COVID-19 rules
Countries may restrict travel or bring in rules at short notice. Check with your travel company or airline for changes.
If you test positive for COVID-19, you may need to stay where you are until you test negative. You may also need to seek treatment there.
You should also read TravelHealthPro’s general COVID-19 advice for travellers.
Travel to Mexico
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you will be directed to a medical facility. Airlines may prevent you boarding onward flights.
Travel in Mexico
Follow the advice of the local authorities. Individual states in Mexico are imposing additional measures and restrictions. Local government websites have detailed information:
Passport validity requirements
If you are visiting Mexico, your passport should be valid for the length of your stay in Mexico.
Visa requirements
If you’re visiting Mexico as a tourist, you do not need a visa.
You’ll get a stamp in your passport with the number of days you are allowed to stay.
British Nationals entering Mexico by land must fill out an immigration form online.
Employment, voluntary work, research and eco activities
Tourists cannot undertake voluntary (including human rights) work, or activity, or any form of paid employment. To carry out this type of work, you must get the correct visa from the Mexican embassy before you travel.
You may need a visa for some adventure or ecotourism activities like caving, potholing or entomology, especially if they involve any scientific or technological research. The Mexican authorities may define scientific or technological research activities far more broadly than other countries. If in doubt, check with the Mexican Embassy in London well before your visit and ask for written confirmation if necessary.
Applying for a visa
For information on how to apply for a visa while in the UK read the Mexican Embassy in the UK website.
For information on applying for a visa while in Mexico, read the Mexican government website.
Entering Mexico via the USA
If you’re crossing the border into Mexico from the USA, and there isn’t an immigration officer at the port of entry to issue your visa on arrival or give you an entry stamp, find the nearest immigration office to get your passport stamped before continuing your journey into Mexico. Customs officials at the border should be able to tell you where to find the immigration office – it’s usually close to the border. If you don’t clear immigration correctly at this point, it is often more complicated to do so once you have left the border area.
If you are travelling to or from Mexico via the USA, even if you are only transiting, check the latest USA entry requirements on our USA travel advice or with the US Embassy in London. If you do not have the correct authorisation, you will not be allowed to travel to or transit through the USA.
Check with your closest US embassy or consulate for more information.
E-gates
The immigration service has installed e-gates in some terminals of the main international airports. You can use them if you are a tourist aged 18 or over. Make sure you collect the ticket printed by the e-gate as you will need to present it when exiting the country.
You can get digital proof of entry and how long you are allowed to stay in Mexico, by downloading it from the Portal de Servicios del INM website within the first 60 days of your visit.
Entry tax for the state of Quintana Roo
The state of Quintana Roo charges all visitors a tax. You can pay before or during your stay on the VISITAX web portal, available in English. You can get help with the web portal at Cancun Airport. You must show proof of payment at the airport before leaving.
Travelling with children
If you are accompanying a child, you may be asked for:
- evidence of your relationship with the child– for example, a birth or adoption certificate, divorce or marriage certificates, a Parental Responsibility Order
- the reason why you are travelling with them
Dual nationals
Children with dual nationality of Mexico who are travelling without a parent or legal guardian must apply for a permit to leave the country.
Accommodation, funds and proof of departure
Mexican immigration officials may ask to see proof of your departure plans from Mexico before allowing you into Mexico. You may also need to:
- show proof of your accommodation, for example, a hotel booking confirmation
- prove that you have enough money for your stay
If you have been invited to stay in someone’s home, immigration officials may also ask for a ‘letter of invitation’ from the person you’re visiting. This should include as much information as possible, including the host and travellers:
- full names
- contact details
- address while in Mexico
- reason for visit
Customs rules
There are strict rules about goods you can bring into and take out of Mexico. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.
Check whether you will need to declare anything on arrival to customs officials – read the guidance from the Mexican government (in Spanish). If you have goods to declare, you must fill in an online form before travelling to Mexico. If you do not declare goods, they may be seized and you may be fined.
Leaving Mexico
To leave Mexico, you must show your passport with the stamp showing the number of days you were allowed to stay .
If you lose your passport, you must pay a fee to replace the entry stamp. The fee is approximately 600 Mexican pesos, to be paid at a bank. Migration officers do not accept cash. You can replace the stamp at the immigration office at any international airport in Mexico or start the replacement process online on the Mexican government website. You’ll be told how to pay by the immigration officials.
False immigration officers can operate in international airports. Always refuse offers of help and head directly to the immigration office.
Departure tax
You may need to pay a departure tax when leaving Mexico by air or land. The cost can vary, and some airports or border crossings only accept cash. Most airlines include the cost within the ticket price. If in doubt, check with your airline or tour operator.