The Head of Government of Mexico City, Clara Brugada, announced that residents of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area, including residents of municipalities in the State of Mexico, will be able to obtain a permanent driver's license. This procedure will be available to all those who wish to obtain their license, even if they are from other states in the country, as Brugada highlighted.
The permanent driver's license, which was promoted by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador during his term as head of government, will resurge in 2024 with the aim of eliminating periodic renewals for motorists. The idea is for citizens to meet a series of requirements and conditions to obtain this document, which would represent significant economic savings.
The initiative to reform the local Tax Code and allow for the issuance of the permanent driver's license has been submitted to the Mexico City Congress. If the reform is approved, the procedure to obtain the permanent license will be available from November of this year until December 2025, during a trial period that will determine the program's continuity for 2026.
The cost of the permanent license will be 1,500 pesos, and the procedure can be carried out at the modules of the Secretariat of Mobility (SEMOVI) and other locations to be defined, either in-person or online. Requirements have been established, such as having a valid driver's license and not having convictions for offenses related to traffic accidents, among others.
The exam to obtain the permanent license will include questions about mobility regulations and laws, road safety, and transportation. However, those who already have experience as drivers will be able to process the permanent license automatically. It is expected that during the first year of the program, between 800,000 and one million driver's licenses will be issued, aiming to raise between 1.2 and 1.5 billion pesos to fund public transportation and road safety infrastructure projects.
