WESLACO - A Rio Grande Valley resident said she is out nearly $500 by the Mexican government.

Linda Barrientos said the issue happened after she tried to get a car permit to go to Mexico for the holidays.

The Mexican government requires drivers to buy a permit and put down a deposit if they’re taking foreign vehicles further into the country. The permit has to be requested through Mexico’s Banjercito Bank at the port of entries on the Mexican side.

Barrientos said the process can take some time. She said she had to cross the bridge to Mexico, wait in line to do the paperwork and then drive back to the U.S.

“Sometimes we have to wait two hours, three hours on the bridge to come back,” she said.

To avoid a long wait, Barrientos said she opted to get the permit online. She said she entered her information, uploaded the necessary documents and paid up.

“And then they send me another email saying that they were going to cancel it because I was missing a document,” she said.

Barrientos said the bank canceled her order but didn’t refund the $459 she initially paid. She personally went to the location after multiple tries to contact them through phone or by email.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS contacted the office on Thursday and Friday by phone and on their website. We weren’t able to contact anyone for answers.

We then consulted Mexico’s Guia Paisano program. Their website doesn’t state what someone should do in case their money isn’t returned either.

Barrientos said she had no choice other than to request the permit in person to be able to go home for the holidays. She said she paid an additional $500 to obtain it.

“I just hope they give it back to me. It doesn’t matter if they take three months or whatever. I just want to make sure they give it back to me,” she said.

Count on CHANNEL 5 NEWS for the latest in Barriento’s case. 

Link: Temporary Vehicle Importation Permit Info