Registering The Car

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!

WHAT A PROCESS!!

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I HATE long detailed blog entries. However, this is NOT a short process.

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Our car is used. A 2010. So maybe a new car is easier.

We got the car through Santiago so he had already gotten much of the paperwork done. He already had:

1. The purchase/sales contract (and copies) with multiple signatures. It is a 2 page contract.

2. Original and color copies of the Matricula (title/license) for the previous owner.

3. Color copies of the prior owner’s Cedulas (kind of a national ID card)

4. Original and color copies of the SOAT (proof of liability insurance).

5. Color copies of Brenda and my Cedulas

So, armed with the above, off we go:

1. SRI office. Some kind of taxing place where they determine the tax we must pay. Wait for 1 1/2 to 2 hours and then see ‘the kid’. The kid looks about 15 years old. Seems to be wearing his dad’s or older brother’s suit. In about 5 minutes, he tells me that I will owe about $1000 in taxes and that I need to wait an hour or two and go to a bank and pay it. Can’t pay it there. Remember the kid, because he screwed up and we will have to get back to fixing this.

2. Go to bank, tell them what I have to do and like magic we are $1000 poorer but I have 2 very pretty pieces of paper to be added to the things above.

3. Waiting a few days here because Brennie and I are in the process of signing up for driving school.

4. Back to registering the car. Go to transit dept and find the right line. The first window we go to is actually a exterior window in one of the old buildings. The officials are inside and the customers are outside. Luckily it is not raining. Hand them all the papers and they look at them and make some marks on them add some more signatures and stamps and send us down the street with something written on a scrap of paper ....... yeah, literally a scrap. We were in that line about 30 to 45 minutes.

5. Go down the street with the scrap of paper. Stand in line and pay ..... I forget. Maybe $20 and get another official piece of paper.

6. Go to another building couple blocks in the other direction (the window is in a parking lot) where they check to see if the car has any tickets or other claims against it owing to the state. This paper is only good for 3 days and it is Thursday. All govt office are closed Friday (Good Friday) so the paper will be no good by the time we need it on Monday.

7. So we go to the neighboring town where a physical inspection is made of the car. it is actually pretty cool, They seem to check exhaust, lights, brakes, VIN, etc. This is the place that would be impossible to find if you didn’t know where it was. Luckily Santiago did. Anyway, pay them $40 and get 2 more pieces of official paper. Total time there is about 2 hours.

8. Following the Easter Holiday, I go back to the window in #6 above and get another official piece of paper. The car doesn’t owe any fines to the govt. Good. This costs nothing. By the way, by this time I am carrying my Ipad with me so that I can read while I stand in line.

9. & 10. Then to another window in another building to have another fee assessed. The guy looks at all the papers and my Cedula, signs, stamps, makes checkmarks on my paprers and sends me to yet another window (different building) to pay the $50. They give me yet another piece of official paper. ...... signed, stamped, etc.

11. Finally, I should have all the papers and stamps, so I meet up with Santiago and we go back to the Transit Dept to get the Matricula (title or license). We stand in line about 45 - 60 minutes and get to the window with many papers. All signed, stamped, initialed, etc. The gal finds an error and sends us to another window.

12. We go to the window (stand in line) to find out that the kid that assessed in #1 above and that I paid in #2 above screwed up. He had me pay an additional fee of about $50 that I didn’t have to. We said “No problem. Keep it.” Unfortunately, they can’t do that.

13. Instead, we have to write a letter requesting the money be transferred back to my bank a/c. This letter must include multiple pieces of info and be accompanied by a form from my bank along with a couple other forms.

14. Santiago heads back to his office to have the secretary start the letter and I go to the bank for yet another form.

15. Two days later I collect the letter and accompanying docs from Santiago’s secretary, go back to Transito Dept and go stand in the ‘Edaunancion’ (or something) line again.

16. The gal tells me that I need a copy of the letter. So out to the copy stand and back to the gal. She looks over all the docs again. Stamps and signs the letter and the copy. Keeps the original letter and accompanying 5 pages of docs. She adds the stamped and signed copy to the sheaf of paper I am hustling around with me.

17. She tells me to go to the ‘Matricula line. That is either window #5 or 6. They are labelled.

18. I am not crazy about this because this is the same line as in step 11 from 2 days ago. After about 5 minutes, someone else in line tells me I should be at window (‘window’ is spelled L-I-N-E) #9.

19. So I go to #9. When it is my turn, the guy examines every piece of paper that I have now collected, had signed, stamped and verified. There are about 15 of them. No kidding! He signs some of them, stamps some of them and puts more check marks on most of them. AND HE KEEPS THEM ALL. He tells me to go to line #5 again.....empty handed. Line 5 was last seen in steps 11, 17 &18.

20. So I return to line #5 empty handed and nervous. When it is finally my turn to see the gal in window 5 (again), she asks my name and verifies my address, etc. She prints out two pieces of paper, asks me for $40 and sends me to window 10.

21. The gal in window 10 stamps and signs the papers that I got in step 20. Returns the 2 sheets of paper to me and tells me to return in 45 days for the Matricula.

HOLY SH*T!!

I THINK IT IS DONE

A COUPLE NOTES:

1. None of the above is exaggerated. The truth is astounding enough without having to exaggerate.

2. What I didn’t mention is that at most of the steps above, the official, examined and made checkmarks on most of the previous docs. Often this included an additional stamp accompanied by his/her signature.

Life is sweet,

Clarke