Mexico travel FAQ

Visa-exempt travelers from the United States, Canada, the European Union/Schengen Area, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand do not need a tourist visa for stays up to 180 days (or any nationality holding a valid multi-entry US, Canadian, UK, Schengen, or Japanese visa/residency). Your passport simply needs to be valid for the duration of your trip. At major Mexican airports (MEX, CUN, GDL, SJD, PVR, OAX, MID), the old paper FMM card has been replaced by digital passport stamps and e-gates; land-border crossers still complete an FMM and receive a stamp.

All foreign tourists departing the state of Quintana Roo (Cancún, Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel, Bacalar, Holbox) must pay the state tourist levy called Visitax ($283 MXN / ~$14 USD per person). Pay it only on the official state government portal (visitax.gob.mx) and save the QR code PDF on your phone—avoid third-party clone sites that charge $40–$65 USD.

across the Yucatán Peninsula (Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Bacalar, Valladolid, Chichén Itzá, Izamal, Mérida, Campeche, and Palenque), ride Tren Maya (160 km/h Turista and Premier class trains) paired with ADO coaches. Across central and southern Mexico (CDMX–Puebla–Oaxaca) and the Colonial Heartland (Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Guadalajara), luxury executive coaches (ADO Platino, ADO GL, ETN, and Primera Plus) offer 2+1 lie-flat leather seats that beat flying on trips under 5 hours. Compare every route in our Tren Maya & ADO vs Flight Calculator.

Buy one rechargeable Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada ($15 MXN plastic card) at any Metro or Metrobús machine in Mexico City—or tap a contactless Visa/Mastercard/Apple Pay directly at the turnstile. It covers the CDMX Metro ($5 MXN), Metrobús ($6 MXN, or $30 MXN to Terminal 1/2 at MEX Airport), Cablebús ($7 MXN), and Tren Ligero ($3 MXN). Compare exact rides in our Mexico Transit Card Calculator.

Always pay in Mexican Pesos ($ MXN). Even in Cancún, Tulum, or Los Cabos where merchants accept USD cash, their in-house exchange rate adds a 15%–25% markup. Withdraw Pesos at bank-attached ATMs (BBVA, Banorte, Santander, Citibanamex) and decline the ATM's dynamic conversion screen. For tipping (propina), leave 10%–15% at sit-down restaurants and taquerías (after checking that propina/servicio wasn't already added to the bill), and $10–$20 MXN for supermarket baggers (cerillitos).

Archaeological zones in Yucatán and Quintana Roo charge two separate tickets at adjacent windows: a federal INAH fee ($95–$100 MXN) plus a state cultural agency fee (CULTUR in Yucatán or CODEQ in Quintana Roo). For example, Chichén Itzá totals $648 MXN ($95 MXN INAH + $553 MXN CULTUR) and Uxmal totals $561 MXN. Calculate your exact pyramid and cenote budget in our INAH Pyramid & Cenote Entry Fee Calculator.

Do not drink unboiled tap water anywhere in Mexico—always drink purified bottled water or refill from 20-liter garrafones at your hotel (restaurant ice in tourist zones is commercial purified hielo purificado and safe). Street food, however, is one of the highlights of visiting Mexico: pick busy stalls with a dedicated cashier (so the taquero never touches coins), eat slow-cooked meats (cochinita pibil, birria, barbacoa, carnitas) in the morning, and save al pastor and suadero for evening.

Mexico uses Type A and Type B flat-prong sockets (identical to the United States, Canada, and Japan) at 127V / 60Hz. European, UK, and Australian travelers need a simple flat-prong plug adapter; always pack a small 3-to-2-prong grounding adapter as older colonial boutique hotels sometimes have two-slot ungrounded outlets.