Forums > Areas > Southern Mexico

roamer22

Oct 17, 2006, 9:19 AM

Post #1 of 9 (5044 views)

Shortcut

traveling through Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

Hi down there !!
Adios Amigos
Me and my partner and a 2 year old German Shepherd.
Plan on driving through Mexico to Belize in a 1997 Ford Conversion Van. Have all my Maps and a Magellan GPS with a Mexican SD card so I think I'm ready. Hopefully ?
As far as I can tell most of my problems will be crossing into Belize. Any advice for a couple of GreenHorns on what pitfalls we may encounter and what to look out for ?
Have all our Papers (truck title & insurance etc.)in order and know the pooch will need his shots up to date before we get into Mexico. We plan on staying till March in Belize and then trekking back North to Massachusetts.
TIA Jerry

jerezano

Oct 17, 2006, 10:17 AM

Post #2 of 9 (5027 views)

Shortcut

Re: [roamer22] traveling through Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

Hello roamer 22,

Go to the Southern Mexico forum and post your question on entry to Belize there. I'm surprised that our moderator here hasn't already moved your post to that forum, but do it now for a quicker answer.

Adiós. jerezano.

Adiós. jerezano.

raferguson

Oct 17, 2006, 9:00 PM

Post #3 of 9 (4971 views)

Shortcut

Re: [roamer22] traveling through Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

You might want to pick up the Church book on Mexican camping, it has a chapter on Belize, and discusses some of the ins and outs. I seem to remember that they described it as troublesome, but I don't recall the details. If you are traveling by conversion van, that is sort of like a camper, so you might want the book even without the chapter on Belize.

Richard

http://www.fergusonsculpture.com

sfmacaws

Oct 17, 2006, 10:51 PM

Post #4 of 9 (4961 views)

Shortcut

Re: [roamer22] traveling through Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

We go into Belize pretty much every year and with our 2 dogs for the last 3 years. Belize misses no opportunity to collect some money. Here is the website I've used to try and expedite the import of my dogs http://www.travelbelize.org/faq.html#question17 . It has the fax and phone numbers for the folks in charge of animal imports in Belmopan, the capitol.

I've finally decided to just arrive at the border this year with all my paperwork, pay the fine for not having the permit in advance, get the dogs inspected and go on. Getting the permit in advance seems rather straightforward but it has not been that way for us. Every time the official in Belmopan says that my permit will be faxed to the border that all is in order, etc, etc. The forms have never been at the border and after waiting for hours they have never gotten there, each time I've opted to pay the 'fine' and just go. I finally really looked at the expense and decided WTF the cost difference between doing it ahead and paying for the faxes and just paying the fine is very small.

Quote

Requirements:
Domestic pets will be allowed to enter the country provided that owners present the following:

valid import permit
international veterinary certificate (needed 7 days prior to departure)
valid rabies vaccination certificate
inspection by quarantine officer
US $30 entry fee + US $12.50 fax fee

The fine including entry fee is $50! At least it has been the last few years, if I have the nerve to just show up this year they may double the fine.

They do look at the International vet certificate, get that from a vet in Mexico no more than 1 week before crossing, if you need a recommendation I can give you the name and number of an excellent vet in Playa del Carmen. As in Mexico, Belize requires rabies shots annually while the US does it every 3 years. They don't care if your vet writes that the shot is up to date if the date is not within the year.

Belize asks for the actual title or pink slip of the vehicle, not just the registration. I have seen people talk their way through that but I've also known people who were sent back into Mexico. They have weird restrictions on things like soft drinks, satellite dishes, + all the usual fruit, vegetable, meat and booze. One RVer wrote that they dumped a couple of cases of soft drinks, they wouldn't let them in and he opened and poured them all out in their parking lot. It's kind of a crap shoot how they will react to whatever you have in your van. We've always been pretty lucky (knock knock) but people with us and around us have had some big problems. One day I expect we will as well. One day I got a very nice guy who came out and inspected our RV while chatting and laughing. He gave us no hassle and didn't try to find anything. Our friends right behind us got a rather uptight woman who went through everything, picked at it all, and made them give up all sorts of stuff. Our guy actually looked over at all the stuff being pulled out of their RV and kind of shrugged.

Don't forget they will charge you about $35 to leave Belize.

Don't miss the One Barrel Rum, it's the best, they don't export it and it kind of makes up for all the BS at the border.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

roamer22

Oct 18, 2006, 9:41 AM

Post #5 of 9 (4929 views)

Shortcut

Re: [raferguson] traveling through Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

Ordered the Book from Alibris cost me all of $7.24 with shipping so I'll have it on hand.
Thanks for the advice

roamer22

Oct 18, 2006, 9:49 AM

Post #6 of 9 (4926 views)

Shortcut

Re: [sfmacaws] traveling through Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

Just ordered my forms. Noticed they did say the fine would be $100. USD so I guess I'll try going the permit way and hopefully it won't take all day at the border.

sfmacaws

Oct 18, 2006, 2:35 PM

Post #7 of 9 (4910 views)

Shortcut

Re: [roamer22] traveling through Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

Obviously keep all the paperwork you get from them but also, if you talk to anyone keep a copy of their name and phone number, sometimes it helps if you can give the guy at the border a phone number to call as they don't seem to have them available. Belize got the bureaucracy part down from the British but they missed the efficiency part, they have good uniforms too.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

roamer22

Oct 18, 2006, 8:37 PM

Post #8 of 9 (4879 views)

Shortcut

Re: [sfmacaws] traveling through Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

Thanks for the advice.
You said you had the Name and number of an excellent vet in Playa del Carmen. I would appreciate that very much as you never know what will happen on the road.
Are you required to pay a fee every time you go back and forth between Mexico and Belize because we will probably be doing that quite a bit.
Or maybe that isn't such a good idea ?

We are really so new at this so thanks again for your answer to our post.

sfmacaws

Oct 19, 2006, 2:38 AM

Post #9 of 9 (4871 views)

Shortcut

Re: [roamer22] traveling through Mexico

Can't Post | Private Reply

The vet's name is Paco and he is probably the best vet I've ever taken my animals to. His full name is Francisco Cortes Van Aarem and his address in Playa is Av. 20 esq. Calle 44. His number is (984)87-3-16-39 and his cell is 0444-984-80-4-58-31. He speaks english although his receptionist doesn't. He's familiar with the international requirements and does our letter every year, his place also does grooming and has high end dog food. I think they will board your dog as well. Vets don't make as much in MX and most of them are full service with lots of extras. Paco was trained at UNAM in the capitol and donates a lot of time to various free clinics in the outlying villages. He is just a really great guy with a lot of humor and compassion. Tell him Jonna and Mimi sent you.

Yes, you are required to pay every time you leave Belize. If you intend to go back and forth within the time of your MX visa, you can pay 100p and not surrender your FMT, it will be stamped 'doble entrada' and you can use it on your return to MX. This is good if you got 180 days at the US/MX border and are just going to Belize for a short time and return to MX before the FMT expires. If your FMT is going to expire in the near future then turn it in when you go into Belize and get a new one on your return. I was told this winter that the MX aduana at the Belize border is not giving 180 days easily anymore, some say they aren't giving it at all and that 90 days is even hard to get. If you have over 90 days left on your FMT then keep it and pay to get it stamped. This kind of stuff changes a lot though so ask around.

Perhaps there is a way to cross back and forth frequently without paying but I've never heard of it and I doubt it would be an option for US citizens. I do see people at the border that clearly just went across to shop on the bus but they have all been Belizeans, they just show their ID to enter. It used to be that Mexicans and foreign residents crossed often to go to the Free Zone between the borders to shop and buy gasoline, it is before you cross Belize customs so they didn't have to officially enter Belize. Friends would often go into that zone to sell their car, taking it out of Mexico but not having to pay to get it into Belize. Now I hear that they make you enter Belize and go into the Free Zone from another direction. I really don't know as I haven't gone into the Free Zone in several years. They charge you to get into it now and I'm not paying to go in and buy knock off perfume, cheap booze or socks from China. There's a casino in there as well so a lot of people do go for that reason.

I don't know if it is a good idea or not for you to cross often between the countries. I don't know why you would need or want to, if it is important enough then you'll just pay the money and do it. It does cost and there is some BS involved getting into Belize. It's not that onerous though, I have friends in Akumal who own property in Cayo and cross back and forth at least once a month. There are people in Chetumal, mostly Mexican, that I know go back and forth by boat all the time without checking in. It's a rather porous border unless you are Salvadoran or Honduran and get caught by the migra, then it is a very dangerous often deadly experience.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán