Philippine Passport with US Tourist Visa can enter Mexico

[Bill Oxner 18]

Did I understand that correctly?

 

My wife mother is applying or Tourist Visa to USA and once she gets here I guess we can hop a plane to Cancun for a trip to their awesome beaches and hotels?

 

 

[Mike E 11,730]

33 minutes ago, Bill Oxner said:

Did I understand that correctly?

 

My wife mother is applying or Tourist Visa to USA and once she gets here I guess we can hop a plane to Cancun for a trip to their awesome beaches and hotels?

 

 

If it is an unexpired multi entry visa, technically yes. Note that if her trip to  Mexico is under 30 days it counts against her I-94 authorized stay. This can work one or against one depending on the situation.

[Bill Oxner 18]

40 minutes ago, Mike E said:

If it is an unexpired multi entry visa, technically yes. Note that if her trip to  Mexico is under 30 days it counts against her I-94 authorized stay. This can work one or against one depending on the situation.

Makes sense

 

As of now really don't know how long she will stay, We will play it by ear once she arrives.  I wouldn't be surprised if me or my wife flies back to Philippines with here. 

 

That US Tourist Visa is proving to be a pretty cool deal.  We can be in Cancun Airport in less than 2 hours from my airport.

[JeanneAdil 6,291]

As a Filipino citizen, you must get a visa to spend your vacation in Mexico. That can happen only at the nearest Mexican embassy. You will also need a Mexican Tourist Card, otherwise called a Forma Migratoria Multiple.

[JeanneAdil 6,291]

says u can travel to Mexico with valid US visa but i know someone who was stopped from getting on the plane (husband -german and she -fillipino) so check this out 

[Bill Oxner 18]

18 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

As a Filipino citizen, you must get a visa to spend your vacation in Mexico. That can happen only at the nearest Mexican embassy. You will also need a Mexican Tourist Card, otherwise called a Forma Migratoria Multiple.

Please don't believe everything you read on the internet

 

I will rely on the official US Government and follow their rules

B-1 or B-2 Visas:  During your visit to the United States, you may visit Canada or Mexico for up to 30 days and re-enter the United State, if you re-enter within the timeframe indicated on the Form I-94 that you received when you first entered.

Traveling to other countries while in the United States on a B1 or B2 visa (cbp.gov)

 

 

[Mike E 11,730]

1 minute ago, Bill Oxner said:

Please don't believe everything you read on the internet

 

I will rely on the official US Government and follow their rules

B-1 or B-2 Visas:  During your visit to the United States, you may visit Canada or Mexico for up to 30 days and re-enter the United State, if you re-enter within the timeframe indicated on the Form I-94 that you received when you first entered.

Traveling to other countries while in the United States on a B1 or B2 visa (cbp.gov)

 

 

So U.S. government rules for entering Mexico have no applicability, because Mexico is a sovereign country.

 

iatatravelcentre.com is a source that uses the same databases that airlines use. Note that each airline has its own rules and so you should enter the airline name into that web site.   

[top_secret 2,129]

I suspect she would be fine and a US B2 visa is a valid substitute visa for Mexico, however.... My wife was refused entry, threatened if she would not sign some Spanish document and deported when she tried to go to Cancun with her 5 year multiple entry Japan visa in her Philippine passport.  There was no question that the multiple entry Japan visa was valid for entry to Mexico.  Mexican immigration were fine with that.  But as they will remind you, the decision to admit someone or not is made at the border. We assume my wife would have some kind of ban in Mexico now although it's irrelevant because I don't think there is any way you could drag her into another plane headed to Mexico.  The attempted Cancun trip was a rather traumatic experience from her Philippine passport holding perspective.  In fact by far the worst travel experience ever and only problem with immigration out of 24 countries visited.

Edited March 14, 2023 by top_secret

[Bill Oxner 18]

10 minutes ago, Mike E said:

So U.S. government rules for entering Mexico have no applicability, because Mexico is a sovereign country.

 

iatatravelcentre.com is a source that uses the same databases that airlines use. Note that each airline has its own rules and so you should enter the airline name into that web site.   

I am more worried about getting back into USA not Mexico.

 

We fly AA they have tons of flights going to Cancun, Book them thru Costco Travel.  I just got off with phone with American Airlines they confirmed no problems traveling to Mexico with valid US tourist visa, I got a supervisor on the phone to confirm.

[Mike E 11,730]

3 minutes ago, Bill Oxner said:

I am more worried about getting back into USA not Mexico.

With a valid visa, i do not know why that would be the greater worry.

 

Worst case book a domestic flight to a border city and walk into the U.S. 

[Bill Oxner 18]

1 minute ago, top_secret said:

I suspect she would be fine and a US B2 visa is a valid substitute visa for Mexico, however.... My wife was refused entry, threatened if she would not sign some Spanish document and deported when she tried to go to Cancun with her 5 year multiple entry Japan visa in her Philippine passport.  There was no question that the multiple entry Japan visa was valid for entry to Mexico.  Mexican immigration were fine with that.  But as they will remind you, the decision to admit someone or not is made at the border. We assume my wife would have some kind of ban in Mexico now although it's irrelevant because there is i don't think there is any way you could drag her into another plane headed to Mexico.  The attempted Cancun trip was a rather traumatic experience from her philippine passport holding perspective.  In fact by far the worst travel experience ever and only problem with immigration out of 24 countries visited.

She was flying to Mexico from USA with a valid US tourist visa?

 

I bet your wife was flying from Asia to Mexico and not from USA to Mexico.  Why didn't she come to USA first and you fly with here to Cancun?

[Mike E 11,730]

Sounds like you’ve enough data points and fears to scrub the side trip

to Cancun. 

[Bill Oxner 18]

3 minutes ago, Mike E said:

With a valid visa, i do not know why that would be the greater worry.

 

Worst case book a domestic flight to a border city and walk into the U.S. 

Exactly, It's not that big of deal.

 

I have been to Cancan numerous times maybe 30 times, and taken my wife back when she only had like an extension paper for a expired greencard, no issues ever.  From what I have Cancun Airport is a breeze to deal with. 

 

[Mike E 11,730]

1 minute ago, Bill Oxner said:

taken my wife back when she only had like an extension paper for a expired greencard, no issues ever

Visajourney has vast thread on travel with extension letters and more counter examples than I can count. Our own experiences were that we were always successful but it is tiresome to spend hours at the check in desk arguing until we win the argument.

[top_secret 2,129]

 

1 minute ago, Bill Oxner said:

She was flying to Mexico from USA with a valid US tourist visa?

 

I bet your wife was flying from Asia to Mexico and not from USA to Mexico.  Why didn't she come to USA first and you fly with here to Cancun?

 

Of course she started in the Philippines.  She was arriving on a flight from Frankfurt Germany and was deported back to Germany.  This was during COVID travel bans in 2020 and at the time Mexico was about the only country open for business and actively soliciting tourists so Cancun seemed like a nice place to meet. 

 

Upon further research of what went wrong, we found Mexico is notorious for refusing entry to persons with valid visas or travel documents of various other latin American and MENA nationalities.  It doesn't much affect English speaking countries but it it is well known and has a huge amount of media attention in South America.

 

As I said, a US B2 Visa is a valid substitute visa for Mexico and she would probably be fine.   But there are also many exceptions and Mexico very much means it when they say a valid visa does not guarantee entry.