Admission Procedures at the Southern Border


Procedures applicable to nationals of Central American countries: Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras, and in some cases, to foreign nationals who are permanent residents of these countries and wish to enter the states of Mexico southern border.            

  • Requirements

    The documents (applications) for the procedures must be submitted in original only, and their annexes, in copy. If the interested party requires an acknowledgement of receipt, she/he must attach a copy for that purpose. (Article 15 A section I of the Administrative Procedure Federal Act).


    I. Obtaining the REGIONAL VISITOR CARD

    This is applicable to nationals from Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras, and foreign nationals permanent residents in those countries who apply for regional visitor status.

    1.

    Citizens of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, as well as foreign nationals who are permanent residents of those countries, must present a valid passport, identity document, travel document, or personal identification document. Foreign nationals residing in those countries must present a visa certifying them as permanent residents. Original and copy.

    • Minors from Guatemala must present their birth certificate, issued no more than six months prior to the date of travel. Original and copy.
    • Guatemalan minors or those under legal guardianship who are not accompanied by both parents or guardians must present permission from their parents or legal guardian, notarized by a notary public. Original and copy.
    • Minors or those under legal guardianship who are not accompanied by their mother and father or guardians from El Salvador and Honduras must present permission from their father and mother or legal guardian containing certification from a Justice of the Peace, family court judge, or equivalent. Original and copy.
    2. Belizean nationals must present a valid passport or identity and travel document. Permanent residents of Belize must present a visa certifying them as permanent residents. Original y and copy.
    • Minors or persons under legal guardianship who are not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian must present permission from their parents or legal guardian containing certification from a Justice of the Peace, family court judge, or equivalent. Original and copy.
    Explanatory notes on obtaining the Regional Visitor Card:
    • The regional visitor card is valid for five years and allows transit and stay in the states of Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán for seven calendar days during each entry.
    • The procedure for obtaining the regional visitor card is free of charge. You will only have to pay the corresponding fees in case of replacement of said card.
    • This type of stay does not allow for paid activities.
    • Regional visitors who wish to enter beyond the authorized border region to carry out unpaid activities must obtain, after meeting the requirements, a visitor visa without permission to carry out paid activities.

    II. Obtaining the Border WORKER VISITOR CARD

    Applicable to nationals of Guatemala and Belize who are 16 years of age or older, have a job offer, and apply for border worker visitor status.

    1.

    Guatemalan nationals must submit their neighborhood ID card, personal identification document, the document that has replaced the previous ones, passport, or valid and current identity and travel document. Original and copy.

    • For minors, they must submit a birth certificate, issued no more than six months prior. Original and copy.
    2. Belizean nationals must present a valid passport or identity and travel document. Original and copy.
    3.

    Job offer in writing signed by the employer or their legal representative, who must have previously obtained proof of employer registration. Original.

    • This document must indicate the gross salary or minimum wage to be paid to the foreign national, the occupation to be performed, and the required duration of employment.
    4. Proof of payment of the corresponding fees in accordance with the Federal Law on Fees. Original and copy.
    5. Guatemalan or Belizean nationals aged 16 to 18, whether accompanied by a third party or traveling alone, must also submit, in addition to the above requirements, a document certifying authorization to work in and leave the country, issued by the persons exercising parental authority or guardianship before a notary public or containing certification from a Justice of the Peace. Original and copy.
    6. The spouse or common-law spouse of the beneficiary, their minor children or children subject to legal representation, or the children of the spouse or common-law spouse of the beneficiary, when they are minors, must present a document proving their relationship and those indicated in paragraphs 1 or 2 and 4. Original and copy.
    Explanatory notes on obtaining the Border Worker Visitor Card:
    • The border worker visitor card is valid for one year and allows multiple entries and exits during its validity period, as well as transit, stay, and paid activities in the states of Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, and Quintana Roo.
    • Those who obtain the border worker visitor card must identify themselves with it and enter and leave the national territory only through land crossings authorized for international transit of persons along Mexico's southern border.
    • Border worker visitors who wish to enter beyond the authorized states to carry out unpaid activities must obtain, after meeting the requirements, a visitor visa without permission to carry out paid activities.
    • Applicants for this residence status may request the entry of their spouse, common-law spouse, or equivalent, and their children when they are minors or adolescents under their legal representation, or when they are of legal age but are under legal guardianship and are under their legal representation, and can prove their family relationship.
    Important:
    • Foreign public documents must be apostilled or legalized and accompanied by a translation into Spanish prepared by officially recognized experts as appropriate.
    • The procedures are carried out at the locations designated for international land transit of persons in the states of Chiapas, Quintana Roo, and Tabasco.
    • The immigration authority will interview the foreign person to provide biographical information and will collect through electronic means the information contained in the basic format, consisting of:
      1. Image of face
      2. Fingerprints of all five fingers (thumb, index, middle, ring, and little finger) of both hands
      3. Iris image
      4. Digital signature
  • Duty Payment

    For receiving, reviewing, and, if applicable, issuing a Border Worker Visitor document.
    • Border Worker Visitor. $581.00 MXN

    Payment of fee for receiving and processing the application and, where appropriate, for issuance of the immigration document.

    • Reposición de la Tarjeta de Visitante Regional $522.00 MXN

    Payment will only be made in the case of replacement of the immigration document. The first issuance is free of charge.


    Important:

    Foreigners will not pay fees for services when the type of work or service to be performed is remunerated at the equivalent of the daily or monthly value of the Unit of Measurement and Update.

    Payments can be made through the following means:

    1. At the Office for processing payments with Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards
    2. Through a help sheet which must be filled out according to the following specifications:
    • Verify that it corresponds to the type of procedure requested.
    • Register exactly the full first and last names used to identify the foreign national in the application. (Regardless of the number of names and surnames).
    • In the case of minors, the payment must be registered with the names and surnames of the minors.
    The INM does not accept cash payments.

    It is suggested to thoroughly review the payment receipts issued by banking institutions, in order to ensure there are no errors in the person's identification data.


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