Flying to Mexico

[Loading...]

Hello,

I have a few flights coming up to Mexico, to Tijuana and to Juarez.
I was wondering if anybody has any experience with this, what can I expect?
What do I have to do before departure, in regards to APIS, etc.
And do I need to call them before I leave like I do with US customs?
Thanks

[bezerker]

Private or commercial?

You need to call FBO and choose handler down there. $100 USD tip when there makes everything better.

They will deal with all Mexico stuff. Basically they need GENDEC, outbound ICAO flight plan, fuel release, and money.

There are other issues there such as insurance specifically for Mexico and overflight permits and etc etc. handler will let you know what you need.

Choose an expensive one for first try, then if motivated, learn what you can do in house to save money if wanted (hardly worthwhile IMHO).

Pay handler and give it a few days notice to organize your documents they request.

Places you mentioned have dangerous areas. Handler/FBO can recommend hotels. That being said, it’s pretty safe. If you want to find trouble, you will be able to.

Enjoy.

Salud.

[Loading...]

Private or commercial?

You need to call FBO and choose handler down there. $100 USD tip when there makes everything better.

They will deal with all Mexico stuff. Basically they need GENDEC, outbound ICAO flight plan, fuel release, and money.

There are other issues there such as insurance specifically for Mexico and overflight permits and etc etc. handler will let you know what you need.

Choose an expensive one for first try, then if motivated, learn what you can do in house to save money if wanted (hardly worthwhile IMHO).

Pay handler and give it a few days notice to organize your documents they request.

Places you mentioned have dangerous areas. Handler/FBO can recommend hotels. That being said, it’s pretty safe. If you want to find trouble, you will be able to.

Enjoy.

Salud.

Hey,

Thanks for the reply. It will be commercial charters.

[JHR]

When you print a copy of your Mexican insurance make sure it is in color...seriously

[broken_slinky]

Below is from a friend who did some trips to Mexico recently. He's a US pilot with a US registered bird but I can't see things being different for a Canadian pilot/plane.

Just returned from our third trip to La Paz, MX (MMLP,) a short distance north of Cabo San Lucas, and thought I'd share a quick trip report, especially as this was our second time flying to Mexico with our bird during Covid.

Predeparture
If you haven't flown to Mexico in a while, know that:
• 406mHZ ELTs are now required (nobody checked, but it's not something you want to get caught for.)
• You must fill out the Mexican APIS form and email it to the Mexican APIS email address no more than 24 hours prior to departure. Then email it again 30 minutes prior. It takes all of 2 minutes, possibly less, to fill out the form; it's just an Excel spreadsheet.
• US flight planning procedures are still the same. Activate your DVFR or IFR flight plan prior to crossing the border, either with FSS by radio or by phone from the ground. Leidos now offers an 'Easy Activate' link that we used in their mobile app to activate our DVFR flight plan before departure from our refueling stop at KSDM.
• Make sure to file your US eAPIS clearances for both your departure and return leg.
• And of course file your US flight plans (DVFR or IFR) well in advance – you can always change them later.

Paperwork
• As always, make sure you have the usual docs (pilot and medical cert, Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit, the aircraft radio station license, plus A/C registration and airworthiness cert. Make copies of these before you leave.)
• Also take copies of your insurance policy showing Mexico as a covered territory. I've *always* been asked to show this to the DGAC officials.
• Technically you're supposed to carry your original MX logs but I just took a copy of the last annual signoff. No one has ever asked to see this.
• CST Flight Services has a helpful form you can pre-fill out and give to the Mexican Army soldiers who will greet you on arrival. It takes 60 seconds to fill out and the soldiers really appreciate it.
• The soldiers will take pics of your airplane, that's normal procedure. No special searches or anything (in 6 Mexico trips I've never been hassled.)

Operations
• Operations at MMLP are normal, although the Customs/Immigration hours have been slightly shortened due to Covid. We flew nonstop from KSDM (a good refueling stop) and arrived well before sunset. VFR night flying in Mexico is prohibited, and IFR flights require that you be on airways, and I didn't feel like climbing to 16,000' to get on V1, the only airway option in central Baja.

• Check NOTAMs! The CST Flight Services site has a great forum with updates on airport/runway closures, fuel availability issues, etc. We've only flown to Loreto, La Paz, and Mulege, and have never encountered issues.

Fuel
Fuel was $4.50/gallon (measured in liters, 3.785 liters to the gallon), and is payable by credit card. This is the biggest change Mexico has made in recent years, in that you can now use credit cards to pay for pretty much everything. The other changes, of course, are the 406 MhZ ELT requirement and the new Mexican APIS requirement.

Arrival
No changes due to covid, other than you'll need your mask inside the airport terminals. Arrival processing was 1 hour including fuel, customs, immigration, closing our flight plan, and verifying our multi-entry permit we'd purchased on a previous trip.

Departure
Again, no changes. Just make sure to file your Mexican APIS form before departure, and call the US Customs office at your intended US airport of entry to verify they have the US eAPIS manifest, and they know you're coming. If you need to change your arrival time, notify FSS before you cross the border and ask them to advise the Customs folks.

Parking at MMLP was $25/night, and the other fees haven't changed much. It's US $120 for a multi-entry permit, plus about $60 for airspace taxes and user fees. Avgas is cheap though...I saved about $80 vs what it would have cost in the US.

Anyhow, hope that's helpful!

[Loading...]

Below is from a friend who did some trips to Mexico recently. He's a US pilot with a US registered bird but I can't see things being different for a Canadian pilot/plane.

Just returned from our third trip to La Paz, MX (MMLP,) a short distance north of Cabo San Lucas, and thought I'd share a quick trip report, especially as this was our second time flying to Mexico with our bird during Covid.

Predeparture
If you haven't flown to Mexico in a while, know that:
• 406mHZ ELTs are now required (nobody checked, but it's not something you want to get caught for.)
• You must fill out the Mexican APIS form and email it to the Mexican APIS email address no more than 24 hours prior to departure. Then email it again 30 minutes prior. It takes all of 2 minutes, possibly less, to fill out the form; it's just an Excel spreadsheet.
• US flight planning procedures are still the same. Activate your DVFR or IFR flight plan prior to crossing the border, either with FSS by radio or by phone from the ground. Leidos now offers an 'Easy Activate' link that we used in their mobile app to activate our DVFR flight plan before departure from our refueling stop at KSDM.
• Make sure to file your US eAPIS clearances for both your departure and return leg.
• And of course file your US flight plans (DVFR or IFR) well in advance – you can always change them later.

Paperwork
• As always, make sure you have the usual docs (pilot and medical cert, Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit, the aircraft radio station license, plus A/C registration and airworthiness cert. Make copies of these before you leave.)
• Also take copies of your insurance policy showing Mexico as a covered territory. I've *always* been asked to show this to the DGAC officials.
• Technically you're supposed to carry your original MX logs but I just took a copy of the last annual signoff. No one has ever asked to see this.
• CST Flight Services has a helpful form you can pre-fill out and give to the Mexican Army soldiers who will greet you on arrival. It takes 60 seconds to fill out and the soldiers really appreciate it.
• The soldiers will take pics of your airplane, that's normal procedure. No special searches or anything (in 6 Mexico trips I've never been hassled.)

Operations
• Operations at MMLP are normal, although the Customs/Immigration hours have been slightly shortened due to Covid. We flew nonstop from KSDM (a good refueling stop) and arrived well before sunset. VFR night flying in Mexico is prohibited, and IFR flights require that you be on airways, and I didn't feel like climbing to 16,000' to get on V1, the only airway option in central Baja.

• Check NOTAMs! The CST Flight Services site has a great forum with updates on airport/runway closures, fuel availability issues, etc. We've only flown to Loreto, La Paz, and Mulege, and have never encountered issues.

Fuel
Fuel was $4.50/gallon (measured in liters, 3.785 liters to the gallon), and is payable by credit card. This is the biggest change Mexico has made in recent years, in that you can now use credit cards to pay for pretty much everything. The other changes, of course, are the 406 MhZ ELT requirement and the new Mexican APIS requirement.

Arrival
No changes due to covid, other than you'll need your mask inside the airport terminals. Arrival processing was 1 hour including fuel, customs, immigration, closing our flight plan, and verifying our multi-entry permit we'd purchased on a previous trip.

Departure
Again, no changes. Just make sure to file your Mexican APIS form before departure, and call the US Customs office at your intended US airport of entry to verify they have the US eAPIS manifest, and they know you're coming. If you need to change your arrival time, notify FSS before you cross the border and ask them to advise the Customs folks.

Parking at MMLP was $25/night, and the other fees haven't changed much. It's US $120 for a multi-entry permit, plus about $60 for airspace taxes and user fees. Avgas is cheap though...I saved about $80 vs what it would have cost in the US.

Anyhow, hope that's helpful!

Thanks for the info, do you know who I email the APIS to? Also do I need to get this multi-entry permit before departure from Canada?
And can I use this same permit for multiple flights to Mexico to different airports.

[broken_slinky]

https://nbaa.org/aircraft-operations/in ... uirements/
4th paragraph down gives the email address and a link to the spreadsheet.
I would assume the idea behind the multi-entry permit is to list all the different airports you may use and then you're permitted to go to those for entry. Will ask for clarification though.

[foxforce5]

It's no big deal. Just take some probiotics!