Tropical jungle full of unprecedented flowers, where exotic birds flutter between vines. Mysterious graffiti of the ancient pyramids in the abandoned cities of the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations. Foam discos of Acapulco from sunset to dawn, where, dancing until you drop, you will not have time to try all sorts of authentic tequila and mezcal. And surfing in the azure waters of the ocean or diving into underwater caves, serving as a refuge for thousands of small and large fish, as bright as if painted with a children's felt-tip pen. Here, God, as if foreseeing an influx of imposing rest lovers, created kilometers of snow-white beaches, planted with palm trees swaying from the fresh breeze. On the shore, in lush tropical greenery, hiding houses and bungalows of luxury hotels. All this is Mexico. Do Russians need a visa to get into this fabulous country? Read about it in our article.
How to get there
A long flight and its high cost are the only shortcomings of a vacation in Mexico. Otherwise, the country is simply impeccable. To at least slightly reduce the travel time, choose flights that go directly to the resorts. Aeroflot is from Moscow on Thursdays and Sundays, and Transaero Aeronautics launches planes to Cancun on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Only thirteen hours - and you are at the resort. If price is the determining factor for you, then choose Lufthansa with a connection in Frankfurt, Iberia, Air France or KLM via Madrid, Paris and Amsterdam respectively. Save a little (up to 30%) early ticket purchase - two months before departure. Why do we mention a flight if the topic of the article is how to get a visa to Mexico? The fact is that no airline will sell you a ticket until you demonstrate that your passport has permission to enter this country. Therefore, the first thing you need to attend to is the opening of a visa.
What is SAE?
For Russians and Ukrainians, it is possible to obtain the coveted entry permit without leaving home. For this, it is only necessary that access to the Internet. The Electronic Authorization system (Mexican border guards call it SAE) was launched in 2010, and since then only enthusiastic reviews of tourists have been heard about it. Citizens of Ukraine need to go to the website of the Embassy of Mexico in Kiev and fill out a rather simple online application. It is enough to enter personal data (in this case, a passport should have an expiration date that is six months longer than your expected return home). You must also indicate the absence of a criminal record and the date of the trip. An electronic visa to Mexico for Russians opens in a similar way. There are even two options for this category of tourists: go to the website of the country's embassy in Moscow or to the page of the National Institute of Migration. In a matter of minutes, you will receive an e-mail permission with a unique code. It must be printed and presented to the airline when buying tickets, as well as to border guards.
Pros and Cons of SAE
The Electronic Authorization system is convenient in many ways. It is free, and you donât have to go to Moscow. Getting SAE saves a page in your passport. You can open such a visa even if you are not in Russia, but abroad. With this entry permit, you have the right to stay in a tropical country for up to 180 days. But this system has a number of disadvantages. Perhaps the most significant of them is that only those citizens of Russia who were born in our country can use SAE, regardless of whether it was the USSR or already the Russian Federation. In the window of the online application form, you must clearly indicate the city of birth. If this is, for example, Arkalyk Oblast / USSR, then the system will automatically reject your application, since now this territory belongs to Kazakhstan. A visa to Mexico for Russians who were not born in Russia opens only after the applicantâs personal visit to the Mexican Embassy in Moscow. The procedure for opening an entry permit in this case is completely different. Since the international community did not recognize the annexation of Crimea to Russia, citizens living there and accepting citizenship of the Russian Federation are sent for a visa at the Mexican Embassy in Kiev.
Other cons of SAE
According to the Electronic Authorization System, you must enter this country only by air. That is, trying in one fell swoop the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Mexico will not work, except that you will use airplanes everywhere. If you arrive by ferry or try to cross the land border from Guatemala or Belize, you will also be deported. On an electronic visa you must enter Mexico within thirty days after authorization. This means that early booking flights will not work. After all, airlines sell tickets only with a visa. Further, SAE grants the right of single entry only. And finally, even a small criminal record (for an accident, for example) throws you out of the electronic system. Of course, it is most convenient for most Russians and Ukrainians to obtain permission to enter online. But itâs better to immediately know the exceptions to the general rule and contact the Mexican Embassy in advance for a visa. Moreover, there have not been any queues since the SAE was put into operation.
Visa to Mexico through the Consulate of the country
If it happened that you for some reason were denied an electronic permission to enter a desired country, do not be upset. The procedure for applying for a visa at the consulate, although it involves certain financial costs, but it offers a number of advantages. For just thirty-six US dollars, you can open a multi-entry for ten years. Just imagine: for such ridiculous money you have the right to be in the country 180 days a year, to enter and leave the state by any means of transport! During this decade, you can try all the resorts of the Caribbean coast: Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya, Cancun and the island of Cozumel, as well as swim in the waves of the Pacific Ocean in such wonderful places as Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos. And finally, a trip to the big cities of the country - Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puebla, Monterrey, Merida. Getting a visa to Mexico is quite simple - only a minimal package of documents is required. What is he like?
Package of documents at the Embassy of Mexico
First of all, you need to register on the website of the consular department and fill out an online application form. When all possible columns are written, you need to print all the pages of this document (on both sides). Next, you need to put the fingerprints of two index fingers in the appropriate box, dipping them - this is mandatory - in blue ink. Next, with a blue or purple pen, you must put an autograph in the column âSignature of the interested personâ. Questionnaires need to be filled out and for children. Both parents sign up for the child. Fingerprints should not be smeared so that papillary lines are clearly visible . What else is needed, except for the application form and a valid passport valid for at least seven more months, so that a visa to Mexico is open for Russians? Two recently taken color photographs (3 x 4) on a white background with a fully open face. Copy of the first page (with personal data) of the passport. It is also advisable to make a photocopy of Mexican visas, if you had any in obsolete documents.
Confirmation of solvency
Obtaining a visa to Mexico requires the presentation of two important documents, namely a statement of income for the past six months (the so-called 2-NDFL form) and a letter from the place of work on the form and with the seal. This last piece of paper should indicate your position, phone number, salary, date of admission to the institution. It should be borne in mind that applicants who receive about $ 1,500 monthly receive a visa for 10 years without any problems. But for those who work for $ 700, such permission to enter can be given for a period of 6 months. What if you are a modest rentier? An extract from the bank account for the last six months with a round seal of the financial institution will help (the monthly balance should be more than $ 2,400). If you want to take out the dependents, the amount of your monthly income should increase by 25% per person. Students need a photocopy of the ticket and a certificate from the university, and pensioners need a certificate.
Traveling with children (registration at the consulate)
How to get a visa to Mexico for those tourists who want to take their minor offspring with them across the ocean? If both parents of the child go on a trip, then there should be no problems. Especially if you register through the SAE system. If you want to get a long-term multivisa for yourself and your child, you need to add copies of the internal passports of father and mother to the package of documents of the baby. A Xerox birth certificate is also required. If the child is old enough, his own passport and a certificate from the school are required.
Different legal nuances
How to get a visa to Mexico for Russians who have not yet reached adulthood, but are independent enough to travel unaccompanied by adult family members, or do they want to go on vacation as part of a children's group? Or with indirect relatives? Or with one of the parents? If neither the father nor the mother accompanies the child on the trip, notarized consent of both parents to the trip is required. The same rule applies if the child leaves with grandfather and grandmother. But if a minor visits a tropical country with one of his parents, you need to add the following documents to the package: a photocopy of the first page of the internal passport of the person who remains in Russia, as well as his notarized permission to export the child.
Registration through firms
To save your nerves and time, you can ask for help in obtaining permission to enter the country to various companies, including travel. But then a visa to Mexico for Russians will cost money, even if it is an electronic SAE. If you bother to enter the website of the National Institute of Migration yourself, they wonât take a penny from you. The intermediary, you will have to pay for the services of about $ 20. Visa processing through the consulate for various periods (6 months or 10 years) does not differ in price. This is 55 dollars per person, including per child.
When is a visa required?
As you can see, if you open a long-term permission to enter through the Embassy, ââyou need to collect documents almost like traveling to the USA or countries of the Schengen Agreement. So, according to the laws in force in Mexico, people who have a valid visa to the United States of America do not need any other paper to enter the territory of the great neighborâs southern neighbor. And to travel to the beaches of Cancun, you donât need to first fly to the United States, and then enter Mexico. You can make a direct flight even from Moscow, even from any airport in the Old World. Nor do I need a visa to Mexico for Russians who have a permanent residence permit in the countries of the European Union, Canada and Japan.