The People's Guide to Mexico by Carl Franz

Author:Carl Franz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Travel
Published: 2012-10-05T16:00:00+00:00

Getting Your Tourist Card

You will be given a multiple-entry tourist card. This allows you to travel back and forth to Mexico during a period of up to 180 days.

The fee for this tourist card is about $30. If you are traveling by air, the fee is included in your plane ticket. If you are going overland, the charge is paid later, at a bank inside Mexico. Be sure the bank stamps your card as paid. If you neglect to pay the tourist card fee at a bank, you could face problems: either when you attempt to leave Mexico, or later when you return for another visit. Mexico is working hard to computerize their immigration system, and loopholes are gradually being closed.

If you drive into Mexico, the vehicle’s owner/driver will get both a multiple-entry tourist card and a vehicle import permit.

If you fly, pay close attention: The fee for your tourist card is included in the price of your ticket. You do not have to pay the fee again at a Mexican bank. But when you fly out of Mexico, your FMM (tourist card) will be taken from you when you check in at the airport. In other words, the tourist card for air travelers is actually not for multiple entries. If you fly from Newark to Acapulco six times a year, you’ll be given a fresh FMM every time—and the fee for each tourist card will be included in your tickets. This doesn’t seem fair, but there is no way around it.

Validation

Validation of the tourist card is very important. For visitors traveling overland, this is done inside Mexico by Migración (a Mexican immigration official), at or just inside the border at a Customs and Immigration station. These facilities are typically 20–30 kilometers (12–19 miles) inside Mexico and mark the division between the border zone and what we’ll call “the real Mexico.”

Tourist cards are dated 90 days from the day of issue. You must begin using the card by this date.

If you fly, your tourist card is validated in the airport when you land. The length of your stay is determined at this point. The length of time you may remain in Mexico is written or typed in the space preceded by the words in Spanish, English and French: “Authorized To Remain In Mexico [number of days] Days From Date of Entry.”

If questioned, always ask for more time than you think you’ll need. Most tourists are given the maximum of 180 days, but some say, “Oh, just give me a 30-day card. I’ll only be here a few weeks.” Then, when they’ve found their dream spot and would like to spend an extra month, their short tourist cards force them to return or to ask for an extension (see Tourist Card Extension, which follows).

The best way to convince a skeptical official that you should be given the amount of time you want in Mexico is to be very polite and as respectable looking as possible. Forget about bribes and concentrate instead on charm.

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