Mexico City Practical information

Visas

Every tourist must have a Mexican government tourist card, which is easy to obtain. Some nationalities also need to obtain visas. Because the regulations sometimes change, it’s wise to confirm them with a Mexican embassy or consulate before you go. The websites of some Mexican consulates, including the London consulate (portal.sre.gob.mx/conreinounido) and the Los Angeles consulate (www.sre.gob.mx/losangeles) give useful information on visas and similar matters. The rules are also summarized on the website of Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM, National Migration Institute; www.inami.gob.mx).

Citizens of the 27 EU countries, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Iceland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the USA are among those who do not need visas to enter Mexico as tourists. The list changes sometimes; check well ahead of travel with your local Mexican embassy or consulate. Visa procedures, for those who need them, can take several weeks and you may be required to apply in your country of residence or citizenship.

Immigration officers won’t usually keep you waiting any longer than it takes to flick through your passport and enter your length of stay on your tourist card. Remain patient and polite, even if procedures are slow. Anyone traveling to Mexico via the USA should be sure to check US visa and passport requirements.

Passports

US and Canadian tourists can enter Mexico without a passport if they have official photo identification, such as a driver’s license, plus some proof of their citizenship such as an original birth certificate. But to return to or transit the USA by air, a passport or other secure travel document such as a NEXUS card is required.

To return to or transit the USA by land or sea, Americans and Canadians must present either a passport, or other documents proving identity and citizenship (for example driver’s license and birth certificate), or the recently introduced US passport card, or a NEXUS or other ‘trusted traveler’ card. Canadians flying back from Mexico to Canada are advised to carry a passport. Further information is available on the websites of the US State Department (travel.state.gov), US Customs & Border Protection (www.cbp.gov), the US Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov) and Canada’s Foreign Affairs Ministry (www.voyage.gc.ca).

In any case it’s much better to travel to Mexico with a passport because officials of all countries are used to passports and may delay people who have other documents. In Mexico you will often need your passport to change money and check into hotels.

All citizens of countries other than the US and Canada should have a passport that’s valid for at least six months after they arrive in Mexico.

Non-US citizens passing (even in transit) through the USA on the way to or from Mexico, or visiting Mexico from the USA, should also check the passport and visa requirements for the USA.

Tourist card & tourist fee

The Mexican tourist card – officially the forma migratoria para turista (FMT) – is a brief card document that you must fill out and get stamped by Mexican immigration when you enter Mexico, and keep till you leave. It’s available at official border crossings, international airports and ports, and often from airlines, travel agencies and Mexican consulates.

One section of the card deals with the length of your stay in Mexico, and this section is filled out by the immigration officer. The maximum possible stay is 180 days, but immigration officers sometimes put a lower number (as little as 15 or 30 days in some cases) unless you tell them specifically what you need. It’s advisable to ask for more days than you think you’ll need, in case you are delayed or change your plans.

Though the tourist card itself is free of charge, it brings with it the obligation to pay the tourist fee of US$22, called the derecho para no inmigrante (DNI, nonimmigrant fee). The exact amount of the fee in pesos fluctuates with exchange rates. If you enter Mexico by air, the fee is included in your airfare. If you enter by land, you must pay the fee at a bank in Mexico at any time before you reenter the frontier zone on your way out of Mexico (or before you check in at an airport to fly out of Mexico). Most Mexican border posts have on-the-spot bank offices where you can pay the DNI fee immediately. When you pay at a bank, your tourist card will be stamped to prove that you have paid.

Look after your tourist card because it may be checked when you leave the country. You can be fined for not having it.

A tourist card only permits you to engage in what are considered to be tourist activities (including sports, health, artistic and cultural activities). If the purpose of your visit is to work (even as a volunteer), to report or to study, or to participate in humanitarian aid or human-rights observation, you may well need a visa. If you’re unclear, check with a Mexican embassy or consulate.

Extensions & lost cards

If the number of days given on your tourist card is less than the maximum 180 days, its validity may be extended, one or more times, up to the maximum. To get a card extended you have to apply to the Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM; 2581-0100; Av Ejército Nacional 862; 9am-1:30pm Mon-Fri). The procedure costs around M$200. You’ll need your passport, your tourist card and photocopies of the important pages of these documents.

If you lose your card or need further information, contact the Sectur tourist office (078, 800-987-82-24), or your embassy or consulate. Any of these should be able to give you an official note to take to the INM office, which will issue a replacement for a cost of about M$450.