BajaNomad

Mexico tourist visa is not required ?????

TomH - 5-27-2011 at 09:44 AM

I just Google Mexico tourist visa to see how much they cost and found this
" Mexico tourist visa is not required
for citizens of United States for a stay up to 180 days."

here: http://mexico.visahq.com/

Is that true? Must have recently changed.

Riom - 5-27-2011 at 09:54 AM

A visa is permission obtained in advance to apply to enter a country. It's mostly required for those from countries with a history of overstaying or asylum applications.

The FMM issued by Mexico, often wrongly called a tourist visa, is NOT a visa, it's an Entry Permit (identical in purpose to the I-94 issued to visitors to the US).

When somebody arrives at the border at Mexico, they can apply for an Entry Permit (FMM). If they're from a major western country, they don't need a visa to do that. If they're from a more dubious country, they have to apply for and receive a visa before they can present themselves at the border.

The FMM costs 262 pesos (about US$23) if you arrive by land, it's already included in the ticket price if you arrive by air.

Rob


[Edited on 2011-5-27 by Riom]

DENNIS - 5-27-2011 at 10:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by TomH
I just Google Mexico tourist visa to see how much they cost and found this
" Mexico tourist visa is not required
for citizens of United States for a stay up to 180 days."

here: http://mexico.visahq.com/

Is that true? Must have recently changed.


Not true. Bad info. Disregard.

David K - 5-27-2011 at 10:42 AM

Riom Rob is correct... a TOURIST CARD (FMM) is NOT a VISA!

A visa is stamped into a passport, tourist cards are not.

sancho - 5-27-2011 at 10:42 AM

Well said Riom, confusion exists where the term visa
is used to describe the fmm/ Tourist card. The word
visa is used by many to include the fmm. I always
get some form of fmm, either the free 7 day fmm,
or the 180 day $23. Others don't, some debate
exists as to whether lack of an fmm will invalidate
your Mex Auto Ins, I like to play it safe.
Just read DK's post, I have had my passport stamped
when getting an fmm, is that common, maybe not,
If they stamp it, I get an exit stamp behind it.
However I don't believe the exit stamp means much


[Edited on 5-27-2011 by sancho]

DENNIS - 5-27-2011 at 11:20 AM

This is how it's worded on the site:
____________________________________________
Mexico tourist visa is not required
for citizens of United States for a stay up to 180 days.
_____________________________________________


That is misleading given that most use these words interchangeably....right or wrong.

Cypress - 5-27-2011 at 11:54 AM

A citizen from the US is free to roam at will for 180 days without a visa/passport? Go for it!:lol:

bajagrouper - 5-27-2011 at 01:03 PM

Tourist Visa

You will need a visa if you are a citizen of:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algiers, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Rep. Dem (Zaire), Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, North, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Palestine, Papua New,Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Dem. Rep., Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Salomon Islands, Sao Tome and Principe., Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles Islands, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Stateless Persons, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Bahamas, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe

baja1943 - 5-27-2011 at 02:08 PM

You can't arrest me I'm an American:lol:

jenny.navarrette - 5-27-2011 at 02:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajagrouper
Tourist Visa

You will need a visa if you are a citizen of:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algiers, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Rep. Dem (Zaire), Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, North, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Palestine, Papua New,Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Dem. Rep., Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Salomon Islands, Sao Tome and Principe., Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles Islands, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Stateless Persons, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Bahamas, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe


Damn, Tonga is on the list. Oh well, where's the Mexican consulate in Tonga?

baja1943 - 5-27-2011 at 02:19 PM

In the dumpster behind TacoBell.

elgatoloco - 5-27-2011 at 03:52 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by baja1943
In the dumpster behind TacoBell.


We have been over this. Pay attention. :dudette:

Nope, Sorta

Bajahowodd - 5-27-2011 at 04:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
A citizen from the US is free to roam at will for 180 days without a visa/passport? Go for it!:lol:


Interesting to note that our own State Department website is mute on the issue of "tourist requirements" in Mexico.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html#en...

Fact is that over the past couple of decades, and especially driven by the EU, visas have become less and less required. Fundamentally, a visa is a document that is subject to a background check by the host country prior to issuance.

The Mexican FMM, and its predecessors is more like a tax. No one does a background check on you when you are obtaining one.

I'm recalling exiting Mexico at the Acapulco airport around 1980. There was a gate. There was an officer. An exit fee was required to be paid in cash, lest you could not access the boarding area. I remember a handful of US spring-breakers who were begging for cash from those of us in line because they spent all of their money partying and didn't have the $10 or so that was required.

Ken Cooke - 5-27-2011 at 04:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajagrouper
Tourist Visa

You will need a visa if you are a citizen of:

Colombia


Immigration stamped my wife's Colombian passport upon turning in our travel visas. My U.S. Passport was also stamped.