what are the mexican/belizean border crossing fees @ chetumal mexico?

[CAROL G.]

What are the mexican/Belizean border crossing fees @ chetumal Mexico?

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

When you leave Belize at the Corozal border and cross over to Chetumal, Mexico, you will pay fees on both sides of the border. If you are not a resident of Belize, you will pay the Belize country exit fee of $37.50. When you go through immigration on the Mexico side of the border you will pay a visa fee of about $22, depending on the exchange fee. So be prepared to pay about $60. So, unfortunately, it isn’t that cheap to take a day trip to Chetumal. But once you are a resident of Belize, you no longer have to pay the $37.50 fee.

[MIKE T.]

I assume that 60 dollars is per person?

[MIKE T.]

I assume that 60 dollars is per person?

[MIKE T.]

Is that each direction?

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

The $37.50 is an exit fee per person leaving Belize, so it doesn’t apply to coming back into the country. The visa is also per person, to pay for your entrance into Mexico. So, yes, you will spend $60 US per person when you exit the country. But there are no entrance fees into Belize when you return unless you come on the water taxi from Chetumal to San Pedro. Then there are different docking/boat fees. But I assumed you are crossing the border into Corozal, which is the more common route.

[CAROL G.]

Visa fee for $22 us? to go to Chetumal, Mexico (US citizens)? Is this something new? I didn’t need one last year,

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

The fees for entering and leaving Mexico have changed frequently since we’ve been going. They seem to depend upon how long you are in Mexico before returning to Belize. The last time we went to Merida, in August of 2014, we were charged an extra fee on our exit from Mexico because we stayed 8 days. They told us that if we had been there less than 7 days, we wouldn’t be charged the fee… Of course, we are never quite sure if we are being charged an “extra” fee… But we crossed the border with a service, Menzies, and they helped us, since we hadn’t taken the Corozal border route in ages. The Menzies employee explained that the exit fee is charged if you stay longer than one week in Mexico.

If someone else has recently had a different experience, crossing the border, I’d love to hear their input on this forum.

[CAROL G.]

I just took a day trip(less than 24 hrs) to Chetumal (From Belize) I paid only for Belize exit fee of $37.50. My travel was by land. That is why I was told that why there were no other fees. If I came by air or boat, I would have to pay additional fees.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

I just heard back from the Menzies representative. He informed me that the exit fee is $22 US when traveling across the border from Mexico to Belize, by land, at Corozal. But the assumption is that is for a person who is in Mexico as a tourist, for longer than a single day. It makes sense that they would not charge an exit fee if you only spend the day in Chetumal to do some shopping and then return home to Corozal later in the day.

Once you become a full-time Belize resident you’ll no longer be required to pay the $37.50 fee. But QRPs still have to pay, as we are considered special status residents.

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