Semovi Halts License Services Nov. 14-17, Days Before E-Scooter Deadline

Mexico City’s Secretaría de Movilidad (Semovi, the city’s mobility ministry) has stopped issuing driver’s licenses and handling vehicle paperwork from Saturday, Nov. 14, through Tuesday, Nov. 17. Service is scheduled to restart on Wednesday, Nov. 18, if the work finishes on time, according to Infobae.

The pause lands in the final week before the Nov. 20 deadline to register certain electric scooters, e-bikes and mopeds with Semovi. That leaves owners who still have to finish the process two days once the offices reopen.

Why the offices are closed

Semovi said the shutdown is due to repairs to the electrical system at its headquarters on avenida Álvaro Obregón 269 in colonia Roma, in the Cuauhtémoc borough. The work affects the systems that every license and vehicle control module relies on, so the closure covers the whole network of offices, not one building.

The suspended services include new driver’s licenses, renewals and replacements, plus the permanent type A license. Vehicle registrations and deregistrations, changes of owner or address and renewals of the tarjeta de circulación (vehicle circulation card) are also on hold. People with appointments on those dates are told to check Semovi’s instructions to rebook.

The online side is affected as well. Infobae reported that on the morning of Nov. 14 the electric vehicle registration portal returned a connection timeout error, and Semovi had not ruled out problems with its digital systems during the repairs.

What it means for e-scooter and e-bike owners

Registration is mandatory only for some vehicles. The rules depend on motor power, top speed, weight and whether the vehicle has a separate throttle.

• A Vehículo Motorizado Eléctrico Personal (VEMEPE, a personal motorized electric vehicle) has two or more wheels, its own throttle, a speed above 25 kilometers per hour and a motor between 250 watts and one kilowatt.
• A Vehículo Eléctrico Personal (VEP, a personal electric vehicle) has a motor under 250 watts, a top speed of 25 kilometers per hour and no separate throttle.

VEMEPEs are split by weight. Type A covers vehicles under 35 kilograms and type B covers those from 35 to 350 kilograms. Riders need a type A1 license for type A and a type A2 license for type B.

From Nov. 21, vehicles that should be registered and lack the paperwork can be fined, according to an official Semovi poster cited by Infobae.

What registration costs

VEP registration is free, and owners get the Distintivo de Movilidad Eléctrica (DME, an electric mobility badge made of two stickers) plus proof of enrollment in Semovi’s registry. VEMEPE owners receive a metal license plate, a digital circulation card and the DME.

According to Semovi’s head, VEMEPE plates now cost 355 pesos, down from the original 709 pesos charged for regular motorcycles. License fees for type A1 and type A2 are the same as for motorcycles.

How the process works

Owners start online in the Sistema de Trámites Vehiculares (the city’s vehicle procedures system), logging in with a Llave CDMX account. Individuals upload:

• a valid photo ID (Mexicans can use an INE, passport or military service card; foreigners can use a passport or temporary or permanent residence card)
• a first-sale invoice or valid carta factura, with the XML file of the CFDI (Mexico’s digital tax invoice)
• Mexico City proof of address no older than 90 days

Owners without an invoice, only a store receipt, can attach a sworn statement of ownership on a Semovi form. Companies register through a separate email process, with documents such as articles of incorporation and a current tax status certificate.

After Semovi approves the file, it emails instructions for payment where a fee applies. The applicant then books a single visit to a Módulo de Control Vehicular, where staff check the original documents and hand over the plate, card or badge. Because the in-person step happens at the same offices now closed, owners who have not finished will have from Nov. 18 until the Nov. 20 deadline, as long as the portal is working again.

Source: Infobae