Dec. 10, 2013: Please note that this post has been replaced by “ What Can I Bring into Mexico: Mexican Customs Rules – The Article “
The Aduana rules have changed. We maintain this post, because it has useful comments listed below.
Dec. 5, 2013: SAT/Aduana has issued new Duty Free limits for people entering Mexico by air and by land. The new year round limits are $500 US dollars per person entering Mexico by air, and $300 US dollars per person by land. As before, personal items (clothing etc) are exempted from the $300/$500 limits.
From 2 official SAT/Aduana Websites:
“Pasajeros: Qué necesito saber antes de llegar al país
Mercancía que puedes introducir al territorio nacional sin el pago de impuestos:
1. Cada pasajero (incluso si es menor de edad) tiene derecho a introducir al país, sin pago de impuestos, su equipaje personal y su franquicia. …
Franquicia
Aumento de la franquicia
La franquicia es el permiso que el gobierno mexicano concede a una persona, ya sea nacional o extranjera, para no pagar derechos e impuestos por una determinada cantidad de mercancías que introduce al país.
Ingreso a territorio nacional por vía marítima o aérea
La franquicia es hasta por 500 dólares o su equivalente en moneda nacional o extranjera, en uno o varios artículos, excepto si son cervezas, bebidas alcohólicas y tabacos labrados.
Ingreso al país por vía terrestre
La franquicia cubre hasta 300 dólares o su equivalente en moneda nacional o extranjera, en uno o varios artículos, excepto si son cervezas, bebidas alcohólicas, tabacos labrados y gasolina (salvo la contenida en el tanque de gasolina del vehículo siempre que esté de acuerdo con las especificaciones del fabricante).
En ambos casos, se debe contar con la factura, comprobante de venta o cualquier otro documento que exprese el valor comercial de las mercancías.
Las cantidades pueden acumularse por el padre, la madre y los hijos, incluso menores de edad, cuando el arribo a territorio nacional sea simultáneo y en el mismo medio de transporte. …”
http://www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2008/pasajeros/139_10054.html
http://www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2008/pasajeros/139_10076.html
Note that these are the year round limits. There are also special holiday $500 USA per Mexican citizen Paisano program limits between Nov. 1, 2013 and Jan. 8, 2014.
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Full Article can be read at: What Can I Bring into Mexico: Mexican Customs Rules – The Article
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Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry
Read-on MacDuff . . .
Surviving Yucatan 
U should probably print this and carry it with you because it states the law as written
>
Did I send this? U get to bring in $500 now ?
$500 per person by air, and $300 per person by land.
Will be in QRoo from US for 2 months, I want to bring extra cigars for personal use, how do I proceed and declare legally, is the tax 16%…
Thank you
Hi Ed,
Tobacco and alcohol products have special rules/limits: 20 packs of cigarettes, 25 cigars or 200 grams total of tobacco, 3 liters of alcohol and 6 l of vino.
steve
Thank you Steve, if I elect to bring more is there duty or will it be confiscated…I do not have issye with declaration and duty if 16%…
http://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/reinounido/index.php/visas/79
I will check with some people with experience with this. One report says they charge duties + taxes totaling 90% for importing more alcohol than the tax-free / duty-free personal limits.
steve
i buy my tobacco on plane they only sell 5 packs off 50 gram in a pack or 10 pack off 50 gram packets they wont let me bring it in without charging me
When traveling from the USA, Can I bring Jordan Almonds for a wedding to Mexico ? They are tied in mesh bags and packed in cardboard shoe boxes. Is there duty on such items? Please advise
Thanks, pat
Hi Pat,
The Mexican Customs (Aduana) can confiscate the almonds, especially if the almonds are not in their original sealed commercial packaging. The Mexican rules are the same as USA and Canada – no foods.
It’s not legal to bring in foods into Mexico, but Aduana often allows gringos to bring in non-meat non-dairy (dry?) food items, as long as they are in their original un-opened commercial packages. See the details in our main article on Customs at: What Can I Bring into Mexico: Mexican Customs Rules – The Article>/a>
steve
Hi Steve,
I was wondering if I could bring a silver bowl into Mexico. It probably does not exceed $5,000. The issue with it is that it’s brand new, I was wondering if it could be considered a monetary instrument, in which case the limit is $10,000.
Thank you,
Marissa
Hi marissa,
A bowl is not a monetary instrument. You can bring in the bowl, but you may be assessed duties.
steve
Thank you so much! When you say assessing duties, do you mean I might need to declare it?
Hi Marissa,
No “might need to declare it”, but instead, a definite yes that you need to declare it.
As reported in the article above: You are allowed only $300 per person of non-personal goods when driving into Mexico, and only $500 per person of non-personal goods when flying into Mexico. You really would not want Aduana to confiscate your pretty bowl, because you chose not to follow the law. Declare it.. Pay any duties they decide you owe. They may just wave you through, but I’d have a receipt with me to prove the actual value, in case Aduana put an artificially high valuation on it.
Happy Trails,
steve
Hello, I am travelling from US to Mexico for vacation and are planning to bring 2 bottles of wine packed in my suitcase. Do I need to bring a receipt for them? Do I have to declare them at customs? Thank you!
Hi Dee,
2 L of wine is duty-free, so no need to declare them,
steve
Hello. We are traveling from JFK to Cancun. How many bottles of alcohol AND how many bottles of wine can we purchase at the Duty Free Shop in the airport and bring into Cancun? Also, champagne is considered wine, correct?
Coleen
Hi Colleen,
This information, and more, is at our main article on Mexican Customs Rules at: https://yucalandia.com/answers-to-common-questions/what-can-i-bring-into-mexico-mexican-customs-rules-the-article/
In that article, there’s a section on what you can bring in Duty Free: https://yucalandia.com/answers-to-common-questions/what-can-i-bring-into-mexico-mexican-customs-rules-the-article/#What%20can%20I%20bring%20in%20duty%20free
Duty Free limits for alcohol are 3 L of alcohol per adult or 6 L of wine. Champagne is wine.
Happy Trails,
steve
Bad link =- https://yucalandia.com/2013/12/07/new-duty-free-limits-for-entering-mexico-nov-2013/
Hi shelley,
When I click on the link you show, it takes me to the page for the post, which means the link you copied is working.
What link is bad?
steve
Hi Steve, last time I came into Mexico (Sept 2014) the Houston Duty Free store said Mexico had changed the alcohol and smokes amount and only 10 packs (one carton) and 1.14L of spirits was max. Can you verify, also is “port” considered wine or a spirit? Would love to bring in 6L! Thanks!
Hi Liz,
SAT and Aduana have deleted all their old websites describing the previous 20 pack limit, and now – according to their replacement current/NEW SAT’s official websites:
“Los pasajeros mayores de 18 años, un máximo de 10 cajetillas de cigarros, 25 puros o 200 gramos de tabaco; hasta tres litros de bebidas alcohólicas y seis litros de vino.”
http://www.sat.gob.mx/BienvenidoaMexico/Paginas/opcion02.htm
Port is fortified, right? – which means it contains distilled spirits => 3 L limit.
Rules keep changing – and these are the latest,
steve
WOW, so she was right on the smokes, but not on the alcohol. I’ll look up to see if Port is fortified, I think it more like wine myself. Interesting they say ‘y’ not ‘o’??
Hi Liz,
Aduana’s Spanish legalese is different from US/British legalese: The “hasta tres litros de bebidas alcohólicas y seis litros de vino” means you are allowed to bring the maximum amounts of one or the other, not both.
steve
thanks!
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Traveling across the TJ/San Diego border at least once a month and needing to go to my bank in SD to pay rent in TJ I have never run across anyone asking what I carry in cash.
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