Entering Mexico via Cancun/Air
 

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know my experience with Cancun's customs. All-in-all it's friendly, efficient, quite straightforward and 100% corruption-free (!!).
1) Get your papers (AWB) - I got mine at the Swissport office at Plaza Santa Fé, near the airport (max. 5 Min by Taxi). Warning: Taxi directly from airport costs a fortune (Minimum 25 USD). Better walk ca. 500m along the Airport exit road past the guard booth and flag down an empty Taxi leaving the airport. You'd pay less then 5 bucks then. Swissport charged some 10 USD for handing out the Papers (Credit card accepted). Very friendly and helpful staff.
2) Take these papers to Customs/Banjercito in Puerto Morelos (open Mo, Wed, Fr: Bus to Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos stop is some 20 Min after airport, take taxi from bus stop to customs at harbour (ca. 2 USD). There you'll get the temprary permit. Dokumentation required - with 2 copies each!!:
- Transport papers (i.e. AWB) (Spanish: La Guia)
- driving license
- Forma Migratoria (Paper from Immigración)
- Passport
- Vehicle registration
Cost some 30 USD, credit card accepted)
3) Take the permit to customs at the airport. There the chassis number will be verified, you'll have to pay the storage fee (1,4 USD per day, cash only), and the "Licenciado" (responsible officer at the warehouse) will free your bike. I am still not sure whether or not you have to stick the permit to your windscreen...
Good luck!!
Regards
Winfried

more info at
www.aduanas.gob.mx
www.banjercito.com.mx


And here's the return procedure (leaving Mexico):
1) Obtain a copy of the AWB (la guía)for the transport from your forwarding agent or airline and a contact telephone number for the airline/forwarding agent
2) Prepare the bike for transport and go to Cancun airport customs with your permit (i.e. the part sticking to your windshield and the part where it sticked on before).
3) The responsible officer contacts your airline/forwarding agent since they have to receive the bike.
4) Then the officer will ripp off the sticker and send you with both parts of the permit to Puerto Morelos Customs / banjercito for the "Cancelación".
5) At Customs/Banjercito in Puerto Morelos you'll obtain the cancellation document and
6) return to airport customs, so they can make a copy to keep. You keep the original. That's it.

[This message has been edited by winne (edited 30 March 2006).]

Yes Winnie , do stick the sticker to the windshield, that way you will not lose it and you can admire its pretty colours because it is only yours temporarily. Sorry , you cannot take it back to Germany as a neat proof that you visited Mexico .You must give it back to the Banjercito officials when you take the bike out of Mexico for the final time , and within the period that the sticker is valid or else you may have some difficulty or a fine to pay.
Wave as you pass a yellow R1000GS with Ontario plate and NL sticker on the koffer, I´m in Chetumal at the moment, may be going into Belize and Guatemala for a few days then back out this way to do more of the Yucatan.

Just entered Belize this morning and was reminded of some of the strange rules they have here.Winnie , you no doubt intend to come through Belize so take note that when you get your passport and papers processed they will ask you where in Belize you are going or if you are just going through on your way to Guatemala. If you say you are going somewhere in Belize they will note that on your papers and then you MUST go there! If you are going to Guate say so and they will make forms accordingly , giving you X number of days to make that transit. This morning I told the fellow at the Sta. Elena/Chetumal entry that I was going to Dangriga and also to Guate for a few days. He said okay, ready. When I came to the exit at the Guate side this afternoon the customs lady said that I was breaking the law because I was not in Dangriga and I was liable for a BZ$500 fine !!!After a bit of explaining she phoned the other chap at Sta.Elena and got confirmation that it was a misunderstanding at his end, and got it straightened out for me, no fine.
One would think that the people who thought up these rules were maybe students in eastern Europe before 1990?Apparently no freedom of movement permitted here.
By the way , Guatemala gives a nice souvenir sticker for keeps.