By the San Miguel Midday Rotary Club
The San Miguel de Allende Midday Rotary club was blessed to host Consul General, Scott Renner, and our local Consular Agent, Erika Montes, for a happy hour question-and-answer session on Thursday night. Among the services consulates provide for their citizens are passport renewals, birth certificates, and visa issuances. They also ensure Americans get their Social Security and disability benefits while abroad, visit with the more than 1,000 Americans being held in Mexican prisons, and work to recover abducted children. Renner has worked for the United States in a slew of countries including Nigeria, Chile, Poland, Bogota, Haiti, and Canada. He helped Americans leave China when COVID-19 was starting, and then helped them leave Afghanistan when America pulled the troops out. Needless to say, he’s got a lot of stories!
When pressed for the one thing he’d like Americans to know, he said, “Passports and visas need not approach their expiration date before you renew them.” Since COVID-19, the backlogs have been long and he suggests starting the process as far as two years before the expiration date. If an emergency passport is needed by far the fastest way to obtain one is in person in Mexico City.
Renner said that firearm possession is the number two reason Americans get incarcerated (drugs is number one) and reminds us that it’s our responsibility to be aware of local laws. The consulate does not get you out of jail. Instead, they do their best to get you your prescriptions while you’re behind bars. He suggests registering with the consulate, which can be done through their website. By registering, you’re letting them know to look for you in the event of a natural disaster. It also facilitates their contacting you if, for example, an American family member is having trouble making contact.
Part of the consulate’s job is protecting you from scams. So, if you get an email that looks suspect, call them up and ask if it’s legitimate. If it is legitimate, you’ll be glad you called! The embassy is manned 24-hours every day, 365 days per year, so if you call, someone’s going to pick up.
