Senior Card

I recently went through the process to obtain my senior discount card from INAPAM which is a part of the DIF (social services) operation in Puerto Peñasco. You can go to their office in the DIF Parque Infantil on Sinaloa one block north of the church. You will need to take an interpreter if you are not fluent in Spanish. This card is available to seniors who have permanent residency cards. There are discounts on items such as City water, driver’s license, and license plates. There is currently a question as to whether there will be a discount on your property taxes as well. I am also trying to get a list of businesses in town who give a discount to seniors, but so far I haven’t been able to acquire that information.

Parque Infantil Inapam building

DIF and INAPAM offices are located within this park. Go straight in to the farthest building.

 

What you will need to bring

You must bring your Passport, your Residente Permanente card, proof of address, such as a CFE bill or telephone bill or property tax receipt. You must have 2 copies of each of these items (just the picture/info page of your passport). You will also need 2 small pictures. The pictures must be without glasses and without a smile! There is no charge for this card. You must also provide an emergency contact in Puerto Peñasco and you may use Pro-Alliance for that contact as they have 24 hour bilingual assistance available.

 

Make it Easy

The INAPAM office does not keep regular hours, so I have a suggestion to make it easy on yourself. Go see Paty Andrade at Pro-Alliance Insurance. Their office is in the blue “California” Office building on Benito Juarez on the second floor. For $25.00 Paty will make your copies and submit your paperwork. She will then go with you when the card is ready so you can sign for it. She will also laminate it at her office. After trying to get the card myself, I finally went to Paty and she took care of everything. I recommend Photo Ensenada on Sinaloa across the street from the church for your pictures. Tell them it is for your INAPAM card and they will give you a discount.

Paty at ProAlliance

California Office Building on Benito Juarez- Paty Andrade at Pro-Alliance Insurance

 

Speaking of Taxes

Historically the City of Peñasco has not made an effort to collect back taxes. There is now a new Treasurer and he is starting a vigorous new enforcement program to collect property taxes and federal zone concession fees. Although the federal zone fee is just that, a federal fee, the city gets a part of those fees back, so they do benefit from the collection. I recommend highly that you go into the City Treasurer’s Office and get your taxes up to date if you are behind. In addition to collecting the taxes, the Treasurer’s Office can also report your ownership of a foreign asset to the U.S. federal government pursuant to the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) adopted in 2010. Finding out the status of your taxes and assisting you with getting up to date and possibly avoiding the fines is something that Rosie Glover, owner of Pro-Alliance, can help you do.

New Services

In fact, Pro-Alliance now has an Attorney, Eduardo Sotelo Ortega, on staff full time. So you may bring any of your legal questions and issues to them for assistance. If the issue is not something they handle, they can refer you to the appropriate party. They can also draw up a Mexican will for you or validate your American will. I strongly suggest you contact them at (011-52-638) 388-6624 if you have issues with your taxes or other legal matters. If you own property here, inform yourself of all the requirements that go along with that and be sure that you are in compliance.