Entering/Exiting Mexico

Entering Mexico

Visas for Mexico

Travelling with Children

Medical care and Medical travel insurance

Exit regulations

Customs information

Temporary importation of vehicles

Entering Mexico

All Canadian citizens need a valid passport to enter Mexico. Canadian citizens without a valid passport will not be allowed entry into Mexico and will be returned to Canada. In order to avoid delays and misunderstandings, we strongly recommend that you travel with a passport valid for six months after your arrival date.

Visas for Mexico

Canadians travelling on regular Canadian passports do not require visas to enter Mexico if the purpose of their trip is tourism and the stay does not exceed 180 days (a fee is applicable if entering by land. For those travelling by air the fee is included in the price of the plane ticket).

However, all Canadians entering Mexico either by plane or land should have a tourist card filled out and have it stamped at their first port of entry. When entering by land, you will have to go to the immigration booth located at the border crossing. When entering by plane and transiting through Mexico City, your tourist card should be stamped in Mexico City before boarding towards your final destination.

For tourist visa replacements:

If your tourist card was lost or stolen in Mexico, you must immediately go to the nearest Immigration office in order to obtain a replacement or an exit permit (depending on your date of entry).

In Mexico City, contact directly the Mexican authorities at:

Instituto Nacional de Migración

Ejército Nacional 862 (between Platón y Séneca)

Col. Los Morales - Sección Palmas

11540 Mexico City

Telephone numbers:

Tourists: (55) 2581-0100, (55) 2581-0116

Students and Professionals: (55) 2581-0120

Business visitors: (55) 2581-0132

Hours open to the Public: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am -1:00 pm

Outside Mexico City, contact the nearest Canadian Consulate to obtain the address of the Mexican immigration office in your jurisdiction or visit the website of the Instituto Nacional de Migración.

Other types of visas

For information on other types of visas, such as business, immigrant, or student, please contact the Mexican Embassy or one of its Consulates in Canada .

Following are some of the documents required by the Mexican authorities for the issuance of a visa:

valid Canadian passport

birth certificate

RCMP certificate of no criminal record

Most documents issued in Canada to be used in Mexico should be legalized by the Embassy of Mexico or one of its Consulates in Canada.

Travelling with children

Canadian travelers visiting Mexico with children should carry:

a valid passport for each child as required above;

the child's long-form birth certificate.

if a child is travelling alone, with only one parent, or with a or with a third-party of legal age, a letter of authorization signed by the other parent, or both parents, as the case may be;

More information on travelling with children

Medical Care in Mexico and Medical Travel Insurance

Your Canadian medical insurance will not cover you during your stay in Mexico and foreigners are generally not entitled to Mexican public medical care.

The cost of private physicians and hospitals is much higher than in Canada. Hospitals will request a guarantee of payment before serving you and will not release you until the bill has been fully settled.

Before your departure from Canada, you are strongly recommended to purchase supplementary medical travel insurance that will cover the cost of an emergency air ambulance evacuation, a pre-existing illness and pregnancy if need be. Except for major tourist centers, hospitals are generally not equipped to cope with serious emergencies.

A list of doctors and hospitals in Mexico City and areas covered by our Consulates is available on this website. We cannot, however, assume any responsibility for the professional qualifications, integrity, or services of the persons and institutions on these lists.

Any queries regarding provincial or territorial medical insurance plans should be addressed to the office corresponding to your place of residence.

Exit regulations – MEXICO

Under Mexican legislation (Art. 12, Ley de Nacionalidad), holders of dual Canadian and Mexican citizenship are required to enter and leave Mexico as Mexican citizens. Those who contravene the law may incur heavy fines (Art. 33-1, Ley de Nacionalidad). More information on Mexican dual nationality is provided by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, the air carrier in Mexico will require a valid Canadian travel document to prove their client's citizenship. Please note that a Canadian Citizenship Card is not a travel document.

Canadian citizens who fail to present a valid Mexican immigration document (tourist card/FMM, TRT, TRP or other) when checking-in at the airport may be directed to the Immigration Office, resulting in delays, missed flight, unexpected expenses and/or the imposition of a fine.

Canadians with a resident status in Mexico (TRT, TRP) must fill out a migratory form (FMM) and present it to Mexican immigration authorities when leaving the country in order to register their exit. Immigration booths, located before or after security check in airports as well as at border crossings, can sometimes be difficult to find. The stamped "registro de salida" portion of the form must be given to the airline company when boarding the plane or to the border agent when exiting by road. The remaining portion of the form, "registro de entrada", must be carefully kept and returned to Mexican immigration authorities when re-entering Mexico.

In the case of Canadian minors (under 18) who have resident status in Mexico, contact local immigration authorities for exit requirements. These may include, among others, the presentation of the minor's long-format birth certificate (to prove parenthood of the parent accompanying the child).

More information