Tips For Travelers To Mexico

General Information

Between 15 and 16 million U.S. citizens visit Mexico each year, while more than 385,000 Americans reside there year round. Although the majority of visitors thoroughly enjoy their stay, a small number experience difficulties and serious inconveniences.

Travel conditions in Mexico can contrast sharply with those in the United States. This brochure offers advice to help you avoid inconveniences and difficulties as you go. The Department of State and its Embassy and consulates in Mexico offer a wide range of services to assist U.S. citizens in distress. U.S. consular officials meet regularly with Mexican authorities to promote the safety of U.S. citizens in Mexico.

Before you go, learn as much as you can about Mexico. Your travel agent, local bookstore, public library, the Internet and the embassy of the country or countries you plan to visit are all useful sources of information.

How To Have a Safe and Healthy Trip

Know Before You Go

As you travel, keep abreast of local news coverage. If you plan a stay in one place for longer than a few weeks, or if you are in an area where communications are poor, or that is experiencing civil unrest or some natural disaster, you are encouraged to register with the Department of State. The web page for Americans to register with us is

https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/.

You can register your entire itinerary on the web site. Alternately, after you have arrived in Mexico, you can register at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City or one of the U.S. consulates.

Registration takes only a few moments, and it may be invaluable in case of an emergency.

Other useful precautions are:

• Leave a detailed itinerary and the numbers of your passport or other citizenship documents with a friend or relative in the United States.
• Bring either a U.S. passport or a certified copy of your birth certificate and current, valid photo identification.
• Carry your photo identification and the name of a person to contact with you in the event of serious illness or other emergency.
• Keep photocopies of your airline or other tickets and your list of traveler's checks with you in a separate location from the originals and leave copies with someone at home.
• Leave things like unnecessary credit cards and expensive jewelry at home.
• Bring travelers checks, not cash.
• Use a money belt or concealed pouch for passport, cash and other valuables.
• Do not bring firearms or ammunition into Mexico without written permission from the Mexican government.

Consular Information Program

The Department of State's Consular Information Sheets are available for every country of the world. They describe entry requirements, currency regulations, unusual health conditions, the crime and security situation, political disturbances, areas of instability, and special information about driving and road conditions. They also provide addresses and emergency telephone numbers for U.S. embassies and consulates. In general, the sheets do not give advice. Instead, they describe conditions so travelers can make informed decisions about their trips. You can read the Consular Information Sheet for Mexico on our web site at http://travel.state.gov/. It is updated at least twice a year and has the most current information on travel to and in Mexico.

In some dangerous situations, however, the Department of State recommends that Americans defer travel to a country. In such a case, a Travel Warning is issued for the country in addition to its Consular Information Sheet.

Public Announcements are a means to disseminate information about relatively short-term and/or trans-national conditions posing significant risks to the security of American travelers. They are issued when there is a perceived threat, even if it does not involve Americans as a particular target group. In the past, Public Announcements have been issued to deal with short-term coups, pre-election disturbances, terrorist violence and anniversary dates of specific terrorist events.

You can access Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements 24-hours a day the following ways:

Internet

The most convenient source of information about travel and consular services is the Consular Affairs home page. Our web site is http://travel.state.gov.

Telephone

Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings may be heard any time by dialing the office of American Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747 from a touchtone phone.

From overseas, that number is: 202-501-4444.

<< Previous    [1]  2  3  4  5  ...14    Next >>