Presumably to celebrate the Fourth of July, personnel from the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara hosted an information-laden online presentation geared to U.S. citizens in Jalisco and environs.
The 1 1/2-hour Zoom-style event kicked off Wednesday morning with plentiful Covid vaccination information, even though strictly speaking, medicine and health are not among the consulate’s usual focal areas, although emergencies are.
One-by-one about ten staffers took to the podium, often answering questions submitted in advance by the participants who looked on. Apparently Covid is uppermost in the minds of U.S. citizens, and consulate staff seem to be following vaccinations in detail. They quickly presented an almost dizzying array of progress reports and advice that applied specifically to U.S. citizens in this part of Mexico.
A staffer explained the availability of Johnson & Johnson shots (only in border states) as well as Pfizer (tens of thousands of doses have arrived; more coming), adding that additional U.S.-donated vaccines are not expected, but many more privately contracted doses are. He underscored the easy availability of vaccinations in the United States for those able to travel there, adding that vaccination progress stateside is “light years” ahead of Mexico, and that U.S. tourists in Mexico are not eligible for Covid vaccination here.
The staffer advised U.S. citizen-residents desiring vaccination in Mexico, especially a second one, to “check in proactively” on the federal (mivacuna.salud.gob.mx) or state (vacunacion.jalisco.gob.mx) sites, rather than waiting to be notified. He said that U.S. officials here are not able to coordinate vaccinations for citizens living locally.
Staffers noted that a date for “normalization” of the land border crossings between the United States and Mexico is still unknown. Likewise, no resumption date for staff visits to the Lake Chapala area has been decided. However, the opening of the large, new consulate under construction in Guadalajara’s Colonia Terrazas Monraz is anticipated for early 2023.
A security expert explained that theft of car parts is perhaps the major criminal act suffered by U.S. citizens here among the panoply of crime risks. A novel misdeed that is occurring, she added, is “virtual kidnapping,” in which a relative of a local U.S. citizen is telephoned and told the citizen has been kidnapped (complete with background sound effects) and to send ransom money. The expert said she does not use her real name on Facebook and does not give her name or any information to callers—just hangs up.
She also advised people to use Ubers rather than hail taxis on the street New York style, to use toll highways when driving long distances, and not to travel at night.
Crime trends noted were that crime is generally high, but murders are down 12 percent in Guadalajara, probably because of the pandemic. Exceptional security reports on various subjects are available online through the public-private Overseas Security Advisory Council (osac.gov). (Click on OSAC Analysis and refine your search with “Mexico.”)
Regarding foreigners in Mexico with expired tourist visas, a staffer said that repercussions such as deportations are increasing. She added that foreigners in Mexico are always supposed to carry their passport or resident card, acknowledging that some, aware of the danger of losing valuable documents, carry a photocopy.
As for visa applications for Mexicans, a staffer explained that only work and student visas are handled in Guadalajara and that, although the consulate closed in March, 2020, except for emergencies, visa services have begun and demand is surging. She noted that thousands of visas have been processed since the start of the pandemic.
The news on passports was abundant, starting with a relatively new walk-in service, for those who qualify, to renew passports without appointments. Hours for this service in Guadalajara are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and in Puerto Vallarta Mondays through Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., except for holidays. For more details, search for “passport walk-in renewals” at the site of the U.S. Consulate General Guadalajara. Three to four weeks is the normal time period required for renewing a passport; four or five weeks in Puerto Vallarta.
A tip for parents renewing passports for children was to keep photos of the child to show their progression through time as they get older. It was also noted that passport renewals can be done early; it is not necessary to wait until the last minute.
A staffer explained that U.S. citizens, under a rule designed during the pandemic, are allowed to travel back home with expired passports, if the airline accepts it.
As for emergency passports, a staffer noted that, while attending weddings and baseball games are not considered emergencies, medical matters are. They cautioned, however, against coming to the consulate without an appointment for emergency passports, but said to begin instead with the online contact form to make an appointment.
Staffers also noted that since the pandemic, more private notarial services are offered online, while this service at the consulate costs $US50 per signature. Staffers in the Federal Benefits Unit revealed that 100,000 people residing in Mexico are receiving U.S. Social Security benefits.