Passports, Permits & Entry

The short version

For most Americans, getting into Mexico is easy. You don't need a visa, there's no paper tourist card to fill out if you fly, and the airport immigration officer will usually stamp you in within a couple of minutes. What trips people up is smaller: a passport card on a flight, a passport about to expire, a child traveling with one parent, a stray box of ammunition in the truck, or a "tourist tax" paid to a fake website.

This page covers every document and fee in the order you'll meet them: before you leave, at Mexican immigration and customs, during your stay, and coming home through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). If you're crossing by land, read this page together with our border crossing guide. If you're flying, getting to Mexico by air covers the airports themselves.

Passport book vs passport card

The US passport book is the blue booklet. The passport card is the wallet-sized card that some Americans get for border trips and cruises. They are not interchangeable for Mexico.

The trap is the one-way combination. People drive into Baja on a passport card, decide to fly home from Los Cabos or Tijuana, and discover they can't board. If there's any chance you'll fly, carry the book.

Mexico's own immigration website says the passport card is meant for land crossings and visits to the border zone. Officers at land ports generally accept it for longer trips too, with an FMM permit, but if you're driving deep into the interior, the book removes any room for argument.

How long must my passport be valid?

The State Department's rule for Mexico is that your passport must be valid when you enter; Mexico doesn't use the six-months-beyond-your-stay rule some countries apply. Give yourself a comfortable margin anyway. The officer decides how many days you get, and some airline agents apply stricter rules than the law, so a passport expiring in three weeks can start an argument at check-in.

Flying in, you need one blank page for the entry stamp. Airlines can refuse damaged passports (water damage, torn pages), so replace one that looks rough before you go.

The FMM tourist permit, explained

The FMM (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) is Mexico's visitor permit. It records that you entered legally, as a "visitor without permission to work," and how many days you're allowed to stay. Every US tourist has one, even if you never see a piece of paper. The way you get it depends on how you arrive.

Flying in: the digital FMM

The old paper tourist card that flight attendants handed out is gone. Mexican immigration (INM, the Instituto Nacional de Migración) now issues a digital FMM, which the State Department calls the FMMD, at every international airport in Mexico. You line up, hand over your passport, answer a few questions, and the officer stamps your passport. The stamp, with the number of days you've been granted written in by hand, plus the electronic record INM keeps, is your proof of legal entry.

The fee for the permit (the Derecho de No Residente) is already built into the taxes on your international plane ticket, so there's nothing to pay at the airport. If anyone at the airport asks you to pay for an FMM, walk away.

Driving or walking in: you usually have to ask for it

Land crossings work differently, and this is where Americans get into trouble. At most crossings you can drive or walk into Mexico without anyone checking your passport. That does not mean you've been admitted. Under the State Department's current guidance, you can skip the FMM only if you stay within about 12 miles (20 km) of the US border for 6 days or less. That covers a Tijuana lunch, a dental appointment in Los Algodones or a night in Nogales.

Going farther or staying longer, you need an FMM, and you have to get it yourself:

1. Fill out the electronic FMM on INM's official site, inm.gob.mx, using your passport details. You can also start the process at the INM office at the crossing.
2. Pay the fee if your stay is longer than 7 days. In 2026 it's MX$983 (about $53). Stays of 7 days or less by land are free.
3. Print the form and bring it, with your passport book or card, to the INM office at the port of entry.
4. Have the officer stamp it and your passport. An unstamped online form does not count as legal entry.

On some routes the INM office is not at the line itself. Drivers heading south from Nogales, for example, handle immigration and vehicle paperwork at the Km 21 checkpoint on Highway 15. Our border guide covers where to stop on each popular route.

How many days you get

The maximum stay for a tourist is 180 days per entry. That number is a ceiling, and the officer decides what you actually get. For years almost everyone received 180 days automatically. Since about 2021 officers have often granted only the length of the trip you describe, or a round number such as 30 or 90 days.

Officers tend to decide based on a few things:

• Your return or onward ticket, if you have one. Have it ready on your phone.
• Where you're staying. A hotel booking or an address for a rental helps.
• Your answers to "How long are you staying?" and "What's the purpose of your trip?"
• Your travel history. Someone who has spent most of the past year in Mexico on back-to-back tourist entries can be questioned closely or given fewer days, because tourist status is not meant for living there.

If you need more time than your ticket shows, say so and explain why, calmly. Tourist days cannot be extended once you're in Mexico. If you want to stay longer, you have to leave and come back in, and the next officer is under no obligation to give you another 180 days. People who want to spend half the year or more in Mexico should look at temporary residency; see our long stays guide.

Overstaying and lost permits

If you stay past your granted days, you'll be sent to an INM office to pay a fine before you can leave. At an airport, that process can make you miss your flight. Leave on time, or deal with it at an INM office well before departure day.

If you entered by land and received a paper FMM, keep it with your passport and hand it in when you leave. A lost one has to be replaced at an INM office, which takes time and costs money.

Entry fees and tourist taxes

Mexico has one federal entry fee and a growing list of state, municipal and park fees. Some are paid automatically, some are on your hotel bill, and one, Quintana Roo's Visitax, you have to pay yourself.

The federal visitor fee is going up in 2027

In October 2026, Mexico's Chamber of Deputies passed a 2027 fee law that raises the Derecho de No Residente to MX$1,158 (about $63), and Senate committees approved it on October 21. The full Senate still has to vote. If it passes, the increase would take effect in 2027, so tickets bought now for travel next year may show slightly higher taxes. The cruise fee is also scheduled to rise, to US$15 on July 1, 2027 and US$21 on August 1, 2028.

Visitax: Quintana Roo's tourist tax

Visitax is a state charge on foreign visitors to Quintana Roo, the state that holds Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Holbox and Bacalar. It's set at 2.5 UMA (a Mexican indexing unit that rises every February), which works out to about MX$290 (about $16) per person in 2026; the payment page shows the exact amount. You pay once per visit, not per day.

• Who pays: every foreign tourist, according to the official site's FAQ, which lists no age exemption and no separate child rate. Some local reports say children under 15 are exempt. The payment form will calculate the total for your group, so enter everyone and let it decide.
• Where to pay: only at visitax.gob.mx, the state tax agency's site. You can pay for up to 10 travelers in one transaction with each person's name and passport number.
• When: any time before you leave Quintana Roo. Many people pay online from the hotel on their first night.
• Proof: each traveler gets a QR code. Screenshot them. If you lose them, the site's "recover your receipt" option lets you download them again with your passport number, for at least a year after departure.
• Cozumel and cruises: the tax applies no matter how you leave, including flights out of Cozumel. Cruise passengers pay a separate per-passenger state charge through the cruise line instead.

Enforcement has been patchy since the tax began in 2021. Cancún airport has had state tax staff doing spot checks before security, asking travelers without a receipt to pay on the spot. In December 2025, travelers at the Terminal 2 module reported being charged MX$525 (about $29) per person, close to double the official rate. Paying online in advance takes two minutes and avoids that entirely. In late 2025 the state tried to make hotels collect Visitax starting in 2026 but withdrew the plan after the hotel industry objected, so for now it's still up to you.

Island, park and hotel fees

On top of Visitax, several Quintana Roo municipalities, Cancún among them, charge a small environmental sanitation fee (derecho de saneamiento ambiental) per occupied room per night, which hotels add to your bill. It's legitimate and should appear as an itemized line. If a front desk asks for a cash "tourist tax" with no receipt, ask for the official receipt.

Protected areas run by Mexico's park agency, CONANP, charge a wristband (brazalete) fee. You'll pay it for the reefs off Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, the whale shark zone near Holbox and Isla Mujeres, Espíritu Santo island near La Paz, Cabo Pulmo, and the gray whale lagoons in Baja California Sur. Reputable tour operators include it and hand you the wristband; if yours doesn't, ask. The outdoors guide covers those trips.

Ferry fares can carry local charges too: tickets from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel include a Playa del Carmen environmental fee, and Isla Mujeres levies a municipal environmental charge that ferry companies collect or flag when you book. Details are on our islands page.

Visitax isn't the only state visitor fee. Since July 1, 2025, Baja California Sur (Los Cabos, La Paz, Todos Santos) has charged foreign visitors over 12 who stay at least one night a fee marketed as "Embrace It": MX$488 (about $27) per person in 2026, paid online through the state's official site. See Los Cabos for how it works.

When you compare hotel prices, check whether the rate includes the 16% IVA and the state lodging tax. In Mexico, many booking sites and resorts show prices before taxes, and the difference on a week-long stay is large. Where to stay goes through resort fees and taxes in detail.

Children and minors

Mexican rules for children depend on the child's nationality, and this is where families get confused.

US-citizen children (not Mexican citizens)

A child who is only a US citizen needs a passport book to fly, the same as an adult. Mexico does not require a parental consent form for foreign minors entering or leaving as tourists. The State Department still recommends that any adult traveling with a child bring a copy of the child's birth certificate or other proof of the relationship, and a consent letter from any parent who isn't traveling.

Airlines are the wild card. Agents on some carriers, especially at Mexican airports, ask for a letter when a child travels with one parent, grandparents or a group. The law may not require it, but the agent controls the boarding pass.

• A signed letter from the absent parent (or both parents, if neither is traveling) giving permission for the trip, with dates, destination and the traveling adult's name. Have it notarized; it costs little and removes doubts.
• A copy of the absent parent's passport or driver's license, with a phone number.
• The child's birth certificate (a copy is fine), which shows who the parents are.
• Custody papers or a death certificate if one parent has sole custody or has died.
• If the child has a different last name from the traveling adult, all of the above, without fail.

Children who are Mexican citizens, including dual nationals

This is the strict case. A child who is a Mexican citizen, including a US-born child with a Mexican parent who has been registered as Mexican, or a child who lives in Mexico as a resident, needs written permission from both parents to leave Mexico without them. INM's form for this is the SAM (Formato de Salida de Menores). It has to be filled out, printed and signed in front of a Mexican notary, or at a Mexican consulate if you're in the US, and shown to the immigration officer when the child leaves. The State Department warns that Mexican authorities have stopped minors who didn't have it.

The rule applies to leaving Mexico, so the problem shows up on the way home, at the airport or the land border. If your child holds or could claim Mexican nationality, sort out the SAM before the trip.

What you can bring into Mexico

After immigration you collect your bags and go through Mexican customs (aduana). At airports everything goes through an X-ray, and some travelers are pulled aside for a bag check. Most tourists are waved through in minutes.

Your duty-free allowance

Beyond your personal luggage (clothes, toiletries, a phone, a laptop, a camera and the like), each traveler can bring goods worth up to US$500 duty-free when arriving by air or sea, and up to US$300 when arriving by land. The allowance is per person, children included. The State Department notes that used goods and items you're bringing as gifts or donations count, and that one laptop per person is generally duty-free while extra devices may be charged.

Goods over the allowance should be declared. Customs charges a flat rate on the excess (the State Department cites 19%). If you're bringing anything that looks like inventory, such as a dozen new phones, boxed electronics for relatives or suitcases of brand-new clothes with tags, expect questions and possible duty.

Cash

Carrying more than US$10,000, or the equivalent in pesos or other currencies, travelers' checks and similar instruments, must be declared when you enter and again when you leave. It's legal to carry. Failing to declare it can mean seizure. The US has the same US$10,000 reporting threshold on your way home.

Medicines

• Bring medicines in their original labeled containers with a copy of the prescription, in quantities that make sense for your trip.
• Some drugs that are over-the-counter or routine in the US are controlled in Mexico. The State Department gives pseudoephedrine, the decongestant in Sudafed, as an example, and warns that travelers have been arrested even with a doctor's letter.
• Controlled prescriptions such as strong painkillers, benzodiazepines and stimulant ADHD drugs deserve extra care. Amphetamine-based ADHD drugs such as Adderall are not sold in Mexico. If you depend on one, contact the nearest Mexican consulate before you travel and ask what documentation they recommend.
• Marijuana, including medical marijuana and CBD or THC products legal in your US state, is illegal to import into Mexico.

Mexican pharmacies are useful, but the State Department warns that counterfeit pills, some containing fentanyl, have been sold in pharmacies in tourist areas. See our health guide before buying anything there, and bringing things home for US limits on medicine bought in Mexico.

Vapes and e-cigarettes

Mexico banned the sale of vapes and e-cigarettes, and the State Department lists them as illegal to import. Leave yours at home; customs officers can confiscate them.

Drones

You can bring a personal drone, though customs may count a new, boxed one toward your allowance. Flying it is another matter. Mexico's civil aviation agency (AFAC) regulates drones, generally requiring registration for models over about half a pound (250 g), and bans flights near airports and over crowds. Archaeological sites run by INAH, and many protected natural areas, prohibit drones without a permit. Launch one over Chichén Itzá or Tulum's ruins and expect it to be confiscated.

Food, plants and pets

Mexico's agricultural inspectors (SENASICA) restrict fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and plants. Packaged snacks are fine. Don't pack an apple or a sandwich from home. Dogs and cats are inspected by SENASICA on arrival. Our pets guide covers the paperwork, airline rules and what happens at the airport.

Firearms and ammunition: the one rule never to break

Mexico has some of the strictest gun laws in the Americas, and this is the single most common way Americans end up in a Mexican prison. Bringing a firearm or even ammunition into Mexico without a permit from the Mexican government is a serious federal crime. The penalties include long prison terms and large fines. US concealed-carry permits mean nothing in Mexico.

The Americans who end up jailed are rarely smugglers. They're hunters, ranchers and boaters who forgot a few rounds under a truck seat, in a range bag or in a tackle box, found during a routine customs inspection.

• Before you drive south, empty the vehicle completely: under and between seats, door pockets, the glove box, the truck bed, the toolbox, the camper.
• Check backpacks, range bags, hunting jackets and fishing tackle for loose rounds and spent casings.
• Check boats, RVs and trailers the same way.
• Leave knives other than ordinary kitchen or pocket knives at home. The State Department notes that many knives and swords are illegal to carry, as are fireworks.

Legal hunting trips need advance permits from Mexico's defense ministry, arranged through an outfitter months ahead. If you're arrested, contact the nearest US consulate. It can't get you released, but it can check on your treatment and give you a list of lawyers.

Coming back into the US

Documents

Flying home, you need your passport book. By land or sea, adults can use a passport book, passport card, trusted traveler card (SENTRI, Global Entry or NEXUS) or an enhanced driver's license from a state that issues them. US-citizen children under 16 entering by land or sea can show a birth certificate instead. Our border guide has the full list for land crossings.

REAL ID

You do not need a REAL ID to fly to or from Mexico. Your passport is the identity document for international flights. REAL ID enforcement, which started in May 2025, applies to domestic flights and federal buildings, and your passport book satisfies it there too. If your itinerary includes a separate domestic flight before or after Mexico, bring your passport and you're covered.

Faster ways through CBP

• Global Entry. The fee is US$120 for five years, and it includes TSA PreCheck. Members use facial recognition kiosks or touchless portals at US airports and usually skip the regular line. Each family member needs a membership, but children under 18 pay no fee when a parent or guardian applies at the same time or is already a member. Apply through CBP's Trusted Traveler Programs site; many US airports offer Enrollment on Arrival, which lets you do the interview when you land from an international trip.
• Mobile Passport Control (MPC). A free CBP app for US citizens. After you land, you enter your trip, take a selfie and answer the customs questions, then use the separate MPC line. One person can submit for a family of up to 12. It's available at most large US international airports and is often the fastest free option.
• SENTRI. The land-border trusted traveler program. It gives you dedicated lanes at southern border crossings and also includes Global Entry kiosk access and TSA PreCheck. It's the better choice if you cross by car often. See the border guide.

What CBP cares about

US customs rules are covered in detail in shopping and bringing things home. The quick version:

• Each returning resident can usually bring US$800 in goods duty-free if you've been out of the country at least 48 hours, and much less on shorter trips.
• Declare all food, plants and animal products. Many Mexican fruits and meats are prohibited, and undeclared items can mean a fine.
• Alcohol and tobacco have their own limits, and some border states set lower limits for land crossers.
• Prescription drugs bought in Mexico are limited to personal-use amounts, and controlled substances have tight rules.
• Cuban cigars bought in Mexico can't be brought into the US.

Fake permit and tax websites

Because the FMM and Visitax are both handled online, they attract copycat websites that look official, sit at the top of search results, and charge several times the real price. Some never deliver anything at all.

• Fake Visitax sites. Quintana Roo's government has identified around 20 fraudulent sites charging MX$500 or more. The only official one is visitax.gob.mx.
• "Mexico tourist card" and FMM agencies. Commercial sites with names that include "Mexico tourist card" or "FMM" will fill out the free government form for you and charge a service fee. Air travelers don't need to buy anything at all, because the FMM is issued at the airport and the fee is in your ticket. Land travelers should use INM's own site at inm.gob.mx.
• "Visa," "ETA" or "health pass" sites. US citizens don't need a visa, an electronic travel authorization or any health registration to visit Mexico. Any site selling one to you is a scam.
• Airport "agents." People who approach you in arrivals offering help with immigration or "the tourist tax" are not officials, who work behind counters, in uniform. Timeshare sellers also pose as transportation desks there; see arriving at Cancún and Los Cabos.

Pre-trip checklist

• Passport book valid for your whole trip with a comfortable margin, and one blank page. Passport card only if you're crossing by land or cruising and will not fly.
• Return or onward ticket and hotel address saved on your phone for the immigration officer.
• Driving or walking past the border zone: electronic FMM from inm.gob.mx, printed, and a plan for where to get it stamped.
• Quintana Roo trip: Visitax paid at visitax.gob.mx and QR codes saved.
• Kids traveling without both parents: consent letter, birth certificate copy and, for Mexican-citizen children, the notarized SAM form.
• Prescription medicines in original containers with copies of prescriptions.
• Vehicle and bags checked for ammunition, casings and weapons. No vapes.
• Mexican auto insurance and, if needed, a vehicle import permit; see driving in Mexico.
• Enrolled in the State Department's free STEP program so you get alerts from the US Embassy.
• Global Entry, or the Mobile Passport Control app downloaded, for the trip home.

For the bigger picture of planning your first trip, start with planning basics, then check safety by state and money.