Entry Requirements & Customs

Passports

For information on how to get a passport, go to "Passports" in the "Fast Facts" section of this guide -- the websites listed provide downloadable passport applications as well as the current fees for processing passport applications. For an up-to-date, country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. Department of State at http://travel.state.gov.

Note: Children under 18 traveling without parents or with only one parent must have a notarized letter from the absent parent(s) authorizing the travel.

Visas

For information on obtaining Mexican visas, visit www.sre.gob.mx/english/services/visasforeigners.htm, which has information in English, or go straight to the source, the Instituto Nacional de Migración at www.inm.gob.mx/pagina_ingles/principal-ingles.asp.

Medical Requirements

There currently are no medical requirements for traveling to Mexico.

Customs

What you can bring into Mexico -- When you enter Mexico, Customs officials will be tolerant as long as you have no illegal drugs, firearms, excessive electronic equipment, or heaps of clothing with the tags still on. The underlying guideline is: Don't bring anything that looks as if it's meant to be resold in Mexico.

You're allowed to bring in two cartons of cigarettes or 50 cigars, plus 1 kilogram (2.2 lb.) of smoking tobacco; two 1-liter bottles of wine or hard liquor, and 12 rolls of film. A laptop computer, camera equipment, and sports equipment that could feasibly be used during your stay also are allowed.

What you can take home from Mexico -- You're allowed to take $800 worth of merchandise duty-free, including 2 liters of alcoholic beverages and household effects not for resale (furniture, carpets, tableware, linens, and similar household furnishings). Beyond the $800 limit, you'll be charged a flat rate of 4% duty on the next $1,000 of purchases. Fine art is duty-free and no produce or agricultural products from Mexico are allowed into the U.S.

U.S. Citizens: For specifics on what you can bring back and the corresponding fees, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go online at www.cbp.gov. (Click on "Travel," and then click on "Know Before You Go! Online Brochure.") Or contact the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667), and request the pamphlet.

Canadian Citizens: For a clear summary of Canadian rules, write for the booklet I Declare, issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca).

U.K. Citizens: For information, contact HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their website at www.hmce.gov.uk.

Australian Citizens: A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.

New Zealand Citizens: Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).