Do You Need A Visa To Travel To Mexico?

Planning your vacation in Mexico and wondering if you need a visa for Mexico? You're not alone. It is a question that we get asked all the time by our guests. So to help make your family vacation go as smooth as possible we have put together this guide to tourist visas in Mexico (including a link to the Mexico visa application form) to answer all of your questions.

Do I need a visa to visit Mexico?

For most people a visa is not required to visit Mexico as a tourist. Instead you will be asked to complete what is referred to as a ‘Tourist Card’ or FMM. This card is all you need to stay in Mexico as a tourist.

Be sure to keep this card in a safe place as you will need to surrender it upon departure. If you don’t or it has expired because you overstayed you will have to pay a fine.

What are the Mexico visa requirements?

If you are traveling to Mexico on vacation from one of the following countries you do not need a visa, all you need is the Tourist Card issues to you upon arrival in Mexico.

Countries who don’t need a visa are:

Citizens of the US, Canada, EU countries, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland.

If you are not from one of these countries you will likely need to apply for a visa before you travel to Mexico.

Can I complete the Mexican tourist visa online?

Although you will be given a tourist card by your airline before you land in Mexico if you want to save yourself some time hunting for a pen you can now complete the tourist card application online. It doesn’t cost a penny, but you will need to print it off. Here’s the link to the Mexico visa application form.

What is the Mexico visa cost?

The fee for the tourist card is just over $500 pesos. However if you are flying into Mexico then this will be included in your airfare, so you don’t need to worry about it.

The only time you will be asked to pay the fee is if you are traveling by land, or if you lose your card and need to get a replacement.

What do I do if I lose my Mexican Tourist Card?

It is really not a good idea to lose your Tourist Card. So please keep it somewhere safe, you will need it on your way home. It is also advisable to keep it on you as if you do get stopped by an official and you don’t have the card on you then you are at risk of being detained.

That said if you do lose your card you have two options. Option one, get a replacement card from your closest INM office. Option two get to the airport early before your departure and get a replacement.

If you lose your Mexican tourist card at the start of your trip then I would strongly advise option one. You will probably lose a few hours getting a replacement, but you could get in to trouble if you are caught without one.

If you are near the end of your trip then it will be far easier to get the replacement at the airport before you depart. Be sure to give yourself at least an hour to do this though as you will likely have to wait in line for some time. You will need to pay just over $500 pesos for the new card (cash only). You wait in line once to get the card and pay the money, then you complete the card and wait in line again for your stamp. You will not be able to check in for your flight until you have the stamped card.

How long can I stay in Mexico as a tourist?

The maximum you can stay in Mexico as a tourist is 180 days (6 months). After this time you will need to leave the country. It is at the immigration officials discretion how long they will give you when entering Mexico. It is common practice to get 30 or 60 days, however most will give you the full 180 days.

The only exception to this is if you are traveling into Mexico by land. If you don’t pay the fee (Just over $500 pesos) you will only be given 7 days. So be sure to let them know as you cross the border that you want to stay over 7 days so they can direct you to where you will need to pay the fee.

Can I extend my Mexican Tourist Visa?

This depends. If you have been granted the full 180 days on entering Mexico you will not be able to extend to stay any longer. The only way of staying in Mexico longer is to leave the country and return on a new tourist visa.

If you were only granted 30 or 60 days then yes it is possible, but it can be a pain to do this. If you know you want to stay in Mexico longer than 30 days then the easiest thing to do is to make sure you get the full 180 days when you first arrive, so be sure to check this at the time.

Alternatively if you don't do this, and you need to extend then you will need to find your closest INM office and go and probably spend a day filling out forms and waiting in lines.