Esta publicación también está disponible en: English Español
Renew Passports Online, Vote by Mail, Report Safety Concerns
Photos by Oscar Almeida
A collaborative effort between the U.S. Consular Agency in Nuevo Vallarta and the American Consulate in Guadalajara, a town hall meeting specifically geared towards the LGBTQ+ community was held on September 25, 2024 in Mary Ann’s Ovation Piano Bar at ACT2PV.
The meeting addressed a range of concerns faced by American citizens residing in or visiting the area, with topics spanning safety, passport renewals, voting procedures, and even Social Security benefits.
John Kuriakuz and Jose Luis, from the Guadalajara consulate, and Joseph Busby from the U.S. Consular Agency in Nayarit, addressed safety, passport renewals, voting, and retirement benefits through Social Security for U.S. citizens.
Busby began the presentation with American citizen services. In Mexico, the US government represents U.S. citizens through nine consulates and several consular services.
He announced that to renew a passport, one now does not need to come to the U.S. Consular Agency. Citizens can go to the website http://mx.usembassy.gov/ and follow the prompts to download the application.
According to Busby, simply fill out the application, pay online, and note the mailing instructions through a carrier such as DHL. This process applies to renewals only. First-time applicants for the passport and minors must come to the agency.
Busby then moved on to identify a State Department program called STEP, https://mytravel.state.gov/s/step.
“Registration is free and allows the U.S. government to send citizens automated messages on any upcoming natural disaster or threats of violence,” he said.
Busby informed the audience that on a few occasions, the agency had been made aware of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community such as harassment by the police. In those instances, the agency has notified the local police chief to address the issues. Citizens can contact the consular agency via the following means in the event of harassment or a threat:
From Mexico: 55-8526-2561
From U.SA: +1844-528-6611
http://mxusembassy.gov/
Busby then segwayed into another topic important to American Citizens: Voting.
Most everyone knows that U.S. elections will be held on November 5, 2024. Citizens have until October 8th to drop off their mail-in ballot to the Consular Agency office in Nayarit. The agency will then mail the ballots to the consulate in Guadalajara and that takes about three to five days for them to receive it, according to Busby. From there they send the ballots to the U.S. that go to a mailing center in Brownsville, Texas and then forward them to the citizen’s county or elections office. Busby said to have the mail-in ballot postage paid from the county through USPS.com to receive the election from Brownsville Texas.
John Kuriakuz reiterated some of the earlier points. He emphasized that it is important for the U.S. consulate to engage with the community visiting or living in Puerto Vallarta. The consulate recognizes that all these travelers have special needs, especially regarding their travel documents.
He stated that the event organized in the ACT2 facility was specifically geared towards the LGBTQ+ community and offered assistance to the citizens through the US consulate in Guadalajara as well as a Consular Agency in Nayarit.
He pointed to the printed material atop the table by the entrance with helpful information relating to travelers going back and forth between the US and Mexico.
“Assistance was also available,” he said “if citizens were facing issues with law enforcement or have been victims of a crime.” He encouraged everyone to be vigilant and proactive about these things beforehand and assured the audience that they were available to help.
Joe Louis discussed social security and retirement benefits. He quickly eased the mood in the room by comically suggesting everyone in attendance was at 21 or under so not ready to consider this topic seriously.
He then proceeded to point out that the Federal Benefits Unit in Guadalajara is available to assist with Social Security and benefits planning. Concerned citizens can contact BFU via email at FBU.Guadalajara@ssa.gov.
FBU has three offices, he said, one is the US embassy in Mexico City, the other in Juarez, which borders El Paso, TX, and the third in Guadalajara. He acknowledged that while unexciting to talk, Social Security is an important topic to consider and plan in situations like marital status changes and the death of a spouse. He acknowledged difficulties in receiving calls from surviving spouses whose loved one had died, and they had not gotten married.
Note: If you are a foreign surviving spouse of a deceased U.S. citizen and were federally married, further assistance is available through the FBU email provided above.
Louis explained that the earliest retirement age one can apply for benefits is 62, and one must have worked and contributed to Social Security for at least ten years. In a number of instances, by using the FBU email, citizens and surviving spouses can change their addresses and apply for Social Security benefits without traveling to Guadalajara or a Social Security office in the US.
The town hall meeting then opened the forum to open questions, providing clarity on things such as Nayarit agency address, voting questions related to specific counties, visa renewal requirements for Mexican nationals, green card processing times for foreign spouses married to U.S. citizens, and emergency travel options in the event of a lost passport.
Overall, the meeting aimed to provide valuable information and support to the LGBTQ+ community and American citizens residing and visiting the area.
Esta publicación también está disponible en: English Español
