April
20, 2010
Mexico Eases Visa Requirements for Tourists to Mexico
In
order to make it easier for international tourists to come to Mexico and to
increase tourism, the federal government has launched a new visa policy that
will come into effect on May 1, 2010. It has two main provisions:
- Tourists, business travelers and individuals in transit (traveling
through Mexico to another country) of all nationalities who currently
require a Mexican visa and are in possession of a visa issued by the
United States of America, can enter Mexico at any established border
crossing point or port of entry with a passport from their country of
origin. They will not need to present a Mexican visa, although Mexican
visas continue to be valid documents for entering Mexico. In all cases,
the documents presented to the immigration officers must be valid and
unexpired.
- Tourists, business travelers and individuals in transit of all
nationalities who currently require a Mexican visa and who arrive in
Mexico on flights from the United States of America and are not covered by
the provisions of the preceding paragraph, can enter the country by
presenting their valid, unexpired passport and their boarding pass to the
immigration officer. The boarding pass must show that the passenger
arrived in Mexico on a flight from the United States of America.
These
measures strengthen Mexico’s international competitiveness vis-à-vis
other tourist destinations and are part of the strategy of President Felipe Calderón’s administration to confirm tourism as a
national priority for Mexico’s economic development.