Mexico: visa and entry rules

Mexico's borders: every crossing point

Mexico's land border crossings, listed by neighbour:

With the United States it is the busiest border in the world: Tijuana - San Ysidro, Ciudad Juarez - El Paso, Nuevo Laredo - Laredo, Mexicali - Calexico and dozens of others.

With Guatemala: Ciudad Hidalgo - Tecun Uman on the Pacific side and El Ceibo in the north of Peten.

With Belize: Chetumal - Subteniente Lopez, the only road crossing.

But for anyone who needs a visa they are all closed without one. The SAE electronic authorisation is not valid at land crossings, and turning up at the border with nothing but an electronic permit means being refused. This is exactly the place where itineraries assembled from other people's trip reports fall apart.

By air the country is open: the bulk of the traffic goes through the airports of Mexico City and Cancun.

Driving to Mexico

If your nationality needs a visa, land entry requires a real one - the SAE does not work here. That is the first thing to settle, not the vehicle import period.

Beyond the border strip a permit for the car is needed. Mexico divides its territory into a free zone near the border and the rest of the country: for the latter a temporary import is arranged with a cash deposit, which is returned when you leave.

How long a car is allowed to stay in Mexico is decided by local customs. The rules of neighbouring countries do not carry over here.

Insurance is compulsory and has to be bought locally - foreign policies are not valid in Mexico.

An International Driving Permit is not required by law: a valid national licence covers the whole of a tourist stay. A licence that is not in Spanish or English needs a permit or a certified translation, and some rental desks ask for one regardless.

Travelling to Mexico with a pet

A veterinary certificate is required, endorsed by the state veterinary service of the country you are leaving.

A rabies vaccination must be valid on the date of entry.

On arrival the animal is inspected by SENASICA at the point of entry.

The animal must be free of external parasites - this is checked during the inspection, and if any are found the treatment is carried out on the spot at the owner's expense.

Check the vaccination timings and the microchip requirement for import into Mexico with your country's veterinary service before you buy tickets.

Overstaying your visa in Mexico

The fine is paid on departure, and it grows with the length of the overstay.

You will have to pay at the border, and that is where you will be told how much. The amount cannot be found out in advance in Mexico, so do not book a tight connection and keep cash on you.

Look at your own number, not at the maximum. An overstay in Mexico most often happens to people who counted on 180 days but were given less at the border and did not check the entry.

A serious overstay means deportation and an entry ban.