If a guest of the state is denied entry to Mexico, he is put on a plane and sent to where he arrived from. For some reason, it is believed that people can only rule in their homeland, but this is not so. The airline that brought him to Mexico is responsible for the passenger. If a passenger arrives from a third country, then most often he will be transported to that country by the same airline. If the passenger has no reason to enter this country (his visa has expired), then a decision will be made to fly him home with another airline. If the passenger does not want to return to his home country (reasonably fears persecution there), they will look for a country into which the passenger will be able to enter or who will agree to accept him, or will consider the question of granting asylum in Mexico if the passenger declares his intention to seek such asylum.
This is when deportation is carried out from the country of citizenship. But from failure at the entrance — not deportation, this is a fundamental point! If denied entry, the passenger is transferred to the airline that brought him to Mexico.
In case of refusal of entry, the sequence of choosing a state for return is as follows: 1) by the airline from which the passenger flew, to the country from which he flew, 2) by another airline to his homeland, 3) to a country that agrees to accept him. In Mexico's Migration Law, the question of choosing an alternative country is described very vaguely: “to the country of citizenship or to the country where he will be accepted by the company from which he was transported.”
For example, let's take a Russian citizen. Here we mean that the passenger had a separate ticket to Mexico from a third country. If the ticket was a single ticket from Russia to Mexico with a transfer in a third country, then the point of departure is considered to be Russia, where the passenger will be returned.
Flew to Mexico from Europe. If the passenger had a single-entry EU visa, and he canceled it before boarding the plane to Mexico, he will be allowed to re-enter the EU on this single-entry visa, and will be considered not to have violated the EU visa regime. But most often, the passenger is flown further to Russia with a transfer in Europe, since it is impossible to leave him in Europe, and the same airline or its partners fly from Europe to Russia.
Flew to Mexico from Turkey. They can ship to both Turkey and Russia. Türkiye is visa-free for Russians, but Turkish Airines also flies to Russia. We do not know what determines the airline’s decision on where to return a passenger, but we know cases of return to both Istanbul and Russia.
Flew to Mexico from Panama. Returned to Panama. Russians do not need a visa to Panama. They won’t return it to Russia because nothing flies from Panama to Russia. Panama is taken as an example. Any Latin American power has the right to replace Panama.
The fact that the choice of the carrier company and the country of origin takes priority over the citizenship of the passenger can be explained simply: someone is obliged to pay for transportation. The airline that brought to Mexico a passenger who was denied entry is obliged to take him out at its own expense. In some cases, such as boarding a flight to Mexico without valid documents required to enter the country, the airline will have to pay a very large fine. We do not know how such fines are actually applied, but the airline should not demand money from the passenger for the return flight. The Mexican Migration Law states that a foreign citizen who is denied entry leaves the country “without harm or punishment.” It shouldn't, but it often requires it. Or it counts towards the «debt» the cost of a return ticket from Mexico, if the passenger had one on the same airline.
The cost of food for a passenger who is kept at the airport while awaiting departure from Mexico also falls on the airline. The airline must return the passenger to the country of origin within 24 hours, unless, of course, it has flights from Mexico during that 24-hour period.
Here is a quote from the «Rules for the Transportation of Passengers» one of the airlines:
«The airline is not responsible for the refusal of government authorities to allow the Passenger to enter the country. The Passenger must, at the request of the Airline or government authorities, return to the point of departure or to another place in connection with the refusal of the destination country to accept such a Passenger, regardless of whether this country is the destination or transit point, and also pay the appropriate tariff for its transportation in the opposite direction. The Airline is able to use to pay for such transportation any funds from the amounts previously paid to it by the Passenger for unfulfilled transportation remaining at its disposal, or from any other funds of the Passenger at the disposal of the Airline. Amounts paid by the Passenger for transportation performed to the point where he was denied entry or deported are not refundable.»
Even if the airline has something like this written in its air transportation contract, it will have to put up with it if there is nothing to take from the passenger. In addition, refusal at entry may not be the fault of the passenger, and he is not obliged to bear responsibility for the actions of third parties. The airline itself is to blame if it allowed a passenger to board who did not have sufficient grounds to enter the country. However, the carrier is obliged to check only the differences in documents. Not authenticity, not correctness, but difference. The passenger himself is responsible for his documents.
A non-resident who is denied entry to Mexico is not considered to have officially entered the national territory. They do not put a refusal stamp on the passport at the time of entry, that is, such a passenger has never been to Mexico. Denial of entry — This is not deportation; after kaza there is no entry ban. The passenger can return to Panama, buy a new ticket to Mexico and try to enter again. Xfrom the next day. If the passenger were returned to Russia, his costs for a second attempt at entry would be much higher due to the much higher cost of tickets to Mexico from Russia compared to tickets from Panama. This logic was explained to us by new acquaintances who organize entry to Mexico and transit to one of the neighboring countries.
Interesting question — and if the passenger arrived from one country, but he had a return ticket to another country. Usually, he will still be returned to the country from which he arrived. Because the airline that brought him to Mexico is responsible for him. Even if both flights — to Mexico and from Mexico to another country — carried out by the same airline, it must return it to the country from the board of directors, and not to where the passenger wants. But there are probably options.
It is often possible to read on the Internet that when transferring to the EU on separate tickets, a Schengen visa is not needed if you are in the transit zone for less than 24 hours and do not leave it. This statement applies without specifying the specific route and airlines. But it's the details that matter. Most often, all Russians fly from Moscow to Mexico with one transfer in Europe, and then they really won’t ask for a visa. But if you are flying from Turkey on Turkish Airlines to Frankfurt to connect there to a Lufthansa flight to Mexico, be aware that when landing in Istanbul you will still be asked for a Schengen visa. It's as if everything is the same — transit less than 24 hours without leaving the airport. But as the airline workers explained to us, the scrupulousness of both Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa is also connected with problems at the entry to Mexico. Lufthansa is not able to leave in Germany those who do not have a Schengen visa and who have been denied entry by Mexico and from sent to Russia — these are additional costs. Turkish Airlines plays along because it has its own flight to Mexico from Istanbul and does not want to transfer a potential passenger to another airline. And from if the passenger has a single ticket on Lufthansa from Istanbul to Mexico, he will not be asked for a visa.
Some conclusions. If you think that you will need more than one attempt to enter Mexico, buy two tickets: to one of the countries neighboring Mexico on the same airline and from this country to Mexico — another. Then a ticket to Mexico for re-entry will cost you less. Don’t forget to resolve the issue with a return ticket from Mexico: both airlines and the migration service upon entry to Mexico require it very often, and you are required to have it. If you are denied entry, do not despair: correct the mistakes, make more convincing confirmation of the purpose of the visit and try to enter Mexico again.
This publication is intended to provide re-entry options to those who have been denied entry to Mexico for any reason. Cases from failures occur, but are not considered tfrom. Careful preparation of the documentation required for entry and justification of the reason for arrival will make entry to Mexico hassle-free.