What is the maximum amount of dollars that I can pass without declaring from the US to Mexico?

Although you can move any amount from the United States to Mexico, there is a limit to how much cash you can move between countries without declaring; If you exceed it, it is necessary that you declare it at the customs of the destination country.

There are many Mexicans who live in the United States, but who want to travel back to their land. There are also other types of people who want to visit their neighbor to the south. Regardless of the reasons for your trip, not many know how many dollars they can take in cash without declaring it in the US or in Mexico.

If you live in the United States and want to travel to Mexico by land, there is a limit of up to $10,000 of cash that you can bring into or out of the country without declaring it to the authorities.

Despite the fact that the Government of Mexico indicates that introducing or extracting from the country more than $10,000 dollars is not a crime, not declaring that amount is. That means there is no cash limit you can enter, as long as you declare it. If you don’t, you can get into serious legal trouble in our neighboring country.

The law contemplates the total sum of all the money you load, regardless of currency differences or separate media that you contain, such as:

  • Cash
  • Domestic or foreign checks
  • Payment orders
  • Documents receivable

In this sense, it is your obligation to declare any figure that exceeds $10,000 dollars to the customs authorities at the time of entering Mexico. The lack of declaration entails a fine that ranges between 20% and 40% of the amount exceeded.

Failure to declare sums equal to or greater than $30,000 dollars is punishable by imprisonment from six months to six years and the amount seized for the federal treasury if its lawful origin is not proven.

“If he does not prove his lawful origin, he will be punished with five to fifteen years in prison and one thousand to five thousand days-fine,” says the Mexican Foreign Relations page.

The money can be declared at any of the ports of entry and exit of the country or through the portal of the Tax Administration Service (SAT) of Mexico to expedite the process.

Now that we are talking about money, there is also a price limit for merchandise that can enter Mexico by land without paying taxes and that only applies to Mexicans leaving the United States. During most of the year, Mexicans will be able to enter merchandise with a value of up to $300 dollars per person or its equivalent in national currency. However, during the Paisano Program Operations, Mexican nationals may enter up to $500 US dollars worth of merchandise per person.

The Operations of the Paisano Program take place during Holy Week, summer and winter, and apply to all Mexicans, except for people residing in the strip or border region.