# US Consular Office Closing in SLP



## BryansRose (May 25, 2009)

I've heard through other norteamericanos that the Consular Office here in San Luis Potosi, with Consular Agent Debbie Escobar, will be closing. I don't know when. I've also heard that a meeting is being organized by US citizens to protest the shutdown. Sorry, don't know where or when, but I doubt it will make much difference. So many US citizens have left that it's most likely not worth it to keep the office open. 

From now on, we will have to go to DF, Monterrey, or San Miguel de Allende. Long way to travel just to have a paper notarized. I guess we got spoiled here. 

Just wanted to pass on the news. Maybe someone has more details. If I have a chance to call around and get more details, I will (sorry, I'm awfully sick right now).


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

BryansRose said:


> I've heard through other norteamericanos that the Consular Office here in San Luis Potosi, with Consular Agent Debbie Escobar, will be closing. I don't know when. I've also heard that a meeting is being organized by US citizens to protest the shutdown. Sorry, don't know where or when, but I doubt it will make much difference. So many US citizens have left that it's most likely not worth it to keep the office open.
> 
> From now on, we will have to go to DF, Monterrey, or San Miguel de Allende. Long way to travel just to have a paper notarized. I guess we got spoiled here.
> 
> Just wanted to pass on the news. Maybe someone has more details. If I have a chance to call around and get more details, I will (sorry, I'm awfully sick right now).


Was the decision based on the decrease in US citizens living there, or a cost cutting measure resulting from sequestration? Maybe some of both, I suppose. Curiously, they don't say anything about the closure on the web site page for SLP. Is it possible that it is just being considered but not decided yet?

Consular Agency San Luis Potosi | Consulate General of the United States Monterrey, Mexico


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## BryansRose (May 25, 2009)

I missed last Thursday's coffee time with the "group", and one of the norteamericanas in the group told everyone about it. She's usually quite in-the-know. One of the other members of the group called me to give me the news. So I really don't have any details, as I said. I was hoping someone else might have heard more. If I'm up to it tomorrow, I'll call around and see what more I can find out.


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## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

I read that the U.S. Consular Agency in Ixtapa, Guerrero is/has closed.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

If someone is interested in learning the facts, just call the Consular Agent's office directly and ask the question. While the chat around the coffee table may be accurate, so very often such comments are mere speculation and passing of gossip which is inaccurate.


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## BryansRose (May 25, 2009)

I called the Consular Office this morning, and their last day open for business is August 29th. The closest office to SLP now will be San Miguel de Allende. The reason they were given for th closing was "restructuring". 

The office is emailing me over their official information sheet, and I'll post any further info when I get it.


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## tepetapan (Sep 30, 2010)

How often does a person need the services of a Consular Office? What services do they offer exPats on a weekly or monthly basis that is important in life?


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## BryansRose (May 25, 2009)

-The Consular Agent is a US Notary Public, so I've used her to notarize legal documents that had to be sent to the States. 
-Passports could be renewed there. 
-I carried the agent's card in my purse. If I ended up getting arrested, or had some sort of trouble, I could call her and she would assist in any way possible. She was always on call. 
-You can register at the office (which I never got around to doing) with your contact info in the US in case anything every happened to you. 

Those are the ones I know of. Other may be able to add to the list.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Insight into what one Consular Agent does, in San Miguel de Allende:

Consular Agent in San Miguel de Allende | United States Virtual Presence Post El Bajio, Mexico


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## BryansRose (May 25, 2009)

Thanks, I bookmarked the page. I'll be needing to renew my passport next year. I've never been to San Miguel de Allende, so I can make a bit of a vacation out of it.


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## tepetapan (Sep 30, 2010)

I have read the information in the past and reviewed it again today. In my opinion Consular Agencies, as the office the OP refereed to is such as according the the Embassy web page, are a total waste of US government funds with the one exception of Cabo San Lucas due to the distance involved.
There are nine Consulates in Mexico, besides the Embassy. Check out the location of the Agents, 10 out of 12 are located in vacation wonderlands. A pretty sweet gig if you can land it or donate to the right party come election time.


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## BryansRose (May 25, 2009)

Sometimes it's a matter of thinking something's a waste of time or money, until one day you need it. I've been very happy not to have had to travel hundreds of miles, at considerable cost, to get legal documents notarized. I've used this service several times. 

Perhaps the offices are located in "vacation wonderlands" because many US tourists visit these places, and can get into difficulties where they need consular assistance (lost passports, legal issues, etc. ). There are over 1,000,000 Us citizens living in Mexico, and millions more travel here as tourists. To me, the offices are justified. Other opinions may vary.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

BryansRose said:


> Sometimes it's a matter of thinking something's a waste of time or money, until one day you need it. I've been very happy not to have had to travel hundreds of miles, at considerable cost, to get legal documents notarized. I've used this service several times.
> 
> Perhaps the offices are located in "vacation wonderlands" because many US tourists visit these places, and can get into difficulties where they need consular assistance (lost passports, legal issues, etc. ). There are over 1,000,000 Us citizens living in Mexico, and millions more travel here as tourists. To me, the offices are justified. Other opinions may vary.


When my passport was stolen last month, on a day when I had planned to go the US, I was very glad that I live near a US Consulate. I was able to get a new temporary passport in 24 hours. But the US State Department cannot have a Consulate or Consular Agency everywhere; they have to make choices. 

Incidentally, that figure of 1 million US citizens living in Mexico can be misleading. Awhile ago I looked at the numbers from the last census in 2010. Most of those US citizens are children with strong ties to Mexico. They are not primarily retired expats. However, they still need consular services. When I went to the consulate to get a temporary passport, I stood in line with a lot of other people waiting for US passport services. All of them except me, looked Mexican. The adjacent line was for people applying for US Social Security. Everyone in that line looked Mexican as well. It is getting pretty hard to distinguish and categorize people.


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## BryansRose (May 25, 2009)

I got this from the Consular Office. Click to make larger. 


View attachment Con Ag Office Closing 2.pdf


View attachment ConAg Office Closing (1).pdf


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## tepetapan (Sep 30, 2010)

I guess my feelings are that I have always had an 8 hour trip by car to the embassy, not that I have ever needed their services. I mean, a passport is good for 10 years and how many documents do you need notarized per decade?
Pretty much a complete waste of US taxpayers money in the long run.


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## HolyMole (Jan 3, 2009)

Anonimo said:


> I read that the U.S. Consular Agency in Ixtapa, Guerrero is/has closed.


Yes, the Ixtapa office has already closed.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

BryansRose said:


> I've heard through other norteamericanos that the Consular Office here in San Luis Potosi, with Consular Agent Debbie Escobar, will be closing. I don't know when. I've also heard that a meeting is being organized by US citizens to protest the shutdown. Sorry, don't know where or when, but I doubt it will make much difference. So many US citizens have left that it's most likely not worth it to keep the office open.
> 
> From now on, we will have to go to DF, Monterrey, or San Miguel de Allende. Long way to travel just to have a paper notarized. I guess we got spoiled here.
> 
> Just wanted to pass on the news. Maybe someone has more details. If I have a chance to call around and get more details, I will (sorry, I'm awfully sick right now).


The meeting is tonight at 7PM at the Westin Hotel in SLP. I might go if my friend will go. He called and is going.


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