The US Consulate: Pay The Water Taxi

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The US Consulate: Let Uncle Sam Pay Your Parking Fee or Take the Water Taxi
By Barbara Sands

It may have surprised a number of winter arrivals to discover the US Consulate was no longer on the Plaza in El Centro, but had been moved to Paradise Village. The building that housed the consulate for so many years has been under renovation for some time, so both the US and Canadian consulates were forced to relocate. Canada moved to Plaza Las Glorias early on, but the decision for the new US location was made some time later by a contingent of State Department officials from Mexico City and Guadalajara who spent several days exploring site possibilities and—it should be noted—with a very critical eye on security considerations.

Consular Agent Kelly Trainor explained, with relief, that the move to the current very cramped quarters was but a temporary expedient. The permanent, more commodious facility will be located within Paradise Plaza, the focal shopping center of the Village. The rapidly growing population to the north has also been expanding demands on the once small office, so along with additional personnel, technologically upgraded is expected.

The new plan for travel documents issued on 22 November, 2006 by the US Department of State is headlined "Passports Required for Air Travel to United States as of January 23, 2007." The announcement states that "The Departments of State and homeland Security announced . . . [that] the requirement for citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda to present a passport to enter the United States when arriving by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere will begin on January 23, 2007." It continues saying that the first phase of the plan will require that such citizens "have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer's identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States." Land and sea travel regulations will be published later.

The estimated time for a passport to be issued through the consular office is estimated to be between six and eight weeks, Trainor said, but in view of the new regulation, it is anticipated that applications for passports for those who have been using other forms of document will increase both here and throughout the US. Forewarned may be forearmed. In FY 2006, the Department issued a record 12.1 million passports to US citizens and anticipates issuing 16 million in FY 2007. Information on applying for a passport can be found at travel.state.gov online. The consular office has all required forms, but they can also be filled out and printed on a computer by typing in DS11 in Google or other search engine.

The office is located by the entrance to the yacht club near the water behind the shopping center and is marked with a US Seal and two American flags. Hours at present are 8:30 to 12:30, but a call (222-0069) would be in order. From Vallarta by bus, take a city bus to the bus stop by Sam's Club, then board an ATM bus for Nuevo Vallarta/Plaza Paradise at the stop by VIPs. The Paradise Plaza bus will drop you right at the Plaza which you can then go around or through to the parking lots at the rear where you can ask attendants to point out the building (look left). It has #16 above the door. Driving instructions are the same; just follow directions to Paradise Plaza. Parking is a bit dicey outside, but the office will stamp your parking ticket if you park in the Plaza's facility.

A more daring and fun approach would be to take a water taxi from the pier at Los Muertos which is usually not only a quicker trip (about a half-hour), but drops you practically at the door of the consulate. The round-trip fare from Los Muertos is $18 USD or $10 one-way with taxi or bus in one direction. Jorge Medina, owner and operator of the water taxi (and other tours) says it's always best to reserve and to check on times. There are some trips from Opequimar in front of Westin Regina, but the schedule is not yet firm. The number to call is 221-1863.

Bon Voyage!