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My US bank needs a letter of instruction from me that is "notarized" in the sense of being an official authentication that I signed it in the authenticator's presence. It can be in Spanish. They suggested that my local (Mexican) bank should be able to provide this service, but I don't know what to ask for! Any ideas?

Do you have a bank in La Paz? Both Bancomer and BanNorte on the Malecon have English speaking staff that are used to dealing with the unusual requests from US. I'd start with whichever bank has my fide. Whaddya think?

Well since you said "something like...." I have an old notary stamp....expired 1980....ya think anyone would notice?

If Bancomer can't help, ask your US bank if 2-3 witness signatures attesting to they fact that they all witnessed your signature would work. If all else fails, I heard recently that the US Consulate in Cabo has a notary....but that'd be a 2 week trip for you!

Doesn't your US bank have a signature card on file?

"US Bank needs a letter of instruction" ...just trying to clarify/understand that you are asking US Bank to do something and they want a letter from you containing the request and it needs to be notarized so they can trust that it is actually you making the request and not someone else who is not authorized on your US bank account.

Obvious, and expensive, but you could go to a notario. Sounds like the banks would be a good place to start. The service might be called "ID verification" or something like that.

Exactly. I'm telling the US bank that it's OK to process fax requests for wire transfers. The person here only needs to verify my ID and signature on the letter, as in "Kate signed this thing in front of me, whatever it is" plus a stamp of some sort. I do plan to try at Bancomer, where I have my accounts, but was mainly wondering if there was a specific name en español for the procedure. Going to a notario or to Cabo would be massive overkill.

Thanks, all.

Originally Posted by BajaNuts1

"US Bank needs a letter of instruction" ...just trying to clarify/understand that you are asking US Bank to do something and they want a letter from you containing the request and it needs to be notarized so they can trust that it is actually you making the request and not someone else who is not authorized on your US bank account.

Obvious, and expensive, but you could go to a notario. Sounds like the banks would be a good place to start. The service might be called "ID verification" or something like that.

Kate,
do you have someone in the US you could put on an account for these types of transactions?

It may not help in the immediate situation, but you could open a separate account, maybe a savings account, and have someone you trust be authorized to sign on the account. Only transfer money into the account when you need to wire it , and then have the person in the US do the paperwork and wire the money out for you.
A~

My brother already has POA in case of emergency. Doesn't help for this situation, which requires my signature. Otherwise, the account is set up so that I can manage it remotely without involving anyone else, which is exactly how I want it. The only issue is this *#$@% letter! The bank has now agreed to process my current transfer, so the immediate heat is off and I have a month or so to come up with it. Thanks, all.

I'd try the 2-3 witnesses attesting that they witnessed you signing it & ask the bank to compare the signature on the letter to the signature on your signature card. Every bank I've ever done business with keeps signature cards on file. Just send it to them & see if they have a problem with it.

Nope, they already have my signature on file with their own witnesses. Some new reg came down that they need a signed, "notarized" letter specifically to the effect that I authorize wire transfers requested via fax. My branch rep spoke to the legal dept, and they'll accept a verification and stamp from a Mexican bank officer in lieu of a US-style notarization. It needs to say (in English or Spanish) something like:

I certify that the above-named person as described, whose identity is knows or proven to me, personally appeared before me on (date) at La Paz, Baja California Sur, México, and signed this request.

Signature of Bank Officer/Date/Stamp

How come nobody wants to believe that the solution is as simple as getting the bank to sign off on this friggin' letter?

Because YOU ASKED.....and deep down, maybe I wanted to make it at least as complicated as my SS application was compared to yours!

I'm sure you're all dying to know how this came out .
I wrote my letter of instruction with the bank's ID/signature verification phrasing below it in English and the best I could do in Spanish. Took everything to my Bancomer branch with my passport and FM2 and explained what I needed and why. Bank officer looked up my account status, then signed and stamped it. End of story, except for mailing it to my US bank. In case anybody else needs something like this, the term I (and the bank officer) used was certificación.

Do you know for sure that your US bank will accept that?

WARNING!!! Maybe you missed it, but Kate is kinda fed up with all our pessimism!! You might wanna tread lightly there!

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Do you know for sure that your US bank will accept that?

Heh. Well, they say they will, and it was their legal guy's idea, so it would be pretty awkward to changed their minds after I've gone to the trouble of getting it. So yes, pessimism begone! My main concern was being able to clearly describe what I needed to the bank officer here, and that part turned out to be simple.

Gracias a Dios....y Bancomer. Now I can move back from the edge of my chair.
Buena Suerte, Kate.

Now that I think about it, I AM SURE they will accept it...