Traveling to Mexico: Arrival Tips
If there’s one thing I can talk about with confidence right about now, it’s how to arrive to Mexico. I’ve been to this wonderful country 4 times in the past 12 months – it really is a special place and I feel like the country as a whole gets a bad rap. But I won’t get on that soap box, because that’s not what I’m here to do today.
I want to cover the arrival and entry requirements for American citizens who are planning to travel to Mexico. For those who have never been or have not traveled internationally, this may seem overwhelming and intimidating. Armed with the right information, it doesn’t have to be either of those things.
In the past year, I have traveled to all three of Mexico’s MAIN destinations for all-inclusive resort experiences: Cancún/Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. There are a ton of similarities in each arrival experience, but there are also differences that are important to know!
Cancún International Airport (CUN)
You will fly into Cancún for your Yucatan/eastern Mexico vacation destinations: Cancún’s hotel zone, Isla Mujeres, Riviera Maya, Tulum. This area is often referred to as the “Mexican Caribbean”. (Of note, the Tulum International Airport (TQO) recently opened, but I haven’t had the opportunity to experience that arrival just yet.)
CUN has the largest airport of the three destinations I am covering, and subsequently has added some enhanced features that make the Immigration and Customs process more efficient. Most notably, there are automated kiosks available at Immigration. American citizens traveling with other adults are able to utilize the kiosks. If you are traveling with kids under 18, you’ll have to stand in the traditional line. (At least you get a passport stamp!) When it’s your turn, an immigration agent will direct you to a kiosk and you’ll scan your passport. A plastic gate will open and lead you into the Photo Booth (it looks like the tube that sucked up Augustus Gloop in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”…but I promise it’s harmless.) You’ll smile pretty for the camera and, if your photo is accepted, the machine will spit out a receipt that you need to stick in your passport and keep it there for the duration of your trip. Don’t lose it.
You walk out of the tube and that’s it! (no passport stamp, sadly). Go to baggage claim, get your luggage and head toward customs. You likely won’t have to stop here unless you have something to declare.
From there, you’ll walk through a gauntlet of people in gray shirts trying to offer you a ride. Ignore these people or politely say NO (they’re timeshare reps) and go outside where, if you have prearranged transportation, you’ll find your transfer company. From there, you’re on your way!
An important note about this region is the Visitax, which is a tourist tax assessed by the state of Quintana Roo. This tax is approximately $21 per person and can be paid prior to your departure to Cancun. No other pre-arrival paperwork is needed.
Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR)
Puerto Vallarta also services Riviera Nayarit and Punta Mita, and is a much smaller airport in comparison to Cancún. The main difference here is that there are no kiosks for arrivals (at least, not yet), so you HAVE to stand in the immigration line. (yes, you get a stamp). Similarly to CUN, make sure you hold onto the departure ticket that the immigrations officer will give you. Also, you’re going to walk outside to find your transportation company.
Now for ME, outside felt like chaos. I’m not even going to lie. There are a bunch of transportation companies and NOT that much space, so I just saw PEOPLE when we walked out. We did find our transportation eventually, but it was a little difficult.
Another thing about Puerto Vallarta – and I say this possibly to my own detriment – is that they have a pretty reliable taxi system with fixed rates. We paid a whole bunch of money for our transfer to Nayarit, not realizing that we could’ve hailed a taxi from the airport and paid a third of the price.
Los Cabos/San Jose de Cabo/Cabo San Lucas (SJD)
Yes, the area is called all of those things…but we’ll just say “Cabo” for simplicity’s sake. SJD definitely felt smaller than CUN, but larger than PVR. She’s right in the middle. Similarly to PVR, there were not kiosks when I was there in December 2023 (this may have changed or may change soon, IDK). You’ll find yourself standing in line, which earns you a passport stamp (I love my stamps, y’all). This line went EXTREMELY fast for us, to the point that I said “dang, Cabo is efficient”. A lot of this has to do with how many flights are coming in at the same time, but I digress. Just as you do with the other airports, make your way to baggage claim and find the customs line.
Baybeeeeeeee this is where the line was a LINE. We stood in the customs line for a smooth 30 minutes. In Cabo, they do review your customs declaration form and push a little button that allows you to pass (it was giving The Oracle in “The Neverending Story”. (sorry for all these 80’s movie references…that’s just what I’m on today).
Once we made it through customs, it was outside time to find our transportation. Now listen – I’ve been to Mexico a bunch of times, but this was my first time flying into Cabo (I’d been there previously on a cruise). The timeshare people almost had me tricked y’all. They will flat out lie and say that they work for your transport company – they don’t. They’re outside. Don’t believe the hype.
That’s pretty much it. You’ll notice a lot of similarities between the destinations, but there are nuances in each destination that are worth noting.
Would you add anything else?