Ask the U.S. Consul

First of all, I would like to thank Yucatan Today for giving us this forum to communicate with American citizens resident in the Yucatan. It is always better to get your information from the source. Please write in with questions about how the Consulate works and what we do here.

The American Consulate in Merida is the representative of the U.S. Government in the Southeast of Mexico and has had a U.S. presence in the Yucatan Peninsula for over 100 years. The current Consulate staff is composed of five American officers from the U.S. Department of State, an office of the Department of Justice, and 17 locally-hired employees. We have Consular Agencies in Cancun and Cozumel that report to us. We cover the states of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo. We interview applicants for non-immigrant visas from these three states and the state of Tabasco. Our highest duty is to serve and protect US citizens living and traveling abroad.

We are the "go-to" office for American citizens needing passports or to register and document newborn children; we can help you register to vote, give you tax forms (when we have the CD-ROM), and notarize your documents for the U.S.; we can provide names of attorneys, and we visit American citizens who have run afoul of the law; if you become ill, we can give you suggestions of doctors (although we can't make specific recommendations) and we can contact relatives in the States; if you are destitute and wish to return to the US, we can help repatriate you; if an American citizen should die here, we can help the family repatriate the remains to the US or assist with making funeral arrangements here. There are fees involved for some services, such as passports or notarizations, but most of our assistance is rendered free of charge. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for emergency services.

While we like to think of ourselves as a good resource on living and working in the Yucatan, and have a vast amount of information available to give to you, there are a number of things that we can't do. We are guests in this country, too, just as you are, and consequently, there are limitations on how we can help. We cannot act as your bank, your lawyer or your mother. Should you find yourself in a fiscal jam, we can only make calls on your behalf to kindly relatives or friends in the States. We can act as a clearinghouse for monies sent to you, but we cannot loan you money. Should you be arrested, we cannot intervene and spring you from jail.

We will visit you, provide vitamins, reading material and a list of attorneys for you to contact, follow your case to be sure that you are being treated fairly under Mexican law, and protest any mistreatment that you might receive, but that is all.

US Consulte in the city of Merida

We do not intervene in business disputes, even if we think that you are in the right. We are happy to provide advice on what we think you should do, however.

Over the course of the next few months, we will be providing information on participating in the U.S. Census, on registering to vote in the upcoming Presidential elections (it is never too early to register), and on any other topics that affect Americans living here.

If you have questions, please send them to consularmerida@state.gov and I will try to answer them. I look forward to meeting many of you over the course of the next three years.

For Consulate Addresses, go to our Consulate page.

For more information, read our Ask the Consul articles on these subjects
New address for the U.S. Consulate! 
Greetings from the U.S. Consulate! 
US Consul Farewell
Voting in Midterm Elections
Visas for Mexicans to visit the US
Avian Flu
Federal Benefits Unit
Sister Cities: New Orleans & Merida
Social Security
Renewing Passports
Crime Prevention
Apostilles: How to legalize documents
Dual Citizenship
US Voting Procedures
Permanent Residence in the US
Voting FAQs

Address & Info
Calle 60, No 338K x 29 y 31
Colonia Alcala Martin
Merida, Yucatan, Mexico  97050
Tel: (999) 942 5700
Fax: (999) 942 5759
Email: ConsularMerida@state.gov

Events & Activities Calendar
Click Here for a complete description of the activites, events and attractions in the Yucatan.