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Crossing the Border
As of January, 2007, travelers arriving by air from the United States will need a passport to enter Mexico and to return to the US. Until that time, air travelers from the United States may enter Mexico with proof of citizenship and those from Canada may enter with proof of citizenship and their birth certificate. Likewise, travelers arriving by land or sea may enter with proof of citizenship for another several years. Many travel authorities say you don’t need to have a passport to enter Mexico but the US Department of State advises having a passport before you travel, as occasionally, travelers without passports have been inconvenienced while boarding flights in Mexico. The Department of State advises that although a US birth certificate, a Naturalization Certificate or other such documents are acceptable as proof of citizenship, a driver’s license is not acceptable proof to re-enter the country.
For the safest, easiest experience, have a passport that’s valid for six months after your trip will end and a return ticket. Keep a copy of the first page of your passport (the page with your photograph), separate from your passport, in case your passport is lost. This will allow you to get a replacement passport from a consulate or embassy abroad. Travelers should also keep a separate copy of their credit cards, airline tickets and driver’s license. To enter the country you must fill out a “Forma Migratoria Turista” (FM-T), available onboard your flight or at your port of entry (airport, port or border crossing). Caution: Do NOT lose or misplace this document, as you will need to show it at the airline check-in lineup when you leave Mexico. Travelers without their FM-T will have to pay a fine (around $50). For business travel, please contact MexRetire.com for information on obtaining work permits for Mexico.
Do NOT lose or misplace the “Forma Migratoria Turista” document, as you will need to show it at the airline check-in lineup when you leave Mexico. Travelers without their FM-T will have to pay a fine (around $50). For business travelers, please contact MexRetire.com for information on obtaining work permits for Mexico.
Travelers arriving by land may bring in gifts for Mexican friends and relatives up to $50 in value (besides alcohol and tobacco). If arriving by air or sea, they may bring up to $300 worth (keep your receipts in case the custom agents ask you for them). Travelers may also bring up to three liters of alcoholic drinks and up to 400 cigarettes. If you bring a lot of medicine with you, be sure to bring proof of medical necessity in the form of a signed doctors prescriptions.
On your return, US citizens may bring back $800 worth of goods duty-free, every 30 days, if you’ve been in Mexico longer than 48 hours. Up to $100 worth of goods are duty-free if they are shipped to the US (instead of brought back in luggage). Canadian citizens may bring back $750 worth of goods they’ve bought in Mexico, duty-free.