A Mexican Visa for a Sailor

A Mexican visa for a sailor, and clearing a yacht in and out. Formalities, ports of entry, personal experience

For Russian citizens flying into the country, a Mexican visa has now been replaced by an electronic travel authorisation, which you can obtain yourself online. If you enter the country not by air but overland or by sea, any of the following three visas will do:

Mexican (an actual visa, not an electronic authorisation)

US

Schengen

We had a valid Schengen visa with three months left to run, and on that basis we were granted a six-month Mexican visa upon arrival.

Ports of entry on the Caribbean coast:

Cancún

Cozumel

Isla Mujeres

Judging by reports from other sailors, clearing in at Cancún is no fun and means spending ages in queues.

We decided to formalise our relationship with Mexico on the little island of Isla Mujeres, and did not regret it.

The red marker is right on the Island of Women (Isla Mujeres).

Authorities to visit when clearing in:

Port Captain’s Office

Immigration

Customs (2 departments)

Hospital

Veterinary and agricultural control

Bank for payment

Important: all documents must be completed correctly.

A Mexican visa is one of those cases where you won’t get away with winging it: if an inspection uncovers any violations, you may be deported, fined, have your vessel confiscated, and even be jailed (scared you, did I?).

The procedure:

You drop anchor (or go into a marina—there are plenty in the bay), hoist the yellow flag below the starboard spreader, and the entire crew goes ashore to the Port Captain’s Office.

We hired an agent to clear in so that we would not have to drag the children around hospitals and agronomists in the heat. So instead of heading for the Port Captain’s Office, we took the dinghy to Marina El Milagro (one of the small private marinas in Isla Mujeres Bay). At our request, a local agent with the simple Russian name Julio materialised there in two seconds and quickly sorted everything out.

At Marina El Milagro.

Clearing in the crew

While Laduska and I wandered around the beautifully landscaped grounds of the marina hotel, and Nastya struggled to get online, all the law-enforcement officials and a medical officer gathered at a special window. The latter felt our pulses and checked our temperatures; the others looked into our honest faces and told us to fill in some forms. By the middle of that pleasant day, we had become fully fledged guests of the land of cacti and tequila, and a brand-new Mexican visa adorned our passports.

Clearing in the yacht

Once the crew has been initially cleared in, you have to go to Cancún for a TIP—a Temporary Importation Permit—which allows the boat to sail in Mexican waters for 10 years (it must be obtained within one or two weeks of arrival).

The cost —$50, plus 300 pesos (tickets for the high-speed ferry, about $20 return. It runs every half-hour).

Officials delivered to your door. Clearing in at Marina El Milagro, Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

Clearing out

Clearing out from Isla Mujeres took less than an hour.

Authorities:

Port Captain’s Office

Immigration

Now legally moored at the Port Captain’s Office pier, we got the necessary stamps in our documents within twenty minutes, a good half of which Andryukha spent running to the bank.

The young sailor enjoys the cool air conditioning while waiting for the passport stamps

An agronomist from agricultural control named Tomás was there too.

Do you have the paper from the agronomist confirming your arrival inspection?

We do! Andrei said honestly, and... failed to find it.

For that, the official agronomist said “hello” to Ladunka in perfect Russian, found a Russian translation app on his phone, and ended up giving us half a litre of genuine Mayan honey. Tomás is Mayan and lives in Yucatán, apparently in Izamal(?). He has a wife and four children, two boys and two girls. One of them is called Alejandro, and his youngest daughter is Cecilia.

As a memento of our meeting, we were left with a group portrait and a photo of the agronomist dressed as a beekeeper-cosmonaut...

Immigration

It is a five-minute walk from the Port Captain’s Office to Immigration along the main road. A small air-conditioned office, with no one else waiting to check out. The smiling officials slapped down the necessary stamps—and we were cleared out for Colombia.

This time, no one at either the Port Captain’s Office or Immigration spoke English. But if you know ten words of Spanish and sign language, you’ll manage..

Money and the agent

We cleared in with an agent for $130. (Five authorities plus the bank. We decided not to drag the children around in the heat.)

The agent charges $80 for clearing out. However, thirty minutes in the pleasant cool of two spotless offices is more of a pleasure than a hassle. An agent is clearly superfluous here, while $80 is not.

We suspect that clearing in at Isla Mujeres is not actually all that troublesome either.

Overall, we recommend Isla Mujeres for clearance: it is small and everything is close by. The larger the city, the farther apart the offices are, and the more people there are wanting to use them.

The Cap, the young sailor, and agronomist Tomás

Mobile service —Telcel. It is convenient to buy a SIM card with data and top up your balance at Oxxo minimarkets.

Unlike

Cuba, Mexico has no problems with food or variety of choice.

Wishing everyone hassle-free formalities!

If you are interested in seeing Mexico from the inside, take a look here:

How the Young Sailor and I Frightened a Policeman

How a Tropical Storm Came Our Way

Farewell to Mainland Mexico and Friends. Journal

Three Modes of Life Aboard a Yacht

The Horror of the Night Jungle

A Holiday Away from the Yacht. Chichén Itzá

Our Town’s Festivities

Summer on the Yacht. Heat. Journal

Video—Getting Under Way from Anchor Under Sail

Sail! We Toooore the Sail!

Time to Get Out of Here

Photos to Set the Mood

Isla Mujeres Harbour

The Caballero and His Horse Smoked Too Much 🙂

At the Ferry Terminal in Cancún

The Cap and a Mexican Woman 🙂

While waiting to clear in, the young sailor made friends with the marina residents and had a good swim

From Marina El Milagro to the anchorage off Isla Mujeres