Travelling to Mexico - less than 6 months passport validity

rowedav

Hi there,

I'm off to Riveria Maya in Mexico on 1st July, and leaving on 11th July.  My passport expiry is 29th July.  The travel agent mentioned about needing 6 months validity on my passport and that I'd need to get an urgent renewal.

Having since checked the Mexico Entry Requirements on the foreign travel advice site (Entry requirements - Mexico travel advice) it states that my passport should be valid for the duration of my stay (which it is).  I've also checked with Thomas Cook who basically pointed me to the above website as the official guidance.

I know I will have to renew my passport anyway, but my thinking was that I could do that at my leisure as it were (no other holidays planned this year).

The urgent process means I'd need to take time off work to travel to the nearest Passport office (~40miles away) and pay an extra £75-100 extra on top of the usual £75 to get it sorted, so it's extra hassle and cost I could do with avoiding if my current passport is OK (as the guidance indicates)

I guess I'm looking for reassurance or advice from anyone that's travelled to Mexico under similar circumstances?

mitre

I reckon you're ok.
Emirates website provides access to IATA data -
Find your visa requirements | Visa & passport information | Before you fly | Emirates

Timatic (what the airlines use) data below from ExpertFlyer:
Information as of  24JUN18 / 1134 UTC
National United Kingdom (GB)
Embarkation United Kingdom (GB)/Destination Mexico (MX)
Mexico (MX)

Passport required.
- Passports and other documents accepted for entry must be
valid on arrival.
Passport Exemptions:
- Passengers with a British emergency or temporary passport.
Admission and Transit Restrictions:
- Passengers with a non-machine readable passport are not
allowed to enter or transit Mexico.
- This does not apply to passengers with an emergency or a
temporary passport.

Visa required, except for Passengers with a British passport
for a maximum stay of 180 days.
Visa required, except for Passengers with a British emergency
passport for a maximum stay of 180 days.
Minors:
- Passport not required for alien minors (up to/incl.17 years
of age) registered in their parent/guardian passport, if
traveling with the passport holder.
- All minors under 14 years of age, when traveling alone,
should be met by an adult.
Additional Information:
- A valid Mexican visa in an expired passport is accepted if
the passenger also has a valid passport.
Warning:
- Visitors not holding return/onward tickets
co
uld be refused entry.

Mexico (MX)

Vaccinations not required.

Recommended:
- Malaria prophylaxis. malaria risk, almost exclusively due to
P. vivax, is intermittently present throughout the year in
some rural areas that are not often visited by tourists.
There is low risk of transmission in some localities in the
Chiapas State, with very low risk in the states of
Chihuahua, Durango, Nayarit, Quintana Roo and Sinaloa.
Recommended prevention in moderate risk areas: A.

CHECK
TINEWS/N1
- PERU: DOCUMENT VALIDITY

rowedav

Thanks a lot - everything I've checked suggests I'll be fine but as the holiday gets closer, the more I'm thinking I should get my passport renewed anyway for the extra piece of mind.  At nearly £180 now though, it's not easy to swallow

mitre

Honestly I'd leave it.  TIMATIC is the system the airline would check if they had any doubts and that states passport only needs to be valid on day of arrival.

Example below for entry in to the US:

Information as of  25JUN18 / 1401 UTC
National United Kingdom (GB)
Embarkation United Kingdom (GB)/Destination USA (US)
USA (US)

Passport required.
- British passports with nationality of  British Citizen
shown on the bio-data page must be valid for the period of
intended stay.
- British passports with nationality of  British Overseas
Territories Citizen  shown on the bio-data page, issued by
Bermuda, must be valid for the period of intended stay.
- British passports with nationality of  British Overseas
Territories Citizen  shown on the bio-data page, issued by
Anguilla, Cayman Isl., Falkland Isl. (Malvinas), Gibraltar,
Montserrat, Pitcairn Isl., Turks and Caicos Isl., St Helena
or Virgin Isl. (British), must be valid for a minimum of 6
months beyond the period of intended stay.
- British passports with nationality of  British National
(Overseas) ,  British Overseas Citizen ,  British Subject ,
British Protected Person  shown on the bio-data page must
be valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the period of
intended stay.
- When passengers travel with a British emergency or temporary
passport, it must be valid for the period of intended stay.
- Authorization for Parole of an Alien into the United States
(Form I-512) must be valid on arrival.
Passport Exemptions:
- Passengers with an Authorization for Parole of an Alien into
the United States (Form I-512).
- Passengers with a British emergency or temporary passport.

AMc

Is it a direct flight?
If you're transferring in the USA then there may be different requirements, even an ESTA might be needed.
How much are you spending on the holiday - AFAIK the passport renewal extends your current entitlement so there's no benefit in waiting until it expires - if you do get refused entry it would be very costly, if they throw a strop at the boarding gate your holiday is ruined :/

rowedav

Yes, direct flight to Cancun, so no ESTA or anything like that required.  I've checked with Thomas Cook (who we are flying with) and they've advised I'd be fine too (they basically pointed me to the Entry Requirements on the website above).

rowedav

Just as an update to this - I was indeed fine entering and leaving Mexico.  No issues whatsoever, despite having about a month left on my passport before expiry

SyStemDeMoN

Hope you had a great time.  We went to two years ago and had a great time.