Here are some things you need to know when you decide to drive across the Mexican border. It’s easy when you know how.
Whether you are driving or flying into Mexico, you will need:
- Proof of citizenship
- As of 2007 you need to have a valid passport to enter Mexico (exception – there is a 25-mile area close to the border where this isn’t necessary). As of January 23, 2007, ALL PERSONS traveling by air outside of the United States are required to present a passport to re-enter the United States so you will also need the passport to get back into the United States.
- With proof of citizenship, you will be able to obtain your Visitors Visa (FMM)
- If you are flying, you will receive the FMM form to fill out from the flight attendant just before you land which you will show when you pass through customs (aduanas) at the airport, along with your proof of citizenship. They will stamp it and give it back to you.
- If you are driving, you will get the FMM at the immigration check-point after your cross the border.
- Do not throw it away—you need it to leave the country. Keep it with your Passport.
Permit for Your Vehicle
In addition to obtaining the FMM (Visitor’s visa) at Immigration when you cross the border, you will also need to obtain a permit for your vehicle. Note! Make absolutely certain that you stop at and obtain your vehicle permit, otherwise your car will not be legal.
- You will require the following (Originals plus 2 copies you can make copies there but faster to bring your own):
- Vehicle Registration or Title document
- Credit card
- Your card will be charged a fee of $27 U.S. (as of Jan 06) for the permit, but it also guarantees you will take the vehicle out of Mexico before or at the time of expiry.
- Drivers License
- Picture ID (We recommend you bring your Passport. You don’t need to get into Mexico, but you do need it to get back into the United States)
- IMPORTANT! All documentation MUST be in the same name.
- Once you obtain the vehicle permit, they will place or give you a hologram sticker for the windshield of your car which is proof that your car is legal.
- Then you will need to stop at the Aduanas office (25 km in from the border crossing at Laredo crossing). This is where you get the red or green light. Good luck!
- If you are coming into Mexico on an FMM, your vehicle permit will be valid ONLY for six months, the maximum length of time you can obtain a Visitor’s Visa. It is not possible to extend the FMM and you will need to leave the country after the allowed 180 days.
- If you plan to stay longer, you should go to the Mexican consulate closest to where you live and obtain a pre-authorization for a Temporary or Permanent resident visa. Once approved they will stamp in your passport. The pre-authorization is good for 180 days with 1 entry to Mexico allowed. Once you enter Mexico, during that 180 day period, you have only 30 days from the date of entry to attend at the Immigration Office at your destination and apply for your resident visa card. As long as you are legal in Mexico, your vehicle is legal.
Important NOTE! On occasion people accidentally drive all the way to Lake Chapala with just a Visitor’s Visa for themselves and no permit for the car. We have heard several stories where these people drove all the way back to the border (two days drive there and two days drive back) to get the vehicle permit so their car would be legal during their stay in.
Crossing the Mexican Border & Customs
It’s a game of chance!
What to Expect at Mexican Immigration and Customs
You will get either a green light to pass without inspection or a red light, which means a customs officer will inspect your luggage and may ask if you have firearms, drugs, certain electronics and other items that are not allowed or cannot be imported duty-free. Don’t worry. It is a simple procedure.
Many people are intimidated at the prospect of going through an inspection and therefore are paranoid about getting the red light. You guessed it. If you are focused on not getting the red light, invariably you will get red.
Our advice – think green and be calm. In our years of living in Mexico, we have traveled a lot, both by air and car and perhaps only once or twice have we got the red light. We think green and it works.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPT TO BRING GUNS OR DRUGS INTO MEXICO. There is ZERO TOLERANCE.
Visitor’s Permit – FMM Fee
- Mexico charges a fee to all tourists and business visitors arriving in the country. The fee is approximately US$22, and the money collected is handed to the Tourism Ministry to promote Mexican tourism.
- Airlines normally collect the permit fee on behalf of the Mexican government and include the cost within the total airfare (under ‘taxes and surcharges’) so in the majority of cases, there will be no need for you to pay the fee separately.
Although it is not difficult to drive into and through Mexico once you know the correct procedures, many people prefer to fly in the first time and learn all the nuances and then they feel more comfortable driving the next time. Of course, we will be the first to tell you the best way to get all the accurate information and total peace of mind is to first take the Focus on Mexico program, after which you’ll feel very confident knowing you have all the information, knowledge and experience to handle most any situation, plus you’ll have our personal phone number to contact us should you run into trouble along the way.
(Note! If you have already booked on our program and plan to drive down, please let us know and we can send you travel information in advance. Email us at info@focusonmexico.com
Happy Traveling!
We recently drove into Mexico through Laredo, we hired a Mexican driver with knowledge, we thought, of all procedures and processes. She did not stop and obtain an FMM for us or have our passports stamped. We had received a visa permanente at the consulate in Denver , but when we came to San Miguel and attempted to get our permanent visa, we were told we had to go back to Laredo and get the FMM and visa stamp is this correct?
Hello Arlene, yes that is correct. You need to have your FMM and visa stamp occur at the border (when driving) so there is a record of when you entered the country. Unfortunate lesson to be learned – don’t assume what you hear is correct unless it is coming from a relevant reputable source. (BTW, I just confirmed this with an immigration lawyer – as things are always changing.) So another lesson is, ensure your info is updated. Michael
Hello Arlene
My husband and I are about to take the exact same drive from Denver to SMA. Would love to hear more about your experiences before we embark on this journey.
After they inspect my passport, is there a possibility of rejection? Is the passport used for tracking? What happens if I stay too long in Mexico?
If you have a valid passport, you should not have any risk of rejection. Assuming you are entering as a tourist, just make sure that the passport does not expire say within 6 months of entering as this would extend beyond the 180 day tourist visit that nearly everyone gets when visiting Mexico. Passports are just needed for the normal border crossing to any country and is proof of your identity. If you accidentally stay beyond your tourist visa, you should get help for an immigration lawyer to help you avoid problems when leaving the country. You really should not plan on staying longer than your 180 days – or if you want to stay longer, start your application for Temporary or Permanent Residency visa at your nearest Mexican embassy to your current place of residence.
You mention a permit for your vehichle, what about motorcycles? Do we need a vehicle permit as well? I also hear we could get the FMM form online now. Is this correct? We are planning on crossing the border in February 2018 on our motorcycles.
Hi,
Motorcycles would have the same process at the border as cars, so yes, you need a permit.
You can get the vehicle permit in advance. See the info here; http://www.sat.gob.mx/aduanas/vehiculos/importacion_temporal/Paginas/aspectos_generales_ingles.aspx
However, you need to get your FMM at the border.
Happy travels!
Michael
I am soon to take the trip tbrougb nogales internatiional border and just curious how long does the process take to cross from start ro finish? Thenks
Hi Manuel,
That would depend on the day and time of day, whether you get flagged for further screening and other factors – so hard to pin down! Can any other readers with recent experience that can relate the time it took?
I will be going to my MX embassy this week to start application for my VISA temporale. I understand I must stop at the N.Laredo Immigrations office for my FMM. You mention a second stop at the “Aduanas office 25 km from the Laredo border”. I’m not familiar with that stop at all. Is it on the highway? Where is it? How do I find it? Thank you for your help.
Yes, on the highway – around 21 – 25 KM from the border. It’s a “red-light or green-light” customs and immigration (Migración and Aduana) checkpoint booth. Just have your documents ready. In case you get a red light it is usually only a short check of your documents and vehicle VIN# and then you are off.
We are going from Canada to Mexico and this is our 1st time driving. We are going to cross into Mexico at Columbia and was wondering where the second stop would be to get the red or green light like in Aduanas office?
Here’s a link to a description of the process: https://www.cavetexas.org/mexico/PDF/ColumbiaCrossingcroped-2.pdf
Hi,
Can we drive into the 25 mile zone/Baja without showing any documents for the car at the border? I am still waiting for the title and want to make a short trip to Baja in the car.
Thanks!
Hi Oliver,
Here is a recently updated site that covers this topic;
https://www.bajabound.com/before/permits/faq.php
Cheers,
Michael
We will be pulling a trailer this time and are wondering what is required. MN doesn’t require license plates here anymore. What paperwork do we need for the trailer? Any other advice is appreciated.
The requirements for bringing a trailer into Mexico are similar to those for bringing a car in with some additional stipulations. What you will need will also be informed by how long you plan to stay and the size of your trailer. See this post by MexPro for more information https://www.mexpro.com/mexico/rv-vehicle-import-permit.html
You also need Mexican auto insurance when driving in Mexico. Most US policies will not cover you across the border and Mexico has it’s own system and insurers. A liability only policy is the minimum requirement but you can opt for full coverage as well. This applies to all motorcycles, passenger vehicles, RV’s and towed units (which are often automatically covered by your vehicle’s policy).