The rules that actually apply to you
Duty free is not a discount shop. It is a shop where certain taxes are not charged, and what you may carry out of it depends on where you are flying to, not on where you bought it.
- Buying duty free does not exempt you from your destination's allowance. Two litres of spirits bought here still count against the limit at the other end.
- Liquids bought airside come in a sealed tamper-evident bag with the receipt inside. Do not open it before your final destination, or it becomes an ordinary liquid at the next security check.
- On a connecting flight, that sealed bag is what allows the bottle through security at the transfer airport. Keep the receipt visible inside it.
- Arriving into Mexico, there is a separate allowance for what you bring in. Customs limits and the red light →
What is actually worth buying
Prices here are quoted in dollars and are not automatically cheaper than at home. As a rule of thumb:
Usually good value
Mexican tequila and mezcal, especially bottles that are hard to find abroad.
Vanilla and local coffee.
Usually not
Electronics, sunglasses and international perfume brands, which are frequently
cheaper online at home.
Check the currency
Prices in dollars, paid with a card, invite the same conversion trap as anywhere
else. Choose pesos.
Weight counts
Bottles are heavy. On a low-cost carrier with a strict cabin allowance, that
matters more than the saving.
Buying tequila or mezcal to take home
The most common purchase here, and the one with the most rules attached.
- It cannot go in your cabin bag unless bought airside, because of the liquid limit. Bought in town, it goes in the hold.
- Check your destination's alcohol allowance before buying more than a bottle or two. Exceeding it means duty, not confiscation, but it is a surprise nobody wants.
- 100% agave is the phrase to look for on tequila. Anything else is mixed.
- Hold luggage: wrap bottles in clothing in the middle of the case. Baggage handling here is no rougher than anywhere else, but glass is glass.