only ever had to show the photocopy once or twice, and I never had any problems with it being a copy.

Sorry about your hassle.

You won't be able to cross borders in Central America without your license. And you're probably going to have troubles with your temporary license.

Sorry to say mate: you need your license.
Your problem is not if you can ride without a license, it's rather how to get a duplicate as quick as possible

I was going to ask if you had made copies of your travel documents. Passport, license, credit cards, etc. Because if you had, it's possible you could have a copy printed and laminated in-country before you cross the next border.

I traveled throughout Mexico and Central America on a laminated copy of my drivers license for several months in 2007. I kept several copies on hand, and my original license was kept under the seat of my motorcycle. Technology might be a little different now, but nobody ever questioned my license.

But... I did want to ask the details of the robbery. I'm planning to head to Mexico in a few months, so it would be nice to know what happened, and how it might be avoided in the future.

Good luck on your travels.

Jamie

Yeah , I also would be interested in hearing those details , but more importantly how KEVIN resolved his problem and how the rest of that ride in 2019 turned out .
Kevin , are you still out there? Unfortunately Kevin has not given a peep here on HU since that last post of January 2019 , and only five posts before that in 2018 . Those five posts were asking some basic questions about e. g insurance , documents ,etc . for the countries Kevin was planning to ride through, but he did not respond in any way to the suggestions either , so maybe none of the advice “ took” .
How about it Kevin , are you still a rider ?

Oops! Got me on the date. I don't usually miss that.

Yes - it would be good to hear from Kevin and find out how he dealt with his dilemma.

No shame in that Jamie , I get caught by that detail now and then too. Things are kind of slow on this forum these days because of the scarcity of travel in covid 19 times.

But you do bring up an interesting feature that happens too often here when some person with a pressing question pops up on HU , asks for help , gets a few replies and then is never heard from again :
—No later response to give us some detail on what was eventually accomplished or how the problem was resolved, or not.
—No thank-you and no expanded information that might help other travellers in future to avoid making the same mistakes or give aid if faced with the same problem.

Maybe they do that out of plain forgetfulness or maybe they are ashamed for having to admit that they made silly, dumb choices that led to the problem they had . Or maybe they are resentful because they did not get the answer they wanted for instant resolution of their issue.

If one posted a question ,whether unique or common, it would be considerate to at least give a final summation of how the HU answers helped or proved useless and how one eventually resolved the problem , or dealt with the consequences. Let others learn from your errors or possibly from ours in any off the mark advice we might have given but with good intention .

It's also up to ALL OF US regulars here to be very welcoming, help the newbies out, make them WANT to come back, and when responding say something like

"please let us know what happened or how it worked out in the end to help other travellers like yourself in similar situations"

thanks for all the caring and helping you all do!

I have a routine before each trip, scan my passport (first and last pages), motorcycle title, credit cards, registration, license, and email them to myself or post to Google Drive. I also save the scans to a USB drive. In the event the originals are lost, I have something to show to officials. I haven't needed to use the scans but sleep better knowing I have them.

the late reply!
 

Sorry for the late reply. Its been 2 years and your all probably worried sick thinking ive got murdered!

Im safe and back home... as for an update on the I.D. that was stolen, I contacted service Ontario and they sent another copy. This unfortunately took 4 weeks, as my first application for a new I.D. was completed incorrectly (i found this out after waiting for 2 weeks) so I had to wait another 2 weeks and they sent the drivers license to my Ontario address and then my family had to mail it down to Mexico. I was also issued a new Debit card from my bank... I received this after 1 week.

The funny thing about these mishaps is the new experiences you make because of this. For example I had a tinder date I kept in touch with in CDMX, after this happened she took me in, I lived with her for those 4 weeks, we made some crazzy memories and went on some amazing adventures. Spending those 4 weeks with her was a major highlight of the trip, if i didnt get robbed by thugs I never would have made those memories..

Funny how life works sometimes!

P.S. I made it as far as El Salvador and had to turn around,, maybe next year Argentina..

P.P.S. sorry to keep everyone waiting for this, I will be more accessible in the future... I usually get reminders of messages on my phone but that was stolen aswell lol

Kevin, glad to hear it all worked out -and welcome back to HU!

Sometimes a little detour is a good thing, or at least an experience :)

very glad it finally worked out...and to know that tinder worked as well!beer

I forgot to mention if this happens to anyone else. My 2 options were to request a new I.D. which can take anywhere from 3-5 weeks or fly home and get a new one on the spot. I heard of this happening to another traveller, however he had a friend back home who looked very similar to him... his friend went to service Ontario pretending to be him, got the license on the spot and mailed it to him the next day.... I wouldn't advise this route but its still an option :)