bajacal - 3-5-2006 at 08:50 PM
We've always driven down Baja and got our tourist permits at the Tijauna boarder crossing. This April, we will be flying to Lorato for eight days.
Are tourist permits required when you fly down, and if so where do you get them? Thanks, Calvin
bajabound2005 - 3-5-2006 at 09:13 PM
I copied this from another website -- according to this, it's part of your airfare. Skip down to where it says IF ARRIVING BY AIR--
Tourist Permits: The Mexican government assesses a permit fee of approximately $20 U.S. for each visitor entering Mexico. If traveling on business or
as a student, contact the nearest Mexican consulate for information on obtaining a business or student visa. The fee must be paid in order to have
your tourist permit validated if you plan to remain anywhere in Mexico for more than 72 hours, or stay less than 72 hours and travel beyond the
?border zone,?defined as an area between 20 to 30 kilometers of the border with the U.S., depending on the Mexican state.
A government-issued tourist permit (commonly referred to as a tourist card or an FM-T, but actually a form) is available upon presentation of proof of
citizenship from Mexican consulates in the United States and Canada, or immigration offices at official points of entry. If you?re entering Mexico by
land it is advisable to obtain your tourist permit prior to leaving the United States. If you?re arriving by air, it is distributed on the flight.
If arriving by land, the tourist entry fee is paid at a branch of any bank operating in
Mexico or through the bank window at the border (a list of banks at which the fee can be paid is shown on the back of the tourist permit form). Upon
payment, the tourist permit is stamped with an official ?Fee Paid? designation. Although the fee may be paid at any time prior to leaving the country,
it is recommended that it be paid at the border. All visitors are required to produce verification of payment by showing the ?Fee Paid? stamp on their
tourist permit upon departing Mexico.
If arriving by air, the fee is included in the price of the ticket charged by the airline.
If arriving by cruise ship, the fee is collected upon disembarkingor is included in the purchase price of a cruise, but only if the stay is longer
than 72 hours.
Exemptions are as follows:
? Visitors traveling by land or sea anywhere in Mexico and staying less than 72 hours
? Visitors traveling by land to destinations within the 20-kilometer (12-mile) border zone,
regardless of length of stay
? Those visiting as students (as defined by Mexican immigration laws)
? Visitors traveling by land beyond the border zone and staying more than 72 hours, but
limiting their visit to the following destinations/tourist routes: Tijuana to Ensenada, B.C.; Mexicali to San Felipe, B.C.; Sonoyta to Puerto Pe?asco,
Son.; Ciudad Ju?rez to
Paquime, Chih.; Piedras Negras to Santa Rosa, Coah.; or Reynosa to China, N.L., and
Reynosa to Presa Cuchillo, Tamps.
The single-entry tourist permit is valid for up to 180 days and must be returned to
Mexican border officials upon leaving Mexico. A multiple-entry permit allows unlimited
entry into Mexico within the 180-day period. If a tourist permit is not used within 90 days of issuance it becomes void. Carry your tourist permit
with you at all times while in Mexico.
If you lose it, a duplicate can be obtained from local immigration officials.
Bruce R Leech - 3-5-2006 at 09:29 PM
they will give you a paper to fill out on the plane an they will proses it when you land .
DavidT - 3-5-2006 at 11:50 PM
I flew to La Paz three years ago for business. Up from San Diego to LA and then from LA to Loreto and on to La Paz. We all filled out the forms on
the plane and got stamped in Loreto. The people who were flying on to La Paz and Mazatlan were first in line. We all stepped into the dishpan
w/astroturf and bug killer and went inside. We got our stamps and went back outside. One lady sat down and lit a cigarette, the airline crew made
her go back inside to smoke. No risk of explosion, the plane was 200 yards from the terminal. Maybe a stray spark would set the dishpan on fire.
I did have to surrender my tourist card when I left La Paz but I still had three valid cards left over from earlier trips.
Hope ya'll have a great trip
bajacal - 3-8-2006 at 10:32 PM
gracias amigos for the replies. bajacal
turtleandtoad - 3-9-2006 at 02:30 PM
FYI, unless you've made other arrangements, the tourist permit issued when flying in or arriving on a cruise ship is a "single-entry" permit; and the
one issued when crossing by land is a "multiple-entry" permit.
bajalou - 3-9-2006 at 03:50 PM
Well to confuse things a little more, my wife got a FMT when we were driving to Mazatlan. Issued for 180 days - no problem. A family emergency
required her to fly back and the FMT was taken at the airport. She was told air travelers can never take the FMT with them - it always has to be
surrendered.
turtleandtoad - 3-9-2006 at 04:02 PM
Yeah, I've heard of that happening.
I've also heard that, if you argue long enough that you will finally get someone that actually knows what they are talking about and you can hang onto
your multiple-entry FMT.