By Elizabeth Adlung
Who can you, as a US expat, call if you need help? If bad things happen while you are in Mexico, for example, you lose your passport, lose your money, are arrested, are a victim of crime, call the San Miguel de Allende US Consular Agency! Their primary purpose is to assist American citizens who travel to or live in Mexico.
The Midday Rotary Club welcomes Erika Montes Ruiz, an official representative of the San Miguel US Consular Agency, who will discuss the following topics:
- Routine and emergency services at the Consular Agency
- Passport renewal by mail at the US Embassy in Mexico City
- COVID travel restrictions to the US
Regarding immigration processes, Montes Ruiz says, “Immigration authorities have advised us that it is better for US citizens to go directly to their local office in person to obtain information and avoid the use of intermediaries.”
The services offered at the Consular Agency include the following:
- Passport processing (first time applicants and renewals)
- Notarial Services for documents that will be used in the US
- Special Citizen Services—assist US citizens who are destitute, or detained and arrested, victims of crime, and processing of Consular Reports of Death Abroad (CRODA)
Direct Contact: https://mx.usembassy.gov/contact/#agencies or send inquiries to ConAgencySanMiguel@state.gov.
As an official representative of the United States Government, Montes Ruiz serves the US expat community by protecting the interests of citizens temporarily or permanently residing in Mexico. She began working at the Consular Agency in July 2019. She previously worked in the US Embassy Consular Section. At the Embassy, she worked in the Passport and Special Citizens Services subunits. Originally from Chiapas, Mexico, she became naturalized as a US citizen in July 2012 and lived in the Pacific Northwest of the United States for 10 years.
Join us this Tuesday, November 23, at 9:30am to welcome her and to learn more about the San Miguel US Consular Agency. To attend, go to the Midday Rotary Club website at www.rotarysmamidday.org and sign up. You’ll receive an email with instructions on being a part of this week’s meeting. You can also attend the meeting live at the Hotel Real de Minas.
Rotary is where neighbors, friends and problem-solvers share ideas, and take action to create lasting change. For more information, contact President Skip Essick at skipessickmedia@gmail.com
