Mexico Entry Rules
Current rules
For foreign nationals entering Mexico by air, the INM no longer issues the traditional physical FMM. Instead: Immigration officials process the traveller's entry at the airport. The traveller's passport or travel document is stamped. The authorised period of stay is recorded. The traveller can subsequently download the FMM Digital. The digital document serves as evidence of the traveller's regular immigration status. The FMM itself has not disappeared from Mexico's immigration system. Land-border travellers continue to use the applicable FMM process, including the electronic FMM for eligible land entries.
Overview
Mexico has completed the rollout of digital entry registration at major air borders, replacing the paper FMM form with an electronic record tied to the passport.
Who is affected by the latest change
- Foreign nationals entering Mexico through international airports
- Tourists entering Mexico by air
- Business visitors and other short-term visitors entering by air who used the FMM
- Foreign travellers who previously had to fill out and keep a physical FMM
- Travellers who need proof of their approved period of stay after entering Mexico
What changed in the latest version
Before
Before, foreign visitors entering Mexico might have had to fill out an FMM as part of the immigration process. Travellers could fill out the FMM electronically beforehand. But the system still made them print a physical document. Immigration authorities then checked this document. Earlier guidance from the National Institute of Migration (INM) said that travellers had to keep the FMM. They might need it when leaving Mexico.
After
For foreign nationals entering Mexico by air, the National Institute of Migration (INM) no longer gives out the traditional paper Forma Migratoria Múltiple (FMM). Instead: Immigration officials process the traveler's entry at the airport. The traveler's passport or travel document gets a stamp. The approved time they can stay is recorded. The traveller can download the FMM Digital later. This digital document proves that the traveller has legal immigration status. The FMM itself has not left Mexico's immigration system. Travellers crossing at land borders still use the correct FMM process. This includes the electronic FMM for eligible land entries.
For foreign travellers who arrive in Mexico by air, the process is much simpler. Travellers no longer need to worry about: filling out a paper Forma Migratoria Múltiple (FMM) before or during their arrival; carrying a physical FMM during their trip; showing the FMM when leaving Mexico. Now, the immigration authority creates the digital record after they let the person into the country.
Explained simply
Think of the old FMM like a paper receipt you had to keep after checking into a hotel. Before, you received the paper and were responsible for keeping it safe until you left. Now, Mexico's immigration system keeps the record electronically and lets you retrieve your digital receipt when you need it. You still have to check in with immigration. The receipt became digital; the immigration requirement did not disappear.
Version history
- v1Effective 2 May 2023EffectiveMedium impactMexico replaces paper FMM with digital entry registration at air borders
Mexico now registers entries digitally at its main airports. This replaces the paper Forma Migratoria Múltiple (FMM) with an electronic record linked to a traveler's passport.
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