Last updated: [12/09/20]
(Original date August 6, 2020)
Location: Mexico
The U.S. Department of State updated the Travel Advisory for Mexico on August 6, 2020. Do not travel to Mexico due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Mexico due to crime and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.
Read the Department of State’s COVID-19 page before you plan any international travel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Mexico due to COVID-19.
Travelers to Mexico may experience border closures, airport closures, travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures, and other emergency conditions within Mexico due to COVID-19. Visit the Embassy’s COVID-19 page for more information on COVID-19 in Mexico.
Violent crime – such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery – is widespread. Armed criminal groups have been known to target and rob commercial vessels, oil platforms, and offshore supply vessels in the Bay of Campeche.
The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or significantly restricted.
U.S. government employees may not travel between cities after dark, may not hail taxis on the street, and must rely on dispatched vehicles, including from app-based services like Uber or from regulated taxi stands. U.S. government employees may not drive from the U.S.-Mexico border to or from the interior parts of Mexico, with the exception of daytime travel within Baja California, between Nogales and Hermosillo on Mexican Federal Highway 15D, and between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey on Highway 85D (during daylight hours and with prior Consulate authorization only).
Read the country information page. For detailed information on all states in Mexico, please read the entire Travel Advisory.
If you travel to Mexico:
- See the U.S. Embassy’s web page regarding COVID-19.
- Visit the CDC’s webpage on Travel and COVID-19 and CDC’s Travel Health Notice for Mexico.
- Keep your traveling companions and family back home informed of your travel plans. If separating from your travel group, send a friend your GPS location. If taking a taxi alone, take a photo of the taxi number and/or license plate and text to a friend.
- Use toll roads when possible and avoid driving alone or at night. In many states, police presence and emergency services are extremely limited outside the state capital or major cities.
- Exercise increased caution when visiting local bars, nightclubs, and casinos.
- Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
- Be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
- Follow the U.S. Embassy in Mexico on Facebook and Twitter.
- Review the Crime and Safety Reports for Mexico.
- Mariners planning travel to Mexico should check for U.S. maritime advisories and alerts at https://www.maritime.dot.gov/msci-alerts, which include instructions on reporting suspicious activities and attacks to Mexican naval authorities.
- Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
Assistance:
- For Emergency Assistance for U.S. citizens in Mexico, call (55) 8526 2561 from Mexico or 1-844-528-6611 from the United States.
- The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is located at: Paseo de la Reforma 305 Colonia Cuauhtémoc 06500, Ciudad de México Phone: +52-55-5080-2000 Fax: +52-55-5080-2005 E-Mail: ACSMexicoCity@state.gov
- State Department – Consular Affairs: 888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444