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COUNTRY INFORMATION
Mexico is the world’s eighth most visited country with over 21
million visitors last year. Mexico is also the United States and
Canada’s favorite foreign destination.
Strategically located, Mexico is south of the US and relatively
near Europe and Asia. Mexico is only between 2 and 10 hours away
from home since the world’s major cities are connected to Mexico
City by daily/direct flights.
Economically and socially, Mexico is doing fine. It has one of the
oldest democracies in Latin America (since 1934), and its Gross
Domestic Product is among the highest in Latin America.
And, it is important to know that the county has 1st world
infrastructure and hospitals…
Culturally, Mexico is real treasure. A
pre-Hispanic heritage of over thousand years, a colonial past and
a rich modern history make this country a place to visit and live.
Getting to Mexico
Mexico’s most important airport is Mexico City’s Benito Juárez
International Airport. The airport’s code is MEX.
This airport is well-connected to the rest of the world, with
direct flights from major cities in the US, Canada and Europe.
From Asia, there are direct flights from Beijing and Tokyo, while
Australia and New Zealand are well-connected through the American
and Canadian west cost…
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Airlines flying to Mexico
Domestic flights
Some airlines fly from abroad into other major Mexican cities and
beach destinations such as Cancun, Monterrey or Guadalajara.
However, most airlines fly into Mexico City, where you will need a
connecting domestic flight.
Nevertheless, if you need to go to neighboring cities, i.e.,
Puebla, Cuernavaca, Queretaro, Toluca or Pachuca, it is better to
take a direct coach at Mexico City’s International Airport to one
of the cities mentioned. More details here.
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Entry requirements
Details can be found in the
immigration part of
this website.
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Money and Banks
As a foreigner, it is difficult to open an account is Mexico, and
even if you are able to open one, we believe it is not worth doing
so; commissions are high, the lines are long and the service is
well… not very good (to say it in a polite way…)
So, stay with your local bank, and make sure you have an
international debit card and credit card.
With those, you will be able to pay in most places without paying
commissions, and if you need cash, you can withdraw what you need
from ATM machines. Just make sure you check your bank’s
commissions for this service, and let them know that your card
will be used in Mexico. Finally, it is important to know that
American Express is not widely accepted; VISA and MasterCard are
the most used cards!
Safety Tips:
-
Be VERY careful about where you use your cards. Supermarkets,
hotels and established restaurants are fine. Do not use credit
cards in clubs and bars as the likelihood of your card being
cloned is real.
-
If possible, take 2 credit cards with you. One for daily use with
limited credit and another you keep safely away in case of an
emergency.
-
Withdraw money from an ATM machine during the day and in malls or
supermarkets. That will be much safer.
-
Always have cash with you! Power cuts and other technical problems
can render credit cards useless…
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Money exchange and
traveler’s checks
Forget about traveler’s checks! New rules make it difficult to
cash them. If you take them with you anyway, be aware that it
takes some effort to cash them, so use them for emergencies only…
As of September 2008, you will need an official ID if you want to
exchange over USD 500. Money exchange is best done in an exchange
office/bureau. Banks also exchange money, but you get bad exchange
rates and have to wait in the kind of long line Mexican banks are
known for!
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Traveling inside Mexico
Click here for more
details…
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Health
Make sure you have excellent medical coverage abroad! If you do,
there is nothing to worry about as long you are not in small
remote towns. Medical care is good in Mexico, but the best medical
facilities are only available in the bigger cities.
Make sure:
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You go to the best hospitals. Your local representative will
inform you about that once in Mexico
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You ask for a second opinion in case of something serious.
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Safety
Click here for more
details
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Communications
Communications both through landlines and cell phones are
expensive, probably due to the unofficial monopoly of Carlos
Slim’s TelMex and TelCel.
Internet
In major cities, both wired and wireless broadband Internet are
available. Most hotels, hostels and short-term housing options and
schools offer this service for free. However, if you have no
Internet access or laptop, you can visit one of the many Internet
cafés where you can get Internet access for as little as USD 1 per
hour!
If you decide to have your own Internet access provider because
you will rent or buy a place to live, you can often only choose
between two providers: Prodigy from TelMex or the Internet access
provided by the local cable company. In bigger cities, you often
have several providers to choose from.
Cell phones
Most cell phones from abroad can be used in Mexico. However, make
sure that your cell phone company offers an international plan,
and also check the fees for roaming!
In case you are planning a long stay in Mexico, we suggest buying
a cell phone in Mexico. For less than USD 50, you can buy a cell
phone that you can use with prepaid plans. If you are not a
permanent resident in Mexico and cannot provide a local credit
card, it is hard to get a postpaid plan.
There are 4 major cell phone providers. Mexico’s number
one player is Carlos Slim’s
TelCel, while
number two is
Telefonica’s MoviStar (from Spain). Both companies provide
nationwide coverage. Number 3 and 4 are
Iusacell
and Unefon,
both owned by Grupo Salinas. There is also another important
player: Nextel, but they
only offer postpaid plans.
When purchasing a cell phone, you can also choose a plan. We
suggest thinking carefully about how you will use your cell phone;
that is, how much and where you will call, and how long an average
call will be. Do this before buying your phone in order to choose
the best plan as some companies, for example, offer free
long-distance calls.
New regulations require that you fully identify when
purchasing a cell phone: your passport, a “comprobante de
domicilio” (an official document, like your phone bill, as proof
of your address), and even fingerprints will be taken.
Landlines
Unless you plan to stay in Mexico for a long time, we do not
recommend purchasing a land-line as the cost exceeds USD 250 for
installation, and it is not really cheap to use.
TelMex is the
dominant provider, although
Axtel now
provides landlines in most cities…
Calling abroad
Unless you have lots of money to spare, do not use a regular
landline or cell phone to call abroad! However, you can purchase
international calling cards at most supermarkets and newsstands.
Alternatively, if you have a computer with Internet access, you
can use VOIP services such as
SkyPe.
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Cost of living
Mexico can be as cheap or expensive as you want! The cost of
living is low in smaller towns, while you may expect it to be the
same as in developed countries when in the “better” neighborhoods
of bigger cities (such as Polanco or Bosques de las Lomas in
Mexico City).
What does my money buy in Mexico?
Prices in Pesos. Click here to check
exchange rates.
Weekly grocery shopping (3 meals a day): between MX$ 500 and MX$
1000 pp
Transportation. A bus/subway ride: MX$ 4 to MX$ 10. Average taxi
ride: MX$ 25 to MX$ 50. Busses to other cities: MX$ 60 to MX$ 400.
Domestic flights: MX$ 1,400 to MX$ 5,000 for a round-trip ticket.
Owing a car: new cars cost the same as in Europe and often more
than in Canada or the US. However, there are ‘low cost’ entry
models such as
Chevrolet’s Chevy and
Volkswagen’s Pointer, which you can buy for less than MX$
100,000. A liter of gasoline costs approximately MX$ 8.00 (about
MX$ 32 a gallon). Car insurance is not mandatory, but highly
recommended and expensive. There is also an annual car tax, called
"tenencia", at a rate of 2% of the value of the car. Another
expense is the biannual “emisión verificación” at approximately
MX$ 200. Used cars in Mexico are relatively expensive and might be
a risky business as the car might be stolen. If that is the case,
you will lose not only your car but also you freedom, unless you
can prove you did not steal the car…
Accommodations. The monthly rent of a small apartment or studio is
between MX$ 1,500 and MX$
5,000.
It is also common for long-term visitors to share a house or
apartment.
Communications: an average broadband connection will cost MX$
400/month.
Going out/Dinner: you might enjoy an evening out for less than MX$
150. However, this can be as expensive as you want, depending on
what you do…
Travel. Expect to pay between MX$ 150 and MX$ 500 Pesos a night
for basic accommodations in a hostel or hotel. 3, 4 and 5-star
accommodations will cost between MX$ 1,000 and $ MX$ 5,000/night.
Eating out can cost as little as MX$ 40 in a “comida corrida”
(prix fixe) restaurant, but you can expect to pay well over MX$
1,500 for a superb dinner in a prestigious restaurant.
How much do I need to make in order to live in
Mexico?
If you make MX$ 5000 pesos/month, you can expect to cover your
basic needs, with no luxuries.
If you make MX$ 10,000 pesos/month, you can expect to cover your
basic needs and have some money left for fun and travel.
If you make MX$ 15,000 pesos/month, you can expect to live more or
less comfortably.
NOTE: expect an income 30% higher in major cities and tourist
destinations. However, the cost of living will also be higher.
The amounts are for singles.
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Mexico Customs
Upon arrival in Mexico, you will also need to fill in a Customs
Declaration Form that you need to hand in to an official when
going through customs at the exit gate.
At the exit gate, you will be shown a red/green traffic light and
asked to press a button to activate it. If the light flashes
green, you can walk through without being inspected. If you get a
red light, your bags will be inspected, either casually or
thoroughly.
Customs Allowances When Entering Mexico
The full list of allowed items is detailed on the customs entry
form that you must sign at the port of entry. You can also check
the
Mexico Customs website for more details…
In general, these are the goods you may bring with you when
entering Mexico.
Personal Luggage
Two photo or video cameras and twelve rolls of film or videotapes
Two mobile phones or pagers
One used or new laptop, one projector
One CD player or portable music player, one DVD player
One musical instrument
Twenty packs of cigarettes and twenty-five cigars OR 200 grams of
tobacco (over 18s only)
Three liters of liquor AND three liters of wine (over 18s only)
Bringing Prescription Drugs into Mexico
If you or a member of your family is taking prescription drugs,
get your doctor to personalize the prescription (including your
name) and carry it with you to prove medical need of the drugs you
are carrying.
Don't attempt to smuggle any narcotics - not even small amounts of
'soft' drugs. Offenders are likely to land in a Mexican prison for
many years.
A
foreign firearm license is not valid in Mexico! Don't bring your
firearms into Mexico…
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Useful Links
For more details about Mexico, please visit the following links,
with useful and interesting information about Mexico.
There is a huge number of very good websites, offering accurate
and detailed information about Mexico, and we believe we couldn’t
have done any better than these websites, so why not provide you
with the links?
Useful tips about visiting and traveling in Mexico:
Mexexperience.com, an award-winning website about Mexico
including travel tips, lifestyle, etc.
General information about Mexico: its history, government, etc. at
Wikipedia
Mexican independence war at
Wikipedia
Mexican revolution at
Wikipedia
Mexican newspapers
at
OnlineNewspapers.com
Mexican TV at
Online TV Channels
Mexico Business at
Doing Business
The
official website of the Mexican Secretary of Tourism
The
official website of the Mexican President
Mexico on Google.com
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