Entering Mexico via CUN

As of sometime in 2023, to enter Mexico via the Cancun airport (CUN), all you need is a valid passport. Check your passport expiration date! It technically can expire while you are there, but to use the automated immigration e-gates, it needs to be valid for 6 months beyond your date of entry (and be an e-passport; look for the camera icon on the cover).

No longer needed/used at CUN:

• The Forma Migratoria Múltiple (FMM) tourist entry immigration card that we used to complete on the plane (or online after Covid).
• The customs declaration form that we used to complete on the plane. All stowed luggage is now scanned by customs officers before it ever reaches baggage claim (explaining why it takes 45 minutes minimum to get your bags).
• There are no Covid restrictions or immunization requirements.

How your entry is recorded depends on how you enter:

• If you enter via the immigration/passport control desks, your passport gets stamped (showing how long you can stay).
• If you enter via the e-gates, you get a printed receipt (instead of the stamp). Keep this receipt with your passport at all times. It’s your proof that you are legally in the country.

Exiting Mexico via CUN

To leave Mexico via CUN, all you really need is your passport. If you entered through the e-gates, it’s good to have the printed receipt as well, but rarely does anyone ask to see it. If they do ask and you don’t have it, you’ll usually just receive a good scolding and then they’ll let you proceed.

Occasionally, someone might approach you in the main departures area asking if you paid the visiTAX. They say it’s mandatory, but collection is not enforced and paying can only be done online, so paying it is essentially voluntary.