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Cancun Airport part of country’s pilot program to eliminate use of paper FMMs and issue 180 day stay

- August 20, 2022

What are the FMM requirements in Mexico?

Cancun International is part of a pilot program to permanently eliminate the use of the paper FMM. Tourists entering the country are expected to fill out the Multiple Migratory Format (FMM) and then wait in line to have it validated for their stay.

General requirements


The applicant for the Multiple Immigration Form obtained electronically for air entry (FMME) must have a valid and current passport in accordance with international law regulations. In case the nationality requires it, he must present a valid and current Visa.

The applicant knows that the only document that can be used to travel by air within the Mexican Republic is the valid and current passport (book type).

The applicant must enter the information required in the application for the Multiple Immigration Form obtained electronically for air entry (FMME), as it appears in his passport.

The applicant accepts, under protest to tell the truth, that the information and documentation provided is true, for which he is made aware that in case of falsifying information, he could be sanctioned in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.

As of August 19, the National Migration Institute (INM) included Cancun as one of the five airports in Mexico to test its elimination. According to Sergio González Rubiera, president of the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (AMAV) in Quintana Roo, the program will reduce wait times from hours to minutes.

Rather than fill out a paper Formato Migratorio Múltiple (FMM), most tourists will simply have their passports stamped for a 180-day stay.

“Now, instead of the FMM, they (INM) are just going to stamp them,” he said adding that “normal tourists who come on vacation will not have to fill out the FMM, neither printed nor electronic, and everyone will be granted a permit to stay for 180 days.”

INM officers at Cancun International no longer require paper FMMs

The new system will reduce wait times from two-plus hours to around 20 minutes he said. He also clarified that stamping does not apply to all nationalities. Tourists arriving from Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, and Brazil will be the exception since visitors from Brazil, for example, are only granted 30-day visas.

There will be some other exceptions as well. Travelers arriving under special circumstances such as with work visas or student visas, will have to use the electronic FMM.

González Rubiera said that INM officials have already been trained on using the new paperless system. He said that the Cancun airport will join four others around the country in the program. The other Mexico airports with the paperless FMM system are AIFA of Santa Lucia, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and San José del Cabo.

González Rubiera explained that the new program was put into effect after continued requests by the Mexican Caribbean Tourism Business sector to reduce INM airport wait times for tourists.

The program has been implemented by the General Directorate of Immigration Control and Verification.

ENTRY BY LAND: Multiple Migratory Form (FMM)

General requirements


The FMM applicant must have a valid and current passport or passport card in accordance with international law regulations. In case the nationality requires it, he must present a valid and current Visa.

The applicant knows that the Passport Card can only be used at land border crossings and visit the border strip; It cannot be used to travel within the Mexican Republic or used for international air travel.

The applicant must enter the information required in the FMM application, exactly as it appears in their passport.

The applicant accepts, under protest to tell the truth, that the information and documentation provided is true, for which he is made aware that in case of falsifying information, he could be sanctioned in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.

The Multiple Migratory Form can be obtained electronically through the Institute’s web portal, by foreigners who enter the country by land, through the places destined for the international transit of people.

The applicant accepts that the condition of stay that will be obtained when entering the information will be that of a visitor without permission to carry out remunerated activities.

The applicant acknowledges that the FMM is valid for a maximum of 180 calendar days and may be used for a single hospitalization.

The applicant acknowledges that the validity of the FMM will be counted from the stamp of the migratory seal, as long as the requirements to enter Mexico are accredited.

The applicant will print the FMM and must present it at the place destined for the international transit of people through which he intends to enter.

The applicant acknowledges that the payment of the right to obtain the condition of stay does not guarantee his entry to Mexico.

The applicant must present a valid and current passport or Passport Card, as well as the FMM at the time of requesting admission.

Source: periodicoquequi.com, inm.gob.mx

Mexico Daily Post