Cancun 07:40 81 °F · clear 1 USD = $17.16 MXN 4 terminals operating ENES
Cancun International Airport CUN · Quintana Roo, Mexico Map Book transfer

Customs, cash and the red-green button

The rules are simple, but the penalty for getting the cash one wrong is severe enough to be worth reading properly.

Verified in August 2026

Cash: the expensive mistake

Carrying money into Mexico is not a crime. Failing to declare it is. And the penalties are far heavier than most travellers expect.

Cash rules on entering or leaving Mexico
SituationWhat happens
You carry 10,000 USD or less Nothing to declare
You carry more and declare it Perfectly legal. You complete the cash declaration form
You carry more and do not declare it Fine of 20 % to 40 % of the amount above 10,000 USD
The undeclared amount exceeds 30,000 USD Three to six years in prison and forfeiture of the excess
Funds presumed to be of illicit origin Five to fifteen years in prison plus additional fines

The 10,000 dollar threshold is per person and counts everything together: cash, cheques and negotiable instruments, in any currency. Splitting the amount among travelling companions to stay under the limit is itself an offence.

The red and green button

After you collect your baggage you hand in your customs declaration and press a button. A light comes on.

  1. Green lightYou walk straight through. Most passengers get green.
  2. Red lightYour baggage is inspected. It is randomly assigned — it does not mean you have been flagged or that anything is wrong.

You must hand in the declaration before pressing the button, not after.

Duty-free allowance

Your personal belongings do not count. The allowance applies to what you bring in addition to them: gifts, new items, electronics. If you go over, you pay duty on the difference — nothing is taken from you.

The exact air-arrival allowance varies by season and by current regulation. We are confirming it with the customs authority and will publish it with its date once we have it. We would rather leave a gap than give you a number that turns out to be wrong at the counter.

What the customs authority does publish: a ceiling of 3,000 USD for general goods under the simplified procedure, or 4,000 USD when computer equipment is included.

Guides for your moment

I'm arrivingImmigration, baggage, customs and how to get out I'm departingDocuments, security, timing and your terminal I'm picking someone upWhere to wait, park and what time to arrive I'm planningWhat to pack, what not to, and what it costs to get there

Straight from customs to your hotel

Your driver waits past the exit doors with a sign with your name on it. No queue, no negotiating, no surprise charges at a counter.

Fixed price from $35 USD one way · up to 8 passengers
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Transfer to your hotelFixed price from $35 USD one way · up to 8 passengers See price