If you are going to cross the maritime border of Mexico, in particular, for sea fishing on your own yacht, we would like to familiarize you with the basic rules for completing migration procedures.
All foreign citizens who:
- are planning to enter Mexico by sea
- for recreation, fishing, sports, water sports activities, etc., without carrying out commercial activities
- placed on board a non-commercial (private) boat, yacht, catamaran, etc.
To obtain a permit to enter Mexico and undergo immigration procedures, you must follow the following general scheme.
1. In advance, prior to arrival in Mexican territorial waters, that is, no closer than 12 nautical miles from the coast, the person in charge of the ship must create a list of passengers and crew members on board. The list is generated only by the person responsible for the vessel and only in the proposed MSExcel format:download
There are no age restrictions for passengers.
2. In the Excel file, required fields are marked with asterisks. A number of fields should be selected from drop-down lists, since the values you must clearly correspond to the proposed ones.
Instructions for filling out the Excel file:
2. The name of the Excel file must follow the following pattern: PORT_ARV_YYYYMMDD_VESSEL.xls, where PORT — port of arrival or departure, ARV or DEP — arrival or departure, YYYY — year, MM — month, DD — day, VESSEL — name of the vessel. In particular, ICZ_ARV_20200513_SEAQUEEN.xls.
4. You must pay the immigration fee for each passenger and crew member online on the State Bank pageBanjersito. The site is also in English, filling out the fields is not difficult.
You must select the “non-commercial visitors” option, specify the details of the person in charge, the vessel, the Mexican port of destination, the date of arrival and planned departure and the total number of people on board. The system will generate the amount and offer to pay it with a bank card.
The immigration fee for each foreigner entering the country for 2026 reaches 922 MXN.
After payment, a PDF file will be generated which should be saved.
4. The completed Excel file and confirmation of payment of the immigration fee must be sent by email to the National Institute of Migration based on the port of destination. The ports and email addresses of the migration service in each of them are given below.
In addition, you have the right to indicate additional information in the body of the letter.
5. It is recommended to start the process of completing migration papers before you leave the docking station. You should remain outside Mexican territorial waters until you receive a response from the Mexican Immigration Service. Failure to comply with this rule may result in you being asked to leave Mexican waters and the process of acquiring immigration documents will be delayed.
6. The National Institute of Migration will inform the sender by email about the entry permission or denial for each passenger or crew member listed. Approved passengers will be granted migration status «Visitor without permission to carry out paid activities» (guest of the state) for the requested period, but not more than 180 days and without the possibility of multiple entry and exit.
This material will also be transferred to the Navy (SEMAR) and the Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) of Mexico.
7. If visitors do not intend to go ashore, they may not issue an FMM migration card. Otherwise, it must be obtained from the office of the National Institute of Migration at the port of arrival. It will give the right to move freely around the country within the period specified in it.
A permit for the temporary import of a boat, fishing licenses (if required) and port fees are paid separately.
List of ports and email addresses of the National Institute of Migration of Mexico
Baja California
- Ensenada
- Bahía Colonet
- Costa Azul
- El Sauzal
- Rosarito
Baja California Sur
- Santa Rosalía
- Santa María
- Isla San Marcos
- Isla Cedros
- Guerrero Negro
- La Paz
- Pichilingue
- Punta Prieta
- San Juan de la Costa
- Cabo San Lucas
- Puerto Escondido
- San Carlos
Campeche
- Campeche
- Seybaplaya
- Lerma
- San Francisco
- (Puerto Campeche)
- Isla del Carmen
- Takuntah
- Cayo Arcas
- Yuum K’ Ak Naab
Chiapas
- Puerto Chiapas
Colima
- Manzanillo
Guerrero
- Acapulco
- Puerto Marqués
- Zihuatanejo
- Ixtapa
- Vicente Guerrero
Jalisco
- Puerto Vallarta
- Barra de Navidad
Michoacán
- Lázaro Cárdenas
Nayarit
- Nuevo Vallarta
Oaxaca
- Bahías de Huatulco
- Salina Cruz
Quintana Roo
- Playa del Carmen
- Puerto Aventuras
- Punta Venado o Punta Calica
- Isla Cozumel
- Cancún
- Puerto Morelos
- Puerto Juárez
- Isla Mujeres
- Chetumal (Muelle Fiscal)
- Majahual
Sinaloa
- Mazatlán
- El Sábalo
- Topolobampo
Sonora
- Puerto de Guaymas
- Puerto Peñasco
Tabasco
- Dos Bocas
- Frontera
Tamaulipas
- Altamira
- Tampico
- El Mezquital
Veracruz
- Veracruz
- Tuxpan
- Coatzacoalcos
- Minatitlán
- Pajaritos
Yucatán
- Las Coloradas
- Progreso
- Yukalpetén