Annual trip to Cozumel

[Kimela]

I still have a hard time deciding how many days to tell them I'm staying. Do I count from TODAY until the day I leave, or do I count the NIGHTS I stay or do I give them a random number greater than both in case someone gets ill and we have to stay an extra week!!!! I'm a nervous nellie.

 

[ggunn]

I still have a hard time deciding how many days to tell them I'm staying. Do I count from TODAY until the day I leave, or do I count the NIGHTS I stay or do I give them a random number greater than both in case someone gets ill and we have to stay an extra week!!!! I'm a nervous nellie.

I don't think anyone really pays that close attention to that number, but I just enter the number of nights in the hotel. If you add nights to your stay after you get there no one is going to come get you and throw you onto a plane.

 

[NDL_Diver]

Since they got rid of the FFM, I was told that now the number of days is now hand written on arrival passport stamp. I tell them a few more days than expected just in case they don't write the usual 180.

 

[ggunn]

Since they got rid of the FFM, I was told that now the number of days is now hand written on arrival passport stamp. I tell them a few more days than expected just in case they don't write the usual 180.

Is there a question about length of stay on the Customs form? I don't remember.

I just checked my passport; there is nothing written on their stamp to indicate the 14 days I planned on staying when I got there on April 15, which is what I would have answered if I had been asked. There is something handwritten on the stamp that might be "111023" ; would October 11 have been 180 days? It might say "1110253" though; it's pretty scratchy.

At any rate, I seriously doubt that anyone cares about a few days one way or the other.

 

[Shawn C]

Is there a question about length of stay on the Customs form? I don't remember.

I just checked my passport; there is nothing written on their stamp to indicate the 14 days I planned on staying when I got there on April 15, which is what I would have answered if I had been asked. There is something handwritten on the stamp that might be "111023" ; would October 11 have been 180 days? It might say "1110253" though; it's pretty scratchy.

At any rate, I seriously doubt that anyone cares about a few days one way or the other.

Yes, 180 days from April 15 would be Oct 11th.

And they do care about a few days. If you need to stay longer than you have permission, you need to get that date extended or leave. Ignoring it can lead to being denied entry into the country in the future.

 

[ggunn]

Yes, 180 days from April 15 would be Oct 11th.

And they do care about a few days. If you need to stay longer than you have permission, you need to get that date extended or leave. Ignoring it can lead to being denied entry into the country in the future.

Thanks for doing the math; I was too lazy to do it.

Yes, of course; if you stay longer than the 180 days maximum on a tourist visa (which is automatically granted) then someone will care, but if you tell them (if they even ask anymore *) 14 days and stay 16 days, no one cares. Why should they? You'll spend more US$.

* Even if there is a field to enter the number of days you plan to stay on the Customs form, they don't look at it at the Immigration kiosks.

 

[Kimela]

Is there a question about length of stay on the Customs form? I don't remember.

The agent always asks 'number of days you're saying' and I panic. Roger just says a number while my brain freezes!

 

[BRT]

The agent always asks 'number of days you're saying' and I panic. Roger just says a number while my brain freezes!

I watched them arrest and haul away a tourist who had told them a week and stayed 8 days. Just kidding!

 

[Kimela]

I watched them arrest and haul away a tourist who had told them a week and stayed 8 days. Just kidding!

On one trip I had purchased some ear drops (the kind with lidocaine in them) and at DFW one of the officers asked 'did you buy anything in Mexico you need to declare?' and I immediately said 'no', not thinking of the ear drops. Three steps later I could feel the iron fist of the government coming down when I remembered the ear drops!!! By sheer strength of will I kept walking ... and felt SOOOOO guilty!! Ha ha ha!!!

 

[Tunaman68]

On one trip I had purchased some ear drops (the kind with lidocaine in them) and at DFW one of the officers asked 'did you buy anything in Mexico you need to declare?' and I immediately said 'no', not thinking of the ear drops. Three steps later I could feel the iron fist of the government coming down when I remembered the ear drops!!! By sheer strength of will I kept walking ... and felt SOOOOO guilty!! Ha ha ha!!!

My guy made a joke about 'you don't have like a bag full of Viagra you're bringing back or anything?' I said no and then immediately thought of the single bottle of Flexeril in my backpack. The guilt and shame was real. hahah. JUST KEEP WALKING AND BE NORMAL>>>>>