Mexico travel advice

Warnings (from the FCDO, word for word)

Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Areas where FCDO advises against all but essential travel

State of Baja California

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the city of Tijuana, except:

• airside transit through Tijuana airport
• the Cross Border Xpress bridge from the airport linking terminals across the Mexican-US border
• the federal toll road 1D and Via Rápida through Tijuana to the border

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the city of Tecate in Baja California, including roads between Tijuana and Tecate.

There is another state called Baja California Sur that is unaffected by these warnings.

State of Chihuahua

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Chihuahua, except:

• the city of Chihuahua
• the border crossing in Ciudad Juárez (accessed by federal toll road 45)
• federal toll road 45D connecting the cities of Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez
• the Copper Canyon rail route to and from Chihuahua and towns immediately on this route including Creel
• the road from Creel via San Juanito to San Pedro
• state highway 16 from San Pedro to Chihuahua

State of Sinaloa

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Sinaloa, except:

• the cities of Los Mochis and Mazatlán
• road 32 that runs between El Fuerte and Los Mochis
• the 15D federal toll road that runs the length of the state
• the Copper Canyon rail route to and from Los Mochis, El Fuerte and the towns immediately on this route

State of Tamaulipas

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Tamaulipas, except:

• the border crossing at Nuevo Laredo accessed by federal toll road 85D from Monterrey
• federal highways 80, 81 and 85 between Tampico, Ciudad de Victoria and Magueyes, and the entire area of Tamaulipas south of these highways

State of Zacatecas

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Zacatecas.

State of Guanajuato

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the areas south-west of road 45D.

State of Michoacán

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Michoacán, except the:

• city of Morelia accessed by federal toll roads 15D, 126 and 43; and the federal toll road 48D between the city of Morelia and the General Francisco Mujica airport
• town of Pátzcuaro accessed by federal toll roads 14D and 15 from Morelia, and boat trips out to islands on Lake Pátzcuaro
• Federal Highway 15D

State of Jalisco

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the areas south and south-west of Lake Chapala to the border with the state of Colima.

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the northern municipalities of:

• Bolaños
• Chimaltitán
• Colotlán
• Hostotipaquillo
• Huejúcar
• Huequilla el Alto
• Mezquitic
• San Martin de Bolaños
• Santa Maria de los Ángeles
• Totatiche
• Villa Guerrero

State of Colima

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Colima, except the city of Manzanillo accessed by sea or air via the Manzanillo-Costalegre International Airport, and direct travel via road 200 from the airport to Manzanillo.

State of Guerrero

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Guerrero, except the town of Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa accessed by air.

State of Chiapas

FCDO advises against all but essential travel to within 40km of the Guatemalan border between the Pacific Coast up to and including the border crossing at Gracias a Dio.

FCDO advises against all but essential travel on Federal Highway 199 (Carretera Federal 199) between Rancho Nuevo (just outside San Cristobal de las Casas) and the Chancalá junction just outside Palenque (where Federal Highway 199 meets Federal Highway 307).

Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel to these areas.

From FCDO: warnings and insurance.

Passport validity

To enter Mexico, your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay.

The Mexican Embassy in the UK recommends passports be valid for at least 180 days because this is the longest you can stay in Mexico as a tourist.

If you’re travelling through another country on your way to or from Mexico, check the entry requirements for that country. Many countries will only allow entry if you have at least 6 months validity remaining on your passport. 

From FCDO: entry requirements. Written for British passport holders.