The day we were leaving Mexico for Belize I quickly googled the overland border crossing procedures and how much money I’d need to take out for the ferry and other expenses. But I kept on seeing Mexican Exit Tax Scam show up continuously in my search results, so I looked into that a bit and discovered that Mexico charges a USD ~$25 tourism tax for non-residents departing Mexico. There were very conflicting viewpoints across popular travel forums about whether the fee is legit, a scam, and whether it’s avoidable. I can now report that our Mexico to Belize border crossing in Chetumal that we successfully avoided the having to pay the Mexico Tourism Tax without any issue whatsoever. For us, there was no Mexico exit tax scam. Here’s how you can avoid paying too, before catching that ferry to Belize.
Is the Mexico Exit Tax Really a Scam?
The Mexico exit tax, itself, is not a scam. Mexico legitimately charges a tourism tax upon exit. If you came into Mexico by crossing a land border, you likely have not paid this fee, and you must do so before exiting. There’s no scam here. You really do owe Mexico this money.
However, if you flew into Mexico on a commercial flight, the cost of your plane ticket already included the tourism tax and you absolutely do NOT need to pay it again upon exiting.
Many people fly into Cancun or elsewhere in Mexico, spend some time in the Riviera Maya, continue onward to Belize and unknowingly just fork up the seemingly mandatory departure tax. No one tells you that you can bypass being double-taxed, so that is why it’s often referred to as a scam.
Be armed with all of the information in this post and get your documents together. In doing so, you shouldn’t be scammed by paying the Mexico Tourism Tax twice.
Another reason why Mexico’s exit tax is referred to as a scam is the unfortunate reality that even if you have your documents together, the particular border guard may not accept it, possibly having a desire to pocket the money or just to charge you anyways. In this case, it truly is a scam. But I believe these instances are rare for those who do have the required documents. If you have the documents and a border guard still wants to charge you the exit tax, we suggest remaining polite yet holding firm that you do not need to pay the Mexico Tourism tax again. And showing the documentation that it has been paid.
How to Know if You Are Exempt from Paying the Mexico Exit Tax
Whether you’re headed from Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Chetumal or elsewhere to Belize: do NOT pay this fee again if you have arrived to Mexico by a commercial airline.
In other words, answer this question to determine if you need to pay or not:
Did you fly in a commercial airline to Mexico?
- Yes, I flew to Mexico. You don’t need to pay. Read on.
- No, I walked, drove, bussed, came on a boat to Mexico. Sorry, you must pay the departure tax.
Documents Needed to Avoid Paying the “Mexico Exit Tax Scam”
If you have flown to Mexico and are now exiting by a land border, instead of paying the Mexico exit tax, you simply need two documents:
1) Your FMM card you received upon arrival, and
2) An itemized receipt from your flight purchase showing the Tourism Tax
FMM Card
When flying into Mexico on a commercial flight, you receive a FMM card, which is a portion of the immigration form you fill out upon arriving to Mexico. Its also known as a tourist card or tourist visa (although its not truly a visa). It reads FMM at the top of the card, so you’ll know you have the right thing. You only receive this when you have paid the tourism fee, which everyone that flies there has paid. Retain this FMM card with your passport and present it upon exiting through the overland border from Mexico to Belize.
Itemized Receipt from Your Flight
Also simply print out the itemized receipt from the purchase of your flight into Mexico. You should see the Mexico Tourism Tax broken out as a separate line item. All airlines operate differently so if that is not broken out separately on your receipt, contact your airline and request it and they should oblige. We flew in to Mexico using Spirit Airlines, which although a lot of people complain about Spirit, they always meticulously itemize their receipts which is great for instances such as this. Below, I’ve boxed in red to show the line item you need to look for.
Note: Our itemized receipt you see above is actually for two people, which is why you see the Mexico Tourism Fee to be double the amount. (And you’ll see we got a pretty good deal on our flight!)
So simply print out that receipt and have your FMM card in hand when you’re going through exiting Mexico’s border crossing. When we last went through the Mexico to Belize border crossing, we had absolutely no problems whatsoever. No arguments, no dirty looks, nothing. The customs official did ask to keep the flight receipt, which I had no problem with since I didn’t need it anymore, could print another if needed, and my credit card info on the receipt had been X-ed out. We avoided paying the Mexico exit tax scam and now you’re armed with this info to avoid it too!
Yay – You Just Saved About $20!
Now take that $20 you just saved and instead use it for a few lobster dinners once you arrive in Caye Caulker or San Pedro. (See here where you can find complete lobster dinners for $9 or lobster burgers for only $3!)
Are you heading to Belize? Perhaps our other reviews, adventures, tips, and recommendations of the country may be helpful. You can find all of our blog posts about Belize. Cheers!
Bonus tip: Have you booked your accommodation in Belize yet? It’s always important to book your hotel reservations in advance, particularly during high season, as hotels do tend to fill up quickly! Take a look at what’s available using hotelscombined, which searches all of the main booking sites (Expedia, Agoda, Booking.com, Hostelbookers, Hotels.com, etc.) at once.
How do Mexico justify enforcing this at the Belize border when they don’t at the US border? After all, at San Ysidro, you wouldn’t meet any Mexican officials wanting any fees, and while the American officials might be stern, and might want $6 for an I-94, I can’t see USA officials caring two hoots about unpaid Mexican fees.
Hello Heather,
We will arrive in Cancun and stay 5 days in Tulum before heading down to Belize for 5 days.
After this we will head back to Mexico, Playa del Carmen for a couple of days before flying back home from Cancun airport.
We will try to avoid the exit tax when we cross the border via water taxi from Chetumal to Caye Caulker.
However, wouldn’t we need to pay the exit tax at Cancun airport when we return home via Cancun at the end of our holiday? Or can we again get away without paying by showing our ticket receipt (flying Eurowings).
Thanks for your reply.
They’ll likely take your FMM when you cross the border, so then you wouldn’t have it when you depart the Cancun airport which will cause all sorts of problems at the airport. You can certainly try to keep it and use it for both exits, but they’ll likely insist on keeping it at the border. So I’d suggest to simply keep your FMM for your flight out and pay the exit tax when going from Chetumal to Belize.
Hi
My husband and I arrived in Cancun on a single flight ticket with eurowings. We plan to cross at chetumal to Belize. On the receipt from euro wings it does not make clear if we paid Mexican immigration service fee. Do we legitimately have to pay a fee to cross?
Many thanks
Helen
Since Eurowings is a commercial airline, then you have likely already paid the exit tax, included in your ticket price. If that is not shown on an itemized receipt, I’d recommend to contact Eurowings and request that. Without that itemized receipt showing that you’ve already paid the exit tax, you will almost certainly be asked to pay it again once crossing the border from Chetumal to Belize.
Many thanks Helen
Hello John and Heather,
First of all thank you for sharing your experience and for the very well organized and interesting Blog.
My girlfriend and I are flying from Germany to Cancun for 2 weeks. We are not planning on crossing the border during this time. We are flying with Eurowings as a part of a holiday package (Flight + Hotel). What I couldn’t understand is whether we need to pay this tax on our way back to Germany or not. Do we still need the itemized receipt from the airport company? Last year we flew to Dom. Republic and as far as I remember we payed some taxes (I think 10$) on our way in, not out.
Thanks once again.
Greetings from Germany,
Mladen + Katrin
Hi Mladen, since Eurowings is a commercial airline, you will have already paid the exit tax when you purchased your flight. So you will not need to pay it again upon departing Mexico. You will not even need the itemized receipt. That is only needed for those who have flown in and then our crossing a land border. On the flight to Mexico, they’ll give you your FMM Card. Just hang on to that until you depart, in which officials will take it upon departing Mexico. That’s it – easy! And no need to pay a departure fee at the airport here.
Just crossed Chetumal to Corozal. Had no official itemised receipt, but I did have an email from the airline, Interjet, saying we had paid and that it was good for exit by air, land or sea. What she was more interested in however was the slightly amended receipt from Lastminute.com that showed, flight ticket and MX tourism tax!
We had been told by people in the hostal it’s now 500 peso, and were told by the driver of the chicken bus that it was 500 peso, and everybody pays, and that if we took too long he couldn’t wait for us!
We are very pleased with saving ourselves 1000 peso. The border guard said if we come back it is very important that we have the itemised receipt, she had a little pile of them with FMM cards neatly stapled to them, for what purpose I don’t know, though she said she has to take the them to the bank and she might get into trouble if they were wrong……
Be brave, be strong, it works out for some!
Thanks so much for all the info. I’m staying in Belize for a week and want to take a day trip (returning same day) to Chetamul. Is it worth the travel time and border crossing expense for just like 4-5 hours? Would you recommend taking the ferry and the more expensive but quick hopper flight? Planning on doing this in the next couple of days so hoping for your awesome quick responses!!! Thank you, these type of tips are awesome!!
Hi Lisa, thanks for the comment and question. In our opinion, it wouldn’t be worth the time and money to get to Chetumal for just a day. We’d recommend staying in Belize. Enjoy your trip!
We crossed into Belize from Chetumal last week. We had our itemized receipt from the airline ready. It didn’t help. The border guard said “Everyone pays”. He charged us 500 pesos each, took our form, and not very covertly stuck the money in his shirt pocket. “No receipt” was the last thing he said to us.
Hi Frank, sorry to hear about your occurrence at the border. Thanks for reporting back and sharing your experience. I’d be curious to know if other travelers are facing the same issue as well.
Wife and I came thru Chetemel, Belize crossing on June 17th. Knew ahead of time about hustle so had itemized printout from West Jet. We got the feeling that out cab driver (767 from ado station) and the border guard were conspiring to get the exit fee and split it. We showed receipt and were waived thru however our cab driver’s friendly demeanor changed after that. Have heard that if they insist, demand legible official receipt. This may change the game in your favor. Also, if someone were to find the actual written statute on this subject from the Mexican Govt and post a translated version, it would clear some things up.
Thanks for giving your account on the crossing and glad to hear you were prepared and didn’t have to pay the exit tax a second time. I’ve never seen the actual written statute from as listed directly on a Mexico government website but would be happy to link to it on this page should anyone locate it. Happy travels!
… Another guy dashed back to the office whilst I there as the 2 girls explained if you had paid the airport tax already don’t pay twice. He had loads of proof, but didn’t get refund he got a receipt though.
Still 390 pesos. Many paid unaware of the ‘scam’. Didn’t ask if they were supposed to. I flew to Mexico with Thomson. I knew to pay. I said I didn’t think I had to and waited whilst most others were with the other guy going through quickly m. Spoke to 2 girls on the bus when boarding bus, they didn’t know about the charge. Basically i said I would pay and went to the bus (I had the cash on me but needed a breather). The two girls were brought back in, they did the leg work, I quickly asked if they paid, they didn’t, I went back in and blagged it
I showed him this and other blogs and said I was a civil servant(true). I was any to get the cash out, he”called his boss”, I asked for a glass of water (dry mouth…. Glass wasn’t clean). He said his boss is kind and let me off.. Saved 390p and a water! He spoke perfect English, glasses. Right hand counter. I got cheeky and said “I’m Simon, you?”…. He is Andreas 🙂
Wow, interesting to hear you were able to get out without paying the tax. Thompson is often considered a charter flight in which case the departure tax isn’t included as part of charter flight tickets. Sounds like your status as a civil servant may have been your way to avoid the departure tax. I know those with diplomat passports and a few other rare statuses are exempt from the tax.
I am flying from the United Kingdom on a scheduled flight into Cancun, i am assuming that i have to pay the exit tax? Thanks in advance.
The exit tax should be included with the price of the flight you purchased. If you are simply flying in and out of Cancun, then you need not worry about anything. If you are flying into Cancun and traveling to Belize or Guatemala over the land border, then you need to ensure you have an itemized receipt from your airline showing that you have paid the exit tax.
UPDATE March 2016:
Travrlling between San Cristobal Mexico and Xula/Atitlan/Antigua. We were advised by hostel staff and bus driver that the fee of 390 pesos is payable at the border. They added that if we had been in the country 7 days or less there was no fee. Walked in and there was a sign on the wall saying the same in English and Spanish. No mention of the original departure country and destination country having to be the same as had heard elsewhere. Fee wasnt mentioned as we were within the 7 days. Feedback from most of the other passangers was that they didn’t get charged either, it wasn’t even mentioned even though they had been in mexico weeks. Maybe just lucky…
Anyway hope this helps!
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Sounds like they were pretty relaxed and lenient at that border. We’ve never crossed there before so its interesting to hear about your experience. It’s awesome to hear that you prepared yet weren’t charged. Usually it happens the reverse way (not prepared, then get charged), lol.
Yet even if they didn’t charge you the exit tax this time, I’d still advise people to either have their airline receipt to show they’ve paid it or the money to pay it. That way the worst case scenario is that you end up with a few hundred extra pesos in your pocket after crossing into Guatemala or Belize. Have a great time in Central America!
I just passed through this border yesterday and everyone who has stayed longer than 7 days in Mexico has to pay 500 peso. The official doesn’t care about documents from the airline, it’s either pay up or stay in Mexico. Also the driver if you’re taking a shuttle from San Cristobal won’t be waiting for you.
I flew into Cancun and three days later crossed the border at Chetumal on my way to Flores, Guatemala. I didn’t have an itemized statement and even though I argued that the departure fee was included in my air ticket, I had to pay the 300+ pesos AND the official kept my FMM card although I told him I was returning to Mexico the following week and would fly out of Cancun.
Upon returning to Mexico several days later, I was given another FMM card. The next week when I got to the Cancun airport, I got my boarding pass and surrendered my FMM. Later, while I was sitting at the gate waiting to board, my name was called and I was asked to report to the desk… that was a real WTF moment.
At the desk, I was told that my FMM was only good for seven days and I was leaving on the eighth day, so I had to pay an exit fee. I was totally broadsided by this and argued that an FMM was good for 180 days and if this one was different, I should have been told so at the border where I received it. It looked exactly like the one I got on arrival at Cancun except for a small illegible stamp at the bottom on the front of the card. The official kept saying that that was what indicated it was only good for seven days. I was really angry and I got really loud and argued that I’d already paid an exit fee at the Belize border and that there was a departure fee included in my ticket price, but it did absolutely no good. I was told if I didn’t pay, I couldn’t board the plane. Fortunately, I had some money with me other than the 120 pesos in my pocket, but I easily could’ve been there devoid of cash, not knowing that I had to pay to leave.
I have traveled to and from MX countless times over the past 35 years both by air and overland at both northern and southern borders and on all those trips, this was the first time I’d run into this. With this fee, the one at Chetumal and the two Belizean exit fees (which I knew about), I ended up paying ~ 90 USD in exit fees to make my trip to Tikal. Jeezuz.
Holy crap! That is definitely a WTF moment indeed! I’ve never heard of them issuing a 7-day FMM. Very strange and thank you for providing us with a heads-up. Recently, in December, I left Mexico in which they took my FMM and when I returned they issues me another FMM but I didn’t even think to look as I thought it was always a standard 180 days. (I left a few days thereafter, so I suppose that was a bit irrelevant in my recent case.) But, wow, can’t believe they issued only a 7-day FMM when returning which almost caused you to miss your flight, not to mention having to pay a few extra bucks! Definitely something for others to be aware of.
I have heard of some people successfully retaining their original FMM when departing Mexico. This is an ideal situation but unfortunately I think doing so is pretty rare, as custom officials at the land borders almost always insist on parting with your FMM when leaving. But I have heard of people that successfully crossed and hung onto it.
Anyhow, thanks for sharing this crazy story as a warning for others.
I flew from Canada to Cancun via LA. Took the bus from Cancun to Chetumal to cross border to Belize, our final destination. I was charged $100 us ($50 each) to exit Mexico. A far cry from 306 pesos each as mentioned on this website. My young daughter and I were basically hustled at a not so busy border. Never going back there again. That was the most ridiculous fee I’ve ever paid for 8 hours in transit through Mexico. If you’re going to travel to or through Mexico be ready to be hustled…. I know where my cash went…. Right into their pockets!
I’m sorry to hear about this unfortunate experience. It is best to have your FMM card and an itemized receipt from your flight showing you have already paid the departure tax. In doing so, you should not have to pay the 306 pesos or any money at all when leaving Mexico, let alone $100 USD. Still each experience may come down to the individual border officer. It’s important to know the information within this post upfront before crossing the border. That way if a crooked border officer does attempt deceptive tactics on unsuspecting travelers, you can politely counter that attempt by calmly explaining to him that you have already paid the Tourism Fee and have the documentation with you to prove it and stick to your guns. This has proved very affective based upon emails I’ve received and other people I’ve talked to. The crooked border official may not be happy about it, but you should be able to get through without paying the dishonest fee he’s insisting upon.
John, I love your site. I arrived in Tapachula mexico on a Bus. I did not pay the exit fee there. The sign said pay the fee at any Bank. I have been to MANY Banks . They all say I need a number for them to take the payment. I think it is the Goverments account number.. I speak limited Spanish and can not find any one to help. Icalled the Airport Immigration and they hung up…….PLEASE HELP……Thanks
Hi Timothy, Yikes! You should be able to pay on the spot at the border. Yet all borders are different and I’m not familiar with proceedings at the Tapachula border. To make a suggestion… even if a sign says that you need to pay at a bank, I would try to work with the border officials. Money always seems to talk in Mexico, so perhaps being nice and trying to pay the “tax” directly to the border officials may work. If you’re not comfortable with that approach, try going to the Banjercito near the center of Tapachula, if you haven’t already gone there yet. Show the bank workers your FMM card and say “necesito pagar impuesto de salida” and that should get the point across. I really hope that one of those solutions may help you out. Best of luck!
Hi there and thanks for the helpful info and thorough knowledge of the subject matter 🙂 Well I flew into Cancun one way with Thomas Cook and I’ll be exiting overland to Guatemala, heading down to Panama. I read somewhere the following about the tax and the airlines, I’m not quite sure what my situation is. If you have any idea, kindly let me know. Thanks!!!
British Airways – Included in the cost before you travel
Virgin – Included in the cost before you travel
Thomas Cook – Pre-payable when you pay your balance
Thomson – Payable on departure from Mexico
Because Thomas Cook is a charter airline, I don’t believe the tax is included in the fare. I’d recommend checking a receipt or perhaps calling them to be certain. If it is included in the fare, you’ll need to have proof. But I’m fairly confident it’s not. So if its not included, I wound’t worry about pre-paying it or anything. I’d just pay the tax upon exit. This actually is better, as you have no chance of being double charged since you didn’t already pay the tax in the first, as part of your airfare.
hi john. thanks for the info.Flying with Tompson from uk.looks like we have to pay the tax…thanks
Yes, unfortunately you likely will. 🙁
Happy travels to Mexico 🙂
Hi John. I crossed the border and followed your advice. When I showed them my itemised receipt they claimed that it was only applicable for departures by air. I quickly thought on my feet and said I’d checked with the embassy who told me that it definitely applies to all departures. On hearing this story, the officer took my FFM card and waved me through rather angrily. She did not take the receipt from me, nor did she stamp my passport.
I was worried about what was going to happen next but everything went fine and I’m now in Belize having saved $25 dollars. Thank you!
Other passengers who followed your advice but didn’t argue back got charged the $25.
Hi Geraint! Thanks for the feedback and your recent account of crossing the border. Its sounding like there are some border officials who may be trying to pocket this $25 fee. Am glad to hear you stuck to your guns and were able to get through without paying!
Hi John
Thank you for sharing this information!
No problem! Am happy you found it helpful and hope you have or had a breeze through the border.
I entered Mexico from Belize. When I arrived, I got a FMM – Card with a documentation that I paid 332 Pesos. I will assume, that I don´t have to pay when I´m exiting Mexico by Airplane . . .?
Interesting – I’ve never done it the other way around (Belize-to-Mexico). If you’ve payed the tax and have the FMM card with documentation, you certainly should not have to pay it when you leave Mexico by plane.
Hi.. Great post.. I had been in mexico for 11 months longer than my fmm 180 days and was researching this online only to be horrified by the fines.. So had a friend go to the border crossing at Belize and had her explain my situation.. Resolved with only 2000 pesos , should have been much much more .. Best part was that she took my passport and long expired fmm and came back with new fmm and passport stamped without me even being there lol.. Anyway.. I wanted to go to Belize any way so then jumped in the car and went. Cheapo purfum good Indian curry paste and returned back too Cancun all the same day.. However now its time to go again .. 18 days left on my current fmm.. Now my friend tells me that we have to stay in Belize for 3 days .. Is this correct?? .. Or am I going to go the same route as last time and pay a backhander .. Hope this added some interest to this post too ..
Yes, that is definitely an interesting story! Thank you for sharing. Glad you were able to resolve your overstay!
I’m not sure about having to stay in Belize for three days, as I’ve heard conflicting accounts. Seems as if you can return in the same day, but it likely may depend on the border agent. Its probably nothing a few more pesos wouldn’t be able to resolve, lol!
Hello All,
We are going to be flying into and out of Cancun from the US next month on JetBlue. Will we have to pay an exit tax when we get to the airport in Cancun or has this tax already been paid to JetBlue as part of our round trip ticket price?
Thanks,
Dan
Yes, it will definitely be included in your JetBlue ticket price. If you are leaving Mexico to enter Belize, I’d suggest getting an itemized receipt to show this in order to avoid the exit tax at the border. If you are simply staying put in Mexico and then returning to your home country, no need to have any documentation other than retaining your FMM card received on arrival.
Dear John:
thank you for give me the tips for the above question, I will think more slowly about cross to Belize once we are in Mexico, whatever we decide, I keep you posted when we get back to the US,
thank you again
Glad it was helpful. Thank you for dropping a comment to let us know. Hope your crossing went well!
Hi John:
we are planing to stay a week in the Cancun area, and we think to rent a car to move around there, and I was just thinking to cross the border at Chetumal to Belize, please tell me why you state above not to use the rent car to cross the border, is there any issue with the mexican border officials? also, can we spend one night in Belize and then come back to Mexico the next day without any Mexican complaints? please, help
thank you
I’m not aware of any issues crossing the border with a car. The reason why I recommended against a car in a previous reply is simply due to the fact that some of the most popular and travelled to areas in Belize aren’t accessible by car. You can only reach them by ferry. But if you’re not planning to go to the islands, car should be just fine (as far as I know). Do be sure to check with your rental agency though to see what is covered in your agreement, as some may not allow travel to another country, in which case you may have problems.
Regarding exiting Mexico and re-entering, of the dozen or so times I’ve been through Mexico, I’ve never done this so I cannot comment from personal experience. They may insist on taking your FMM card when you leave Mexico to go to Belize. Then you won’t have it when you go to fly out. My only advice would be to be kind and try to explain the situation to them at the Belize border and ask if you can retain it for your flight out of Mexico later. If they insist on taking it, don’t argue much and let them have it. When you go to fly out Mexico, if asked for your FMM, you can prove that clearly you entered by air so maybe the airport agent will take pity on you. Worst case scenario is you’re out $25, so its worth a shot I suppose.
I will be crossing the Mexico/Belize border to obtain a new FMM, is there a minimum number of hours that I have to stay in Belize before returning back to Mexico?
My family and I only plan to be in Belize for 4 hours max before returning.
I appreciate your immediate response (we will be going this weekend)
I read up and heard there was this Mexico/Belize border scam happening, so today when I took the Chicken bus from Chetumal (near the new market) at around 2pm and it stopped at the Mexican side, my girlfriend and I just remained on the bus, slouched down, while some others went to check through. We waited no longer then 10 minutes and then the other passengers got back on and the bus continued on to Belize customs. The driver asked if we wanted to get off, but i told him no it was okay because we paid our entry fee during our flight into Mexico. It was no issue for him. Going through Belize customs was also not a problem though they did ask for the name of a hotel we were planning on staying at in Belize, so have a name and address ready even if you dont plan to stay anywhere in particular. A super hassle free border crossing if I’ve ever seen one.
Thank you for sharing your account on your border crossing. Wow, that’s really interesting that you were able to just stay on the bus. I suppose that’s one way to avoid having to pay the tax. May be a little risky but it seems you were able to get by with no problems, so that’s great!
I came through the Chetumal/ Belize border three weeks ago on an ADO bus. Some young Americans decided to try to avoid Mexican customs, and had their passports checked by Belizian immigration. They were sent back on foot to Mexico to get their passports stamped. Those on the bus that refused to pay had their passports photocopied and were informed that they may not be able to enter Mexico in the future.
Yikes, not a good idea to avoid Mexican customs altogether. Always have to get stamped out. I wonder if those on the bus that refused to pay had all their paper work in order. Would hate to jeopardize not being allowed in Mexico again.
Hi, thanks for sharing the tips. I just crossed the border 2 days ago, and everything went fine. I was unable to get an itemized list from my airline, but I added some statements on my PDF version of flight ticket (“note: MX-tourism tax has been included in the flight ticket price”), and printed them out, showed it to the officer, and he didn’t ask any money from me before stamping my passport. So glad to save USD25 🙂 appreciate your sharing, very much!
So glad to hear this! Thanks for stopping back by and letting us know. Its such an easy way to save $25 bucks by just preparing in advance. Glad they accepted your PDF version too. Have a wonderful visit to Belize!
Unfortunately I had to pay the fee even though I showed them my itemised itinerary which showed the tourism tax. They said “too bad, you have to pay it twice”. As I was on a bus with 40 other people there was no point fighting it. Three guys refused to pay it and the Mexican officers said if they don’t pay it they won’t give their passports back. Sometimes it’s easier to just pay the money. I’m glad you were able to get out of paying the fee though! Sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some! A
Oh no! That’s horrible that they made you all pay the fee again even though you clearly had paid already and had the paper work to prove it. How frustrating! Thank you for providing your account. Although having the proper paper work “should” get you through without having to pay, I suppose its important to note that there may still be some bad seeds out there fraudulently making you pay again anyways.
Hey folks, I am a seasoned traveller of the route UK – Cancun – Belize. First of all, the Mexican border with. Belize near Chetumel DOES charge an exit fee and quite legitimately. (As do most. Countries in the world) there are certain exceptions eg if you are a Mexican National or if you are a Belizean and are only in Mexico for a certain number of days.
In years gone by there were all sorts of scams at that particular border which I won’t bore you with as they are no longer practised, but nowadays, it is very much more professional and enshrined in legislation.
Regarding the advice about your exit fee having already been paid. Generally, that is correct as exit fees are included in the price of your ticket with commercial airlines, NOT CHARTER FLIGHTS. ie flights provided by holiday companies where you purchase just the seat not the holiday……BUT be careful. If you have a return trip ie departing Cancun at some time in the future to return to your Country and you have used the paid exit fee portion of the ticket to exit Mexico to Belize or wherever then you will have to pay the airport exit fee when you return to Mexico for your return flight and it is double the price of the land border!!!!
Yes, those are both very good points to clarify! The exit fees are included with commercial airlines only, not charter lines. I’ve just edited the article to specify “commercial” airline.
And yes, if you flew into Mexico, then exit by land, then return to Mexico by land to fly out of Mexico you may run into issues there. In my many travels to Mexico, I’ve always only either gone in-and-out by air. Or in by air then out by land without returning. But in that situation, perhaps its better to retain your FMM at the land crossing, paying the fee there to have your FMM Card to exit by air. In such an instance, you’d also need to account for the Belize departure fee too.
What is the best way to see the coast line down to Belize border coming from Cancun. Would like to explore the coast. Buses or rent a car?
That completely depends on your budget, comfort level, and the exact places you plan to visit. We got along just fine using the busses throughout Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. The major points of interest along the coast such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum can all easily be reached by bus. If you’re trying to seek more remote places, then a rental car would be more ideal. I would just not recommend taking a rental car from Mexico into Belize though. From Chetumal onward, you’d be much better served by ferries. The bus trip from the Mayan Riviera area was fairly easy to Chetumal. From the Chetumal bus station you need to take a short taxi to the ferry dock, where you can then travel to Belize. Hope that helps. Happy travels!
Hello John & Heather
First of all thank you for the detailed information you’ve shared how to beat exit scam in Mexico- going from chetumal to Belize. We’re travelling this Friday 6th of June 2014 and I managed to get an itemized receipt from WestJet by calling this airline which you’ve mentioned on your blog. Hoping for the best. I will let you know what will happen next.
Once Again Thank you very much.
Lani
That’s great! So nice to hear when advice has helped prepare someone. Thanks for taking the time for letting us know! Good luck! But with that itemized receipt you shouldn’t need “luck.” 😉 Definitely keep us posted on how it goes. Safe travels and enjoy Belize!
Thanks for the reply John. Just to keep you posted that we’re really happy we didn’t pay any tourism tax upon exiting Mexico going to San Pedro by ferry and we had a good time staying in Belize. Cheers to you and Heather.
Still working in 2018! I printed out my flight receipt and showed it to the immigration officer. Thank you for the tips!!
Thanks for the update Herbert!