When going to Mexico, familiarize yourself with the customs rules for importing personal goods for temporary stay in the Mexican United States.
When crossing the border, the luggage of 25% of travelers, selected at random, is checked for compliance with customs regulations and rules for the import of funds. When going through Mexican customs, you will have to fill out a customs declaration. If you are importing any valuables, do not forget to indicate them in the declaration. Otherwise, customs officers may have questions about why valuables were not declared, and even if you are not carrying anything criminal, the investigation will take time.
You are allowed to import into Mexico:
- Goods for personal use, such as clothing, including bridal clothing, shoes, cosmetics and care products, provided that the quantity is commensurate with the duration of the trip, children's items such as a chair, portable crib, stroller, walker, etc., including accessories.
This also means goods and gifts worth no more than $300 upon each entry to Mexico.
If you are traveling as a family, the cost of imported goods is determined per family at the rate of $300 per family member.
Additionally, throughout the year, you have the opportunity to import goods, except your luggage, in the amount of up to $500 for each family member, except cigarettes, alcohol and motor fuel. This is the so-called May franchise. For example, you enter Mexico several times a year, then during the year each family member has the right to import goods to Mexico worth no more than ($300 x number of entries) + $500.
However, you will have to prove that you are carrying goods with a total value exceeding $300 for personal consumption. Otherwise, you will have to pay 16% customs duty on goods tariff exceeding $300. For cigarettes and alcohol, the duty is much higher — see below. In addition, you will have to prove the tariff of the goods accompanied by receipts or invoices, otherwise customs officers will determine the cost according to their own rules.
- Two cameras or two video recorders, materials for photography; three portable mobile phones or other devices using wireless networks; one global positioning system (GPS); one electronic notebook; one laptop computer — laptop, notebook, omnibook or similar; one portable copier or printer; one gas burner; one portable projector with accessories.
- Two pieces of sports equipment, four fishing rods, three waterboards with or without sails, as well as accessories, etc., provided that they can be carried by the passenger in the usual way.
- One portable device for audio recording or playback or mixing; or two items for recording or playing digital audio and video, portable DVD player; a set of portable speakers and accessories for them.
- Five laserdiscs, 10 DVDs, 30 CDs, three software packages and five storage devices for any electronic equipment.
- Books, magazines and printed documents.
- Five game items (toys), including collectibles and a video game console, and five video games.
- One blood pressure machine and one — to measure the level of glucose or other substances and reagents, and in addition to this medicine for personal use (if a medical prescription must be provided for psychotropic substances).
- Suitcases, bags, chests or any other item required for the carriage of luggage.
- Binoculars and telescope.
- Two musical instruments and their accessories.
- Tent and other camping items.
- A set of hand tools with their own packaging, which may include drills, clamps, wrenches, screwdrivers, cables, etc.
- Passengers over 18 years of age have the right to import a maximum of:
- 10 packs of cigarettes, 25 cigars or 200 grams of tobacco,
- up to 3 liters of strong alcoholic drinks or up to 6 liters of wine.
Please note that «10 packs» means 10 packs, not 200 cigarettes. It does not matter whether cigarettes or alcohol were purchased at a duty-free shop at the departure airport.
At the same time It is prohibited to import electronic cigarettes and vipers, including liquids, mixtures and elements for them. Of course, no one will check your luggage to detect electronic cigarettes.
In the difference from goods prohibited for import, cigarettes and alcohol in an amount exceeding the quantity allowed for import are not confiscated. Instead, you will have to pay an import duty penalty of up to 500%, which is often several times higher than the cost of the cigarettes themselves.
- Elderly people and people with disabilities, according to their indications, can import items such as walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, canes and others.
Cash
When entering or leaving Mexico, any citizen carrying with him any amount exceeding 10,000 US dollars in equivalent, in the form of:
- cash,
- national or foreign checks,
- means of payment,
- any other monetary instrument payable, securities,
- combinations of the means of payment listed above
is obliged to report them to the customs authorities as follows:
- Upon entering the country — present a customs declaration for those entering from abroad
- Upon departure — declaration of money for departing passengers.
At the same time, a Declaration of the origin or receipt of funds or securities must be provided.
Food and biomaterials
To Mexico forbidden import:
- Most types of foods are of live origin
Restrictions do not apply to types of products, but to the country of origin.
We devote a detailed discussion to restrictions on the import of meat, fish and dairy products to Mexico article.
Least «risky» looks like the import of canned meat (except beef), fish and fish products. Under any circumstances, imported products must have intact industrial packaging and appropriate labeling.
- Products of plant origin, fresh (fruits, vegetables, herbs) and canned
- Various cereals and some types of nuts
- Priming
- Live flowers and plants, cuttings, seeds and plant spores
At the same time, it is not prohibited to import instant cereals, grain granules and flakes, in other words, highly processed grain products. Generally, allowed import the following products of plant origin:
- Dried vegetables or fruits in packages with closed lids
- Roasted coffee in closed packages
- Cashew nuts (marannon), pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, shelled walnuts only
- Paraguayan tea, mate
- Spices: vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, melegetian pepper (amomo), cardamom, anise, coriander, fennel, ginger, saffron, turmeric, thyme, bay leaf, curry, etc.
- Medicinal herbs, dry only
- Cereal flour
- Granulated cereals (porridges, flakes, etc.)
- Vegetable or oilseed flour
- Tobacco, no more than 200 gr.
- Ikines (palm fruits for religious purposes), no more than 40 pieces
Most often, attention is paid to fresh and perishable food products. If you bring fresh apples, they will take them from you, but they are unlikely to pay attention to a jar of jam. No fines for carrying «prohibited» There is no food, they are simply confiscated.
Amiga y amigo paisano, antes de viajar a #México consulta la Guía #Verano2018 donde podrás encontrar una lista detallada de los alimentos que no puedes ingresar al país. t.co/NQMn612paXpic.twitter.com/E5L1K0RbMl
— INM (@INAMI_mx) July 25, 2018
More information — on the website SAGARPA (Mexico Ministry of Agriculture).
Payment of fines and fees
If you are subject to baggage inspection, Mexican border officials will review your customs declaration before your items are inspected. If you have not entered information about goods that are prohibited or restricted for import to Mexico, but you find such goods, or have entered inaccurate information, this may be regarded as fraud, which will result in an increase in the amount of fines.
Of course, we are talking only about significant violations: transportation of excess cigarettes, alcohol or goods worth a significant amount. Any sausage or cereal found is simply taken from you without any consequences.
For serious violations of the rules for importing goods for personal consumption to Mexico, Mexican customs have the right to charge fines and duties. For example, when importing more cigarettes than allowed, you will have to choose what to pay: a fine or a duty. The amounts will vary.
You will not be able to refuse to pay fines or duties assessed by customs, since this means you will not be allowed into Mexico.
Payment can only be made with a bank card; cash is not accepted. In the most extreme case, if there is no option to pay with a card from, customs officers have the opportunity to provide an invoice for payment in cash through a bank branch. In this case, your luggage remains as a deposit at customs, you are released into the city, where you are required to pay the invoice within 24 hours. Only after this will your luggage be returned and your entry into the country completed.
Arguing with customs officials is useless and even harmful!
Import of domestic animals from
We wrote about the rules for importing domestic animals to Mexico in this article.
You can import up to three live pets at the same time without paying additional fees.
It is prohibited to import into Mexico:
- Narcotics and psychotropic drugs.
- Medicines.
This means that the import of medications is prohibited, the need for which for your health is difficult to determine without documentary evidence. They may ask you for your medical card or doctor's prescription.
Read more about the import of medicines to Mexico is written in this article.
- Live fish and predators. For the import of live species other than dogs and cats, special permission must be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture of Mexico.
- The national currency of Mexico in an amount exceeding 10,000 US dollars.
- Any pornographic publications, videos, ffromo, films of obscene content.
Apart from this, it is prohibited to import weapons to Mexico, unless they are registered in the country and you have the appropriate documents.
Full list of restrictions — cmfromrite here.
It is prohibited to export from Mexico:
- Rare living creatures and birds, reptiles and reptiles, etc.
- Skins and stuffed animals made from them, parts of the body.
- Other living objects of the living and plant world and their remains (for example, shells and corals).
Despite this ban, processed shellfish shells are sold in souvenir shops at Mexican airports.
- Archaeological finds and values
- Antiques
- Drugs, psychotropic drugs, explosives, weapons, etc.
More information — on the site SAT (Mexico Tax Administration Service).
In addition, check out the general entry requirements to Mexico for travelers.