Entry Requirements & Customs

Passports

All travelers to Mexico are required to present photo identification and proof of citizenship, such as a valid passport, naturalization papers, or an original birth certificate with a raised seal, along with a driver's license or official ID, such as a state or military-issued ID. Note that driver's licenses and permits, voter registration cards, affidavits, and similar documents are not sufficient to prove citizenship for readmission into the United States. If the last name on the birth certificate is different from your current name, bring a photo identification card and legal proof of the name change, such as the original marriage license or certificate. Note: Photocopies are not acceptable.

New regulations issued by the Department of Homeland Security now require virtually every air traveler entering the U.S. to show a passport. As of January 23, 2007, all persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda are required to present a valid passport or other valid travel document. Effective January 31, 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizens traveling between the United States and Mexico by land or sea will need to present either a WHTI-compliant document , or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, plus proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also proposes to begin alternative procedures for U.S. and Canadian children at that time.

Other valid travel documents (known as WHTI-compliant documents; visit www.travel.state.gov for more information) for travel by land or sea include the new Passport Card and SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, and the U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Document. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders are exempt from the passport requirement. U.S. citizens living in the border region can apply for the new, limited-use, wallet-size Passport Card which is designed to be a cheaper and easier form of international identification. The cards are valid only for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean region, and Bermuda.

From our perspective, it's easiest just to travel with a valid passport. Safeguard your passport in an inconspicuous, inaccessible place like a money belt, and keep a copy of the critical pages with your passport number in a separate place. If you lose your passport, visit the nearest consulate of your native country as soon as possible for a replacement.

The websites listed in our appendix provide downloadable passport applications and current fees for processing passport applications. For information on entry requirements for Mexico, see the Entry/Exit Requirements section in the Country Specific Information for Mexico at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html. You may also contact the U.S. embassy or consulate of Mexico for further information.

Visas

For detailed information regarding visas to Mexico, visit the Mexican Ministry of External Relations (SRE) at www.sre.gob.mx/english/services/visasforeigners.htm.

U.S. citizens do not require a visa or a tourist card for tourist stays of 72 hours or less within "the border zone," defined as an area from 20 to 30km (12-19 miles) of the U.S. border, depending on the location.

A visa is required, however, if you are going to stay in Mexico more than 72 hours and venture beyond the border tourist zone.

U.S. citizens traveling as tourists beyond the border zone or entering Mexico by air must pay a fee to obtain a tourist card (FMT), available from Mexican consulates, Mexican border crossing points, Mexican tourism offices, airports within the border zone, and most airlines serving Mexico. The fee for the tourist card is generally included in the price of a plane ticket for travelers arriving by air. For visitors arriving by other means, it's about $21. Airlines generally provide the necessary forms aboard your flight to Mexico. The FMT is more important than a passport, so guard it carefully. If you lose it, you may not be allowed to leave until you replace it -- a bureaucratic hassle that can take anywhere from a few hours to a week.

The FMT can be issued for up to 180 days. Sometimes officials don't ask but just stamp a time limit, so be sure to say "6 months," or at least twice as long as you intend to stay. If you decide to extend your stay, you may request that additional time be added to your FMT by an official immigration office in Mexico.

In Baja California, immigration laws have changed; they allow FMTs for a maximum of 180 days per year, with a maximum of 30 days per visit. This is to encourage regular visitors, or those who spend longer periods in Mexico, to obtain documents that denote partial residency.

For travelers entering Mexico by car at the border of Baja California, note that FMTs are issued only in Tijuana, Tecate, and Mexicali, as well as in Ensenada and Guerrero Negro. If you travel anywhere beyond the frontier zone without the FMT, you will be fined $40 (£20).

Note on travel of minors: Mexican law requires that any non-Mexican citizen under the age of 18 departing Mexico must carry notarized written permission from a parent or guardian who is not traveling with the child to or from Mexico. This permission must include the name of the parent, the name of the child, the name of anyone traveling with the child, and the notarized signature(s) of the absent parent(s). The U.S. State Department recommends that permission include travel dates, destinations, airlines, and a brief summary of the circumstances surrounding the travel. The child must be carrying the original letter (not a facsimile or scanned copy), as well as proof of the parent/child relationship (usually a birth certificate or court document) and an original custody decree, if applicable. Travelers should contact the Mexican Embassy or closest Mexican Consulate for current information.

Medical Requirements

No special vaccinations are required for entry into Mexico.

Customs

Mexican Customs inspection has been streamlined. At most points of entry, tourists are requested to press a button in front of what looks like a traffic signal, which alternates on touch between red and green. Green light and you go through without inspection; red light and your luggage or car may be inspected. If you have an unusual amount of luggage or an oversized piece, you may be subject to inspection anyway.

What You Can bring into Mexico -- When you enter Mexico, Customs officials will be tolerant if you are not carrying illegal drugs or firearms. Tourists are allowed to bring in their personal effects duty-free. A laptop computer, camera equipment, and sports equipment that could feasibly be used during your stay are also allowed. The underlying guideline is: Don't bring anything that looks as if it's meant to be resold in Mexico. U.S. citizens entering Mexico by the land border can bring in gifts worth up to $50 duty-free, except for alcohol and tobacco products. Those entering Mexico by air or sea can bring in gifts worth a value of up to $300 duty-free. The website for Mexican Customs ("Aduanas") is www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/webadunet/body.htm.

What You Can Take Home from Mexico -- U.S. Citizens: Returning U.S. citizens who have been away for at least 48 hours are allowed to bring back, once every 30 days, $800 worth of merchandise duty-free. You'll pay a flat rate of duty on the next $1,000 worth of purchases. Any dollar amount beyond that is subject to duties at whatever rates apply. On mailed gifts, the duty-free limit is $200. Be sure to keep your receipts for purchases accessible to expedite the declaration process. Note: If you owe duty, you are required to pay on your arrival in the United States -- either by cash, personal check, government or traveler's check, or money order (and, in some locations, a Visa or MasterCard).

To avoid paying duty on foreign-made personal items you owned before your trip, bring along a bill of sale, insurance policy, jeweler's appraisal, or receipts of purchase. Or before you leave, you can register with Customs items that can be readily identified by a permanently affixed serial number or marking -- think laptop computers and cameras. Take the items to the nearest Customs office or register them with Customs at the airport from which you're departing. You'll receive, at no cost, a Certificate of Registration, which allows duty-free entry for the life of the item.

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, D.C. 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 Revenue & Customs at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their website at www.hmrc.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 Service, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).

Tax Refund -- In June 2008, the government of Mexico began a tax refund program for foreign visitors. The Value-Added Tax (VAT or IVA in Spanish) can now be refunded at select Mexican airports (including Cancún and Mexico City). Visitors must prove that they have spent more than 1,200 pesos (approximately US$116/£61) in participating stores to receive a refund of up to 50% of the VAT (about 15% of the total value of an item). After filling out the appropriate paperwork, you will receive the refund either in cash or as a credit to your bank account. The refund is not applicable to hotels, restaurants, and services. Because this is a new initiative in 2008, expect a few kinks and delays in the system.