In the interest of resolving a discussion (sometimes an argument!) that keeps coming up, we did extensive research on the INM (Mexican Department of Immigration) and the US State Department web sites, then visited the INM office in Hermosillo, Sonora in October, 2015, to have this information validated by an Immigration Officer. Here is an attempt to explain clearly what is and is not required to travel in Mexico.
The Simple Answer is:
You need a TOURIST PERMIT to be in Mexico as a Tourist, whether you are here for 1 day or 180 days. You don’t need a Visa, but a Tourist Permit is required. You can apply for it at the border, or on arrival at the airport, or online.
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But here’s the full explanation, for those who really need it:
THE CONFUSION
People preparing to travel to Mexico ask, with reason, “Do I need a VISA to travel to Mexico?” They refer to a “visa,” because that is the term that is usually used for a document that allows one to travel in another country.
A visa is a specific document that gives you permission to travel to a country under strict regulations. Some countries require that you have a visa, depending on where you come from, and others do not. Whenever we plan a trip to faraway places, we check ahead of time to see if we do or don’t need a visa. And the Mexican Immigration web site has a page in English listing who does and does not need a visa to travel in Mexico.
BUT READ IT VERY CAREFULLY!
COUNTRIES AND REGIONS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE A VISA TO TRAVEL TO MEXICO
Effective from November 9, 2012
Those citizens of the following countries or regions do not require a visa to travel to Mexico...
...and it proceeds to list the United States, Canada, and a host of other countries that DO NOT require a visa. However, it continiues...
... and apply for admission as a visitor without permission to engage in gainful activity. In the revision filter migration, must submit:
- Passport or valid identification and travel that is valid under international law.
- FMM duly completed.
So you DO need the completed FMM form, which must be filled out by anyone entering Mexico. In your case, if you are just a tourist, you are coming in, as it says, “without permission to engage in gainful activity.” People who plan to do business and “engage in gainful activity” still will fill out the FMM, but they will be requesting a different kind of permit.
You can fill out the FMM online on the INM web site ahead of time (http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/FMM_electronica), present it with your passport at the first border entry checkpoint (“filter migration”), and have it stamped (approved). But the form on the internet is in Spanish only, so it might be easier at the checkpoint, where a bilingual worker can help you.
Note: If you’re entering Mexico on one of the modern buses from Tucson or Phoenix, you fill out the paperwork just after you cross the border where they scan your luggage for contraband. The office is to your right as you leave the bus. The bus driver is not responsible for your paperwork and the bus doesn’t stop at the km 21 checkpoint.
Your Tourist Permit must be stamped as approved at the checkpoint, where you will also pay the required fee, if there is one. If you will be in Mexico for fewer than seven days, there will be no charge. Between seven and 180 days (the limit of the FMM Tourist Permit), you will pay a fee. If you happen to enter Mexico by plane, this paperwork is required by the airline and done on board the plane, then checked in the airport. But, if you travel by land — car, bus, truck, walking... — it is your responsibility to stop at the first border checkpoint and fulfill this requirement.
Your Tourist Permit must be stamped as approved at the checkpoint, where you will also pay the required fee, if there is one. If you will be in Mexico for fewer than seven days, there will be no charge. Between seven and 180 days (the limit of the FMM Tourist Permit), you will pay a fee. If you happen to enter Mexico by plane, this paperwork is required by the airline and done on board the plane, then checked in the airport. But, if you travel by land — car, bus, truck, walking... — it is your responsibility to stop at the first border checkpoint and fulfill this requirement.
You must carry this stamped document — which is basically a TOURIST PERMIT, even though they never use that term anyplace in the INM information — while in Mexico. It is also good to carry with you any other travel documents (reservations, insurance cards, drivers license), because the instructions continue:
The immigration authority may request the foreign person to check the reason for your trip, using one of the following documents:
a) Hotel reservation, return ticket (itinerary), tour tickets (path).
b) Letter mandate in Spanish parent company, subsidiary or foreign subsidiary to indicate that the alien is employed by her and that payment of the services provided in the country shall be borne by it.
c) Copy of the transfer of technology, patents and trademarks, purchase of machinery and equipment, technical training of personnel, or any other related to the production process of a company based in Mexico or linking to the foreign with the Mexican, or proof of appointment by the shareholders of companies legally established in Mexico.
d) Letter of organization or public or private institution in which the foreign person invited to participate in unpaid activity in Mexico, revealed the purpose of the visit and the estimated time of stay. Where the organization or institution to bear the costs of travel and stay of the alien in national territory should be annexed responsive letter.
e) Letter of invitation or acceptance of any institution belonging to the National Education System for courses, studies or research projects or training for a maximum of one hundred eighty temporality days.
Okay, we have it all clear now, right? Well...
BACK TO THE CONFUSION...
The U.S. State Department site has its own page telling you what you need to travel in Mexico. It’s good information, but there is just one little problem having to do with the use of that term VISA again. It says:
TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:
Tourist card/entry permit may be obtained at airport upon arrival or at land border crossings.
So, the INM says you DO NOT need a visa, but the State Department says you DO! Be aware! They are not talking about the same thing!!
If you visit the State Department page and read the complete instructions, you find that they are using the term “visa” to refer to the FMM form described above. The permit you receive when you present the FMM at the border checkpoint IS NOT A VISA, it is basically a TOURIST PERMIT. That is what you DO need.
It is important that you understand the difference and get the proper travel permission for being in Mexico!
People DO come to Mexico without getting this permission, and most often they get by with it — nothing bad happens, they leave without incident, and go their merry way — but it is a risk not worth taking.
As the Immigration Officer explained to us: “If you have an auto accident and you do not have this document, your insurance will not be valid, your car could be impounded, and you could be detained.” In fact, if you have any problem — your are robbed, injured, need legal assistance, etc. — and you do not have the completed, stamped FMM permit, you are vulnerable and have no guaranteed protection under Mexican law. In the eyes of Mexico, you are an “illegal immigrant.”
So, whatever you want to call it, a Tourist Permit is required to travel in Mexico as a Tourist.
An additional note: If you plan to visit the Baja Peninsula using the Ferry in Guaymas or Topolobampo (Los Mochis), you will need all your paperwork to be current as local authorities treat that area almost as a separate country. (It’s the only place in Mexico where we’ve ever been checked for proper papers and car permits.)
Further information:
U.S. State Department Travel Information for Mexico:
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/mexico.html
Instituto Nacional de Migración page about who does and does not need a visa, in English:
http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/paises_no_visa/en.html
http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/paises_no_visa/en.html
11/01/15