If you’re unsure about Mexico’s customs policies, you should check the rules before you travel to avoid problems on arrival.
Mexican immigration and customs authorities have strict guidelines on which items can and cannot be brought into the country. This includes restricted quantities of some duty-free items and currency.
Restricted Items at Mexican Customs
In general, travelers are allowed to bring goods with a value of up to US$500 into Mexico when traveling by air. If you arrive at a land border, you’re allowed to bring up to US$300 worth of goods.
Carry sales receipts or invoices showing the value of any technological goods or valuable items you’re carrying.
You can bring items such as tobacco and vaping products, alcohol, and medicines into Mexico. However, there are restrictions on the quantity you can bring with you.
Here, you can see the permitted quantities of restricted items that each individual traveler can bring with them to Mexico.
| Tobacco | 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 200g of tobacco
Only travelers aged 18 or over can bring tobacco products with them into Mexico. |
| Vaping products | Quantity considered to be reasonable for personal use |
| Alcohol | 3 liters of wine or alcoholic spirits or beverages
Only travelers aged 18 or over can bring alcohol with them into Mexico. |
| Perfume or eau de cologne | Quantity considered to be reasonable for personal use |
| Photography or recording equipment | One camera or video camera, and 12 rolls of film or 12 video cassettes |
Can I take medication with me to Mexico?
You’re allowed to bring medication for personal use when you travel to Mexico. You’ll need to declare any medication you’re carrying as you go through customs.
If you’re bringing prescription drugs with you, you’ll need a signed letter from your doctor with the following information:
- Type of medication
- How much medication you’re bringing for your stay in Mexico
- The required daily dose
- Your doctor’s name and professional license number
- Your doctor’s contact details
Instead of a letter from your doctor, you can bring a copy of your prescription, but it must be translated into Spanish.
You cannot bring more medication to Mexico than the quantity listed on your prescription or doctor’s note.
Can I take firearms or ammunition through Mexican customs?
If you want to bring firearms or ammunition to Mexico, you’ll need to get a temporary import permit from Mexico’s Secretary of National Defense.
You have to get a permit in advance to bring firearms to Mexico. You cannot get a permit for guns or ammunition on arrival.
Carrying a firearm into Mexico without written authorization is a serious criminal offense.
How much cash can I take into Mexico?
You’re allowed to bring up to US$10,000, or the equivalent in another currency, through Mexican customs. This can be in Mexican Pesos or another type of foreign currency.
If you come to Mexico with more than this amount in cash, checks, or money orders, you’ll have to declare this at customs. Failing to declare can result in a fine or prison sentence.
Items Which Are Prohibited by Customs in Mexico
Some items are not allowed by Mexican customs authorities. You must not bring any of the following items in your luggage when you travel to Mexico.
- Live predatory fish
- Frozen or fresh totoaba, a type of fish
- Insecticides
- Turtle eggs or skins
- Opium poppy products and seeds, including flour, juices, or extracts
- Marijuana seeds, spores, or plants
- Cannabis Indica preparations, extracts, or products
- Uncanned or unpackaged foods, especially fruit and meat
In some cases, you can bring seeds and plants into Mexico from other countries. You’ll need to get permission from the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture in advance.
Exit Tax for Travelers Leaving Mexico
Foreign visitors leaving Mexico have to pay a tourism departure tax. You usually pay the tax as you’re departing Mexico, either at the airport or seaport.
Sometimes Mexico’s exit tax is included in the price of your airplane ticket. You should check this with your airline when booking.
All passengers leaving Mexico have to pay the tax, except:
- Children under the age of 2
- Mexican citizens and residents
- Diplomatic personnel and their families
- Airline and ship crews
- Transiting passengers
As well as the tourism departure tax, travelers visiting Cancun, Playa del Carmen or Tulum will have to pay the Visitax, a compulsory payment for all tourists visiting the Quintana Roo region of Mexico.
You can make your Visitax payment online before you travel by completing a simple form.
Requirements to Take Cats and Dogs into Mexico
If you want to take your cat or dog to Mexico, you’ll need a veterinary health certificate issued in the 15 days before you travel.
The certificate must show that your pet is generally healthy and has had:
- Internal and external deworming treatments in the last 6 months
- A rabies vaccine, with the date of the vaccine and its validity
The health certificate must be printed, as handwritten notes are not accepted. It must also have the certifying veterinarian’s name and license number.
It should also have your name and address in your origin country. You’ll need to provide your destination address in Mexico, too.
Cats and dogs coming from the United States or Canada do not need a health certificate. Instead, they’ll be examined on arrival by animal customs authorities.
To take another type of animal into Mexico, you’ll need to comply with the Zoosanitary Import Requirements Consultation Module.
Pet transport through Mexican customs
Cats and dogs must be carried through Mexican customs in a clean crate or container.
Your pet’s crate will be treated with a spray treatment on arrival in Mexico. You can’t leave toys, treats, or pet beds in the container.
Your cat or dog can wear a collar or leash as they travel.
You’re allowed to bring food for your pet during their stay in Mexico. However, cat and dog food is available to purchase throughout Mexico.
Check your airline’s requirements if your pet is traveling as cargo on a flight to Mexico.
