The use of the FMM immigration form is being phased out, and it has already been discontinued at airports at Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Cabo, La Paz, Merida, Cancún and Cozumel.
Visitors now have their passport stamped with the date of entry, with a handwritten date indicating the final day the visitor is allowed to stay, and the total number of days allowed to stay. And remember the date format here is dd/mm/yyyy. When you leave Mexico, just show your passport.
If arriving by air, a Customs form must also be completed at Terminal 2, but a Customs form is not required at Terminals 3 & 4. The form is usually handed out on the plane; if not, forms are available inside Cancún airport. One form per family travelling together.
The Customs form can also be completed on-line, and then printed so it can be carried with you. Here’s the link…
https://siat.sat.gob.mx/PTSC/DPE/
It can be completed online within 3 days of your arrival date in Mexico. Print it and bring it with you. One form per family travelling together. There is no fee to get or complete the form online.
If arriving in Mexico at a land border, your passport will be stamped indicating the amount of time allowed to stay.
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Payment of the DNI Fee (Tourist Tax)
A fee known as Derecho de No Inmigrante (DNI) or Non-Immigrant Right is associated with the FMM, and in some circumstances it must be paid before leaving Mexico. It’s also known as the Mexican Tourist Tax. The tax is currently 638 pesos or approximately US$32 (from January 2022).
According to the Embassy of Mexico in Belize, all foreign nationals who enter Mexico must pay the DNI fee in three different cases:
1. Visitors who enter Mexico and stay more than seven consecutive days.
2. Visitors who enter Mexico and transit through to a third country regardless of the number of days in Mexico.
3. Visitors who enter Mexico with a Forma Migratoria de Visitante Local (FMVL) border card and stay more than three consecutive days.
Visitors who are exempt from paying the fee include:
1. Visitors who enter Mexico, stay for seven days or less, and return to the country of origin.
2. FMVL border card holders who stay less than 3 days.
3. Residence holders (formerly known as FM2 and FM3).
Most visitors who fly to Mexico don’t have to be concerned about the tax because it is collected by the airline and included with the airfare (so nothing to pay at any airport). For proof of payment, get an itemized receipt from the airline and look for the Mexican Tourist Tax listed with all the other fees & taxes (airport fees, security fees, sales tax, baggage fees, fuel surcharges, etc.). The Tourist Tax is identified with a “UK” code reference. The list of fees & taxes should also show the Mexican International Airport Departure Tax.
Currently, when entering Mexico from Belize at the land or maritime border, the DNI is paid upon entry to Mexico. It can be paid in pesos, USD or BZD.
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CROSSING THE BORDER FROM MEXICO TO BELIZE
On the Mexican side of the border, the crossing location known as Subteniente López is located about 12 km from the centre of Chetumal, and there are now two crossing points each with its own Immigration/Customs buildings and bridge.
Visitors leaving Mexico must first stop at Immigration. Bus passengers get off the bus, without luggage, and present their passports to the immigration officer. The Officer will stamp and return the passport.
Whenever I have crossed, the Immigration officer has always asked for money. Years ago, it was only 100 pesos or about US$10, but now it’s 600+ pesos. Beware! This is a scam. If you know that you have already paid the DNI fee, then there is nothing to pay at the border, and here’s where you have to show the receipt from the airline or bank. THERE IS NO DEPARTURE/EXIT FEE — this has been confirmed by the Embassy of Mexico and the Mexican Honorary Consul in Corozal. Visitors who know that the DNI fee has been paid but can’t prove it, can try arguing (sometimes it works), but I just get back on the bus and continue to Belize. For a laugh, try asking for a receipt. Visitors who have not already paid the tax, will have to pay it at the border.
Proceed across the bridge to Belize. Stop at the Immigration building, and with luggage, enter the Immigration & Customs building. Citizens of Canada, USA and many other countries do not pay any fees when entering Belize, and their passports are stamped allowing a maximum stay of 30 days. Citizens of some countries require a visa which sometimes can be arranged at the border. If not, it must be obtained before entering Belize. Continue to Customs, and then exit the building. Turn right to find buses waiting in the parking area. If you need to change money, several money changers wait near the Immigration Building.
Visitors who want to stay in Belize for more than 30 days can get an extension in Belize. On the last working day before the 30 days is up, go to the nearest immigration office (there’s at least one in each District of Belize) and ask for another 30 days. The passport will be stamped again, allowing a stay for another 30 days. There is a fee for new stamps, and from 1 May 2020, the fee is BZ$100 (US$50) per stamp. Some visitors have been asked to show a return or onward ticket. After 12 months, you might be told to leave the country, or asked if you intend to apply for permanent residency. Note that each stamp requires a half page of the passport.
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CROSSING THE BORDER FROM BELIZE TO MEXICO
On the Belize side of the border, the crossing location known as Santa Elena is located about 12 km from Corozal. Buses stop in front of the entrance of the Immigration Building. Visitors leaving Belize enter the Immigration building, without their luggage, and present their passports to Belize Immigration. Visitors who have been in Belize for more than 24 hours must pay a fee of BZ$40.00 (US$20.00), payable in BZ$ or US$ (it`s actually the total of 3 separate fees). This website explains the departure fees:
http://www.bmabz.com/
Exit the building, turn right and look for the bus in the parking area. Visitors not returning to Belize should get rid of their Belizean currency because it is difficult to exchange outside Belize — look for the money changers near the parking area. Passengers re-board the bus and proceed across the bridge over the Hondo River.
The next stop is Mexican Immigration. Visitors get off the bus with their luggage, and have their passport stamped. Visitors who intend to stay in Mexico for 8 days or more must pay the DNI/Tourist Tax at a separate cashier window. Exit the Immigration building, and walk ahead to Customs. After Customs, re-board the bus.
Belize Bus and Travel Guide 
2013/08/07 at 19:33 |
Hi, I have a question: I am going to Belize from Mexico. I want to stay in Belize for a week and then go to Tikal in Guatemala. When I go back to Mexico, I go through Belize. So do I need to pay 2 times the exit fee? After this I only have a couple of days left in Mexico (maybe 4 or 5) before flying back to Europe (flight from Cancun stop over in USA). So I do not have to pay for the FMM fee? Thanks for the information!
2013/08/07 at 20:55 |
When you leave Mexico, you’ll probably have to hand in your FMM tourist card.
No fees to enter Belize, but you pay the departure and PACT fees when you depart (total: BZ$37.50).
You’ll probably be asked for money when you enter & leave Guatemala. I don’t know if these fees are valid, but it’s only a few dollars.
When you re-enter Belize, nothing to pay, but you have to pay the BZ$30 departure fee when you leave. If your time in Belize is less than 24 hours, you don’t have to pay the BZ$7.50 PACT fee.
When you re-enter Mexico, you’ll get a new FMM, but tell the Immigration Officer that your stay will be less than 6 days. Don’t pay the fee at a bank. At Cancun airport, you might or might not be asked to pay the fee.
2019/02/16 at 17:11 |
My experience crossing from Mexico to Belize in February 2019
Me and a friend took a taxi to the border with a print out showing the UK code for the tax payment. As expected, the man at the roadside cubicle told us we would have to pay him the fee, so we protested quite forcefully that we already had. He invited us to go on ahead and leave but he wouldn’t stamp the passport, knowing we both wanted to return. My friend spoke good Spanish but this didn’t make a difference.
We then walked around the corner to see a bus load of tourists happily shelling out their 558 pesos, and spoke to another guy. He also began by telling us we would need to pay, but we didn’t let up and took us across the road to an office where he eventually stamped our passports, and we got back in the taxi to the Belize side.
So, the moral of the story: be persistent! Find the UK code on your flight ticket, and show that you know what it means. The satisfaction of beating the corrupt little trap they’ve built is reward in itself!
2019/11/06 at 13:39 |
Hi guys and Belizebus my friend. Is there some news regarding problems getting in to Mexico and getting the full 180 days on the FMM? I had problems last time entering Mexico from Guatemala and they gave max 90 days. Now that there are many problems with the migrants on those borders I decided to visit Belize and cross back to Mexico from Belize as there seems to be less of a problem with so many migrants doing problems like we see in the past months. Any info in this matter is very much appreciated. Thank you.
2019/11/06 at 14:25 |
The FMM allows a maximum of 180 days, but the Immigration officer on duty when you cross will give you whatever he/she wants to give you. I know people who had got only 7 days when entering Mexico from both Guatemala & Belize.
Two of those people who got only 7 days went to an Immigration office in Mexico and asked for, and got, the full 180 days on the same FMM. Try that if you want to stay longer than 90 days.
2019/12/02 at 14:20
Do you know in what cities did those 2 people ask for 180 days at the immigration office? Any tip which border crossing point is more likely to give only 7 days? The old one or the new one? Both can be crossed with a car? Thanks for the info. This is so bad when travelling and be nervous all the time what will happen at the border 😦
2019/12/02 at 16:43
One couple crossed at the Belize-Mexico border, only got 7 days, but went to the Immigration office in Playa del Carmen and got 180 days. The other couple crossed from Guatemala, got only 7 days, but got 180 days at Immigration in Oaxaca.
Whether or not you get 7 or 180 days at the border seem to depend more on the Immigration officer on duty on the day rather than than the border location. If you get 180 days, you pay the 558 peso Tourist Tax at the border now, and you get a receipt — keep it with your FMM to hand in when you leave Mexico.
At the Belize-Mexico border, I think all vehicles now have to go through the new crossing.
2020/01/09 at 10:58 |
Does anyone when you can cross the border? Are there certain hours of operation, both for Santa Elena and the Mexican Immigration Office?
2020/01/09 at 11:05 |
I think the border is open 24 hours.
2020/02/09 at 09:39 |
I have been in Mexico for 2 months and want to take the bus to Belize next week. I already have my return flight home, and a screenshot showing my airfare ticket covers the MX departure tax. Will they try to make me pay it again when I take the Bus out of Mexico into Belize?
2020/02/09 at 10:35 |
It seems to depend on the Immigration officer on duty on the day.
I always carry a copy of the airline receipt (it has a list of the miscellaneous fees & taxes), and sometimes it’s accepted, sometimes not. The last time I went through, I showed my airline receipt but she didn’t even want to look at it. I refused to pay, got back on the bus and continued to Belize — they can’t do anything for refusing to pay a bribe (I still have my half of the FMM). Some people have crossed the road to see another Immigration officer. Some people don’t even get off the bus. No problem entering Belize or returning to Mexico.
2020/02/10 at 11:25 |
Thank you! Just to clarify, I am not required to pay it, and I just have to be persistent. Do I still give up my FMM when I arrived in Mexico? When I take the ADO back into Mexico a week later and receive a new FMM card, do I have to pay the $588 fee?
2020/02/10 at 13:08 |
When you leave Mexico, hand in your half of the FMM, and get your passport stamped — the FMM is valid for only one visit. There is NO Departure tax/fee in Mexico, and you have already paid the DNI or Mexican Tourist Tax as part of your airfare. You don’t have to pay anything to leave Mexico.
When you re-enter Mexico, it’s a new visit, so you have to fill in a new FMM and pay the 575 pesos fee (that’s the Tourist Tax).
When you leave Mexico, hand in your half of the FMM — nothing to pay.
2020/05/21 at 12:33 |
Hi Belizebus. Do you know if the border crossing to Belize is open? Specifically the mexican immigration booth? Now during the virus pandemic and all the lockdowns and restrictions my 180 days on my FMM 180 expire soon. The last thing I would want to do is to overstay my visa. Is there anybody you know who has been to the border to renew the visas and getting a new FMM? Any info how much are the sanctions for overstaying? Thanks.
2020/05/21 at 16:13 |
Currently, tourists are not allowed to cross from Mexico to Belize, but Mexican Immigration should still be on duty because cargo is still allowed to cross the border.
If your FMM is due to expire on or before May 31, you can extend it for another 180 days at no charge at an Immigration office in Mexico. I know people who have done this at the INM office at Playa del Carmen. You can find more details about how to do it on the following TripADvisor link (see Posts 21 & 22). If your FMM is due to expire in June or later, you can’t do it now, but stay tuned because this Regularization might be extended to June.
Here’s the link: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g150812-i23-k13292220-o20-Is_your_FMM_going_to_expire_soon-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html