Mexico's entry and exit paperwork is straightforward once you know which category you fall into — but small slip-ups, like losing half of a paper form or being stamped as a tourist when you're a resident, can cause real headaches at the border.
For most holidaymakers, no visa is needed. Passport holders from countries on Mexico's 'no visa required' list simply complete a Visitor's Permit (the FMM) on arrival. It allows stays of up to 180 days and costs around US$30 — usually bundled into your airfare if you fly in. If you arrive by land, the fee is waived as long as you leave within seven days. Paper FMM forms are being phased out, with an ink stamp in your passport replacing them, but if you are still handed a paper form, keep the returned half safe: you'll need it to exit, and replacing a lost permit means a trip to an immigration office, a fee of roughly US$50, and paperwork that can eat up a whole day.
Travellers aged 18 and over arriving at Mexico City or Cancún airports can skip the queue by using automated kiosk lanes. Scan your passport, receive a receipt with a QR code, and use your phone to download your digital FMM — but do this before you leave the country. The lanes are limited to passport holders of the US, Canada, Japan, the UK and certain European countries, and you can't use them if travelling with children.
The rules differ for anyone moving to Mexico. If you arrive with a resident visa sticker in your passport, make sure the immigration officer marks your entry as 'Canje' (exchange), not 'Visitante'. Being admitted as a tourist can derail your application when you attend an immigration office — you then have 30 days to swap the visa stamp for a residency card. Existing holders of Temporary or Permanent Resident cards must present their card along with their passport when leaving, and must use the card to re-enter; re-entering as a tourist risks losing your residency status. Check the expiry date on a temporary card before travelling, too — leaving with an expired card can mean it's confiscated.
One quirk to watch: some airports have stopped issuing exit stamps to residents, though Mexico City still does. There's been no official policy change, so the advice is to ask for an exit stamp at the port of exit anyway, and keep any stamped page (or a cancelled old passport) as proof of your departure date when you return. Mexican nationals and naturalised citizens have their own requirement — completing a Formato Estadístico para Mexicanos (FEM) before exiting.
Why it matters: whether you're planning a two-week beach break or a longer stay, a few minutes of attention at immigration — checking your stamp, keeping your form half, photographing your documents — saves hours of bureaucracy later. Digitise everything, and if something does go missing, head to the nearest INM office rather than hoping for the best at the airport.
