Everything You Need To Know About A Mexico Visa

British travelers who hold a valid UK passport and plan to visit Mexico for tourism or business purposes do not need a visa to enter the country and can stay here for up to 180 days under the visa-free regime.

The only requirement is, once you arrive at the airport, you have to complete an immigration form. You need to retain this form with you and present this to the officials, both while entering and exiting Mexico. 

If you happen to lose it, you can request for a replacement at any of the international airports in Mexico for a fee of $500 Mexican Pesos, payable at banks.

An immigration form is available at border crossings as well as on-board flights to Mexico. Another way is to get it online, prior to your travel date, from the website for National Institute of Immigration. Here is thelink.

In order to be granted a visa-free entry into Mexico, your British Citizen passport should generally be valid for the entire duration of stay in the nation. But if you decide to fill in the immigration form online, your passport should have at least six months remaining validity from your intended entry date to Mexico.

Additionally, after you land in Mexico, immigration officials may ask you to present proof of ongoing or return travel, which you can present in the form of booked air tickets. You should also ensure that you carry evidence of enough funds to support you during your stay in the nation.

Visa requirements for foreign nationals residing in the UK

If you are residing in the UK and are a national of Australia, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Andorra, Argentina, Bermuda, Chile, Costa Rica, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland, Uruguay, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep), Monaco, or Venezuela, you can enter Mexico without a tourist visa. The allowable periods of stay under the visa-exemption facility varies from country to country.

Citizens of Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Korea (Rep), Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK, USA and Uruguay can enter Mexico without a business visa — provided the visit is for a single entry and does not exceed 30 days.

However, if you do not belong to any of the above categories, you might have to obtain a visa prior to your travel from the embassy. The documents required for a regular tourist/business visa are as follows:

• A valid passport (original and photocopy)
• A completed visa application form
• One recent passport size photograph
• Fees, which is payable by cash or postal order
• Proof of sufficient funds, which can be submitted in the form of the last three months bank statements and a letter that specifies the current salary. You can also share an original letter from the person who financially supports your stay in Mexico
• A letter that specifies the purpose of your visit with entry and exit dates
• A reference letter from your employer in the UK
• Return or onward tickets
• Proof of permanent residence in the UK

Note: A single entry tourist visa comes with a validity of six months and double and multiple entry visas arrive with extended validities. Travelers must use this visa within 90 days of issue.

Additional points to note

When you enter Mexico under the visa-free regime, you cannot take up any voluntary or human rights activity in the country. Additionally, you cannot undertake any type of paid employment. If you plan to indulge in any such work, you must obtain the specific visa from the Mexican Embassy in London prior to your travel dates.

Again, visas may be required when you visit Mexico for adventure or eco-tourism activities. These can include cave exploration, potholing, or entomology. In fact, if your work involves technical or scientific research, you must ensure whether you need a visa from the embassy.

During your stay period in Mexico, you cannot change your immigration status. For instance, you cannot visit Mexico on a tourist visa and then switch it for a business visa. You must apply for the exact visa through the Mexican consulate in London prior to traveling to the country.

Traveling to Mexico via the US

One of the most common modes of entering Mexico is to travel to the country through the US. However, if you are planning to cross the border into Mexico from the US, you should know that these ports do not have any immigration officers. Hence, after reaching, you have to locate the nearest immigration office and then clear your immigration status. Only then, you can continue the rest of your visit in Mexico.

Most of the border areas have immigration offices located close in the vicinity. And you are advised to finish the immigration formalities while you are in the border area. Otherwise, you might face additional complications if you enter Mexico's mainland territory.

Customs rules at Mexican borders

When you travel to Mexico, you have to fill in an online form, where you need to declare goods if required by the immigration authorities. If you fail to do so, your items may be seized and you might have to pay a hefty fine. In order to gather more information on restricted goods and how to declare goods, you should be clear about the guidelines issued by the Mexican government.

Travelling with minors

Minors traveling alone to Mexico no longer need to apply for a special permit to exit the country. However, if he/she is accompanied by an adult, the latter may be asked to present proof of relationship with the child. This proof can be in the form of a birth or adoption certificate, divorce or marriage certificates, or a Parental Responsibility Order.

UK Emergency Travel Documents

The government of Mexico accepts UK Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs), which holds a validity of 6 months from the date of entry into Mexico, at points of entry, airside transit and exit from the country.