Time for Another Fishing License Renewal in Mexico

Here we go again.

Having obtained a succession of two Mexican sportfishing licenses in the past two years, you'd think I'd be able to get a renewal online in less than two days. You'd be wrong.

This year, CONAPESCA's online application* had a few bugs that were not there last year. Namely, its "Help Page" (Hoja de Ayuda) that was the easiest part of last year's renewal process? You know; the Help Page that you get when you first enter your application information online? The one you must print out** to submit to the bank when you pay your fees? Failed to print out certain important information. Like, the applicant's registration number the form's software is supposed to assign to you. And the Reference Key number (Clave de Referencia) it's supposed to provide. And the Office Section Chain number (Cadena de la Dependencia) it's supposed to determine. And the amount of fees that must be paid in two parts. Basically, the only thing that this one-page, full-o-bugs form printed out correctly this year, was GB's name and the fact that he was seeking a permit for a full year. Gah.

I relate this tale so that if things go wrong for you in getting a sportfishing license, you can perhaps retrace how I solved my own licensing problems. Actually, GB's problems, as his is the name that is actually on the fishing license.

One thing I learned from 2008's shenanigans, was where CONAPESCA Mazatlán's office was. (Hint: it's the large, white, 6-story building on Camarón Sábalo, across the street from the Mar-Rosa RV/Trailer Park, has the CONAPESCA logo on the building's upper corner, is about a 10-minute walk from Marina El Cid.) I signed in with the guard at the desk in the lobby, told him I had "some questions about a sportfishing permit" (oh man, did I ever), and that I wanted to speak with someone at the permit department upstairs on the 5th floor. It helped that I already knew what floor CONAPESCA's permit division was on, because the guard was a recent hire and had no clue. (Or, just couldn't understand my pidgin Spanish.) Anyway, authorized to enter the building, up the elevator I went, turned right as the door opened on the 5th floor, and walked straight into CONAPESCA's unmarked permits office. The permits division is full of desks full of workers in the "open space" type of office plan. I pity the poor bureaucrats. I've been there.

Tellingly, the permits division assigned the poor fellow who deals with sportfishing permits the desk space right by the front door. So as soon as I made my business known, I was right there In His Face.

Hapless Permit Guy could not have been more courteous. I told him my problems with the online form. He showed no surprise, quickly fixed the errors, and printed out my two Help Page forms (one for each portion of the 2-part payment structure Mexico has for such permits). Because he was able to successfully and completely print out these forms I suspect CONAPESCA's internal web page is different from the one that the public accesses. But whatever. In a feeble attempt to make sure he never saw me again, Hapless Permit Guy showed me how to enter the payment information online once I'd gone home from the bank. It was exactly how I did it last year, no surprises, so I wished him a good day and off I went to Banjercito.

The bank visit was the easiest leg of this process. Banjercito took my Help Pages, took my pesos (493 and 38 respectively for a total of 531 pesos for a year's permit in late 2009), and gave me their two sets of receipts and forms with the appropriate Operation Numbers (Número de Operación on each page) and Payment Keys (Llave de Pago on each page). Things were looking up.

Until they came to a flying stop. Again.

Back at the boat I hop online, go to CONAPESCA's page to Register Payment for Rights (Registrar Pago de Derechos),*** and......get a succession of three popup windows telling me there's an error in the Web page's calendar setup. Which means I am prevented from entering any information such as my DATE of payment for payment number one; the DATE of payment for payment number two; or the DATE I wanted GB's fishing license to start.

I think at this point I might have said some bad words. I waited until the next day to return to Hapless Permit Guy. I shared my lack of results with him, he remained courteous, and entered my information on his computer. And, much to my schadenfreude, he was at first unable to get the date function to work the way we both wanted on CONAPESCA's internal Web page. Long story somewhat shorter, for Hapless Permit Guy to get the final page to print with the fishing license, I had to settle for a starting date for the year's permit that was either "today" or "tomorrow," as the software mysteriously rejected any other date. No worries - what's a day or 2 among sportfishers?

I like CONAPESCA's online form very much for its simplicity. If everything goes well it is very user-friendly. I'm just glad that CONAPESCA's bureaucrats are all so user-friendly too.

* sportfishers click on the top link - "Pesca Deportivo-Recreativa" - on this page's right-hand column.

** you click on the button marked "Imprimir Hoja de Ayuda" (Print Help Page) at the bottom of this page.

*** Registrar Pago de derechos is toward the bottom of the right hand column. Clicking on this takes you to the payment search page. You enter your registration number in the skinny gray box in the center of the page, click on the "Sportfishing" category, then click on the "Seek" button. At this point, unless you get error messages on popup windows, you can click through to the Application Search page (Busqueda de Solicitudes), and hopefully complete the application process and print your shiny new fishing license.

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Comments

[kim]

it'd be nice if we could just have friends in san diego buy them for us, then sail/fly them down.

[sailnmuffin]

I agree, Kim - hand delivery is likely the best - it can be done that way, I suppose; there are one or 2 places in San Diego who can do that for you; I think Downwind Marine could point you in the right direction. However, if I remember correctly the US companies charge a significantly high "processing fee" for getting the license for you. Getting mail can be a challenge - if you have the license sent via regular mail it might get lost in Guadalajara, but if you send it via UPS or DHL it'll cost about $56 for the envelope. The alternatives get complicated. If you land in a marina where there is some sportfishing, you might ask around & find a place that can print out the license for you - again, I'd expect to pay a fee for the service. Whichever option ultimately costs you the least in time & effort is the one to go for...
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[kim]

If anyone else reading this is in San Diego and on their way down, I got mine at Don's Hook Line & Sinker (Shelter Island) for $65, but I know it can be bought downtown for under $50. I don't remember if it's required to show ID, but if not, ask your friends in MX if they need a new one and save them a lot of hassle!

[sailnmuffin]

Good info, Kim! Thanks!

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[Boat Ladder]

hay nice blog. good pics. enjoy checking this.

[sailnmuffin]

Hey, Boat Ladder - glad you're here & having fun!

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