Visa requirements for Mexican citizens

A Mexican passport

Visa requirements for Mexican citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Mexico. As of May 2023, Mexican citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 162 countries and territories ranking the Mexican passport 22nd in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.

Visa requirements map

Visa requirements for Mexican citizens

  Mexico

  Visa free access

  Visa on arrival

  eVisa

  Visa available both on arrival or online

  Visa required

Visa requirements

Country	Visa requirement	Allowed stay	Notes (excluding departure fees)
Afghanistan	Visa required
Albania	Visa not required	90 days
Algeria	Visa required
Andorra	Visa not required	90 days
Angola	Visa not required	30 days
Antigua and Barbuda	Visa not required	1 month
Argentina	Visa not required	90 days
Armenia	eVisa / Visa on arrival	120 days
Australia and territories	Online visa required		May apply online (Online Visitor e600 visa). Fee 135 AUD. Transit visa is not required.
Austria	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Azerbaijan	eVisa	30 days	Fee US$23.
Bahamas	Visa not required	3 months
Bahrain	eVisa / Visa on arrival	14 days	Visa is also obtainable online. Fee US$77.
Bangladesh	Visa required		Visa on arrival available to business travelers if they are holding a letter of invitation issued by an accredited organization in Bangladesh that has notified the Immigration authorities prior to arrival.
Barbados	Visa not required	28 days
Belarus	Visa not required	30 days	Must arrive and depart via Minsk National Airport.
Belgium	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Belize	Visa not required	1 month
Benin	eVisa	30 days	Must have an international vaccination certificate.
Bhutan	eVisa
Bolivia	Visa not required	180 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 6-month period
Botswana	Visa not required	90 days
Brazil	Visa not required	90 days	Starting 10 January 2024, a visa will be required.
Brunei	Visa required
Bulgaria	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Burkina Faso	eVisa
Burundi	Visa on arrival	1 month
Cambodia	eVisa / Visa on arrival	30 days	Visa is also obtainable online. Fee US$37.
Cameroon	eVisa
Canada	Visa not required	6 months	eTA required if arriving by air. Fee 7 CAD.
Cape Verde	Visa on arrival
Central African Republic	Visa required
Chad	Visa required
Chile	Visa not required	90 days
China	Visa required		24-hour visa-free transit through any international airports of China, allows domestic travel through different airports. 72-hour visa-free transit through Changsha, Guilin and Harbin airports, or Beihai port. 144-hour visa-free transit through Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jieyang, Kunming, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen and Xi'an airports, or Dalian, Guangzhou, Lianyungang, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Xiamen and Zhoushan ports. Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan count as third countries under the 24, 72 and 144-hours transit without visa (TWOV) policies.
Colombia	Visa not required	90 days	90 days – extendable up to 180-days stay within a one-year period
Comoros	Visa on arrival	45 days
Republic of the Congo	Visa required
Democratic Republic of the Congo	eVisa	7 days
Costa Rica	Visa not required	90 days
Côte d'Ivoire	eVisa	3 months	eVisa holders must arrive via Port Bouet Airport.
Croatia	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Cuba	Tourist card required	90 days	90 days purchasing Tourist Card
Cyprus	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Czech Republic	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Denmark	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Djibouti	eVisa	31 days
Dominica	Visa not required	21 days
Dominican Republic	Visa not required	90 days
Ecuador	Visa not required	90 days
Egypt	eVisa / Visa on arrival	30 days	On-arrival visa costs $25 USD.
El Salvador	Visa not required	3 months	10 USD Tourist Card must be purchased upon arrival
Equatorial Guinea	eVisa
Eritrea	Visa required
Estonia	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Eswatini	Visa required
Ethiopia	eVisa / Visa on arrival	up to 90 days	Visa on arrival is obtainable only at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. e-Visa holders must arrive via Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. e-Visa is available for 30 or 90 days.
Fiji	Visa not required	4 months
Finland	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
France	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Gabon	eVisa	90 days	Electronic visa holders must arrive via Libreville International Airport.
Gambia	Visa required
Georgia	Visa not required	1 year
Germany	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Ghana	Visa required
Greece	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Grenada	Visa not required	90 days	Beginning on December 1, 2020, all travellers to Grenada will be required to complete an online application in order to receive a Pure Safe Travel Authorization Certificate to enter Grenada.
Guatemala	Visa not required	90 days
Guinea	eVisa	90 days
Guinea-Bissau	Visa on arrival	90 days
Guyana	Visa required		Exempt from obtaining a visa for stays of up to 90 days if they hold a valid visa issued by Canada, the United States or a Schengen member state
Haiti	Visa not required	3 months
Honduras	Visa not required	3 months
Hungary	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Iceland	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
India	eVisa	30 days	e-Visa holders must arrive via 31 designated airports or 5 designated seaports. An Indian e-Tourist Visa may only be obtained twice within 1 calendar year. Foreigners of Pakistani origin or who hold a Pakistani Passport are not eligible for an e-Visa. Foreigners who are not Pakistani nationals, but whose parents or grandparents (either paternal or maternal) were born in, or were permanent residents in Pakistan, are also not eligible for an e-Visa. Since 2017 the Indian government has added to the list of eVisa entry points reaching a total of 28 Airports and 5 Seaports e-Visa allows for two entries during the sixth month issue period Fee US$80
Indonesia	e-VOA / Visa on arrival	30 days
Iran	eVisa	30 days
Iraq	Visa required
Ireland	Visa not required	90 days
Israel	Visa not required	3 months
Italy	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Jamaica	Visa not required	6 months	90 days (business), 6 months (tourist)
Japan	Visa not required	180 days	90 days, extendable up to 180 days
Jordan	eVisa / Visa on arrival		Visa can be obtained upon arrival, it will cost a total of 40 JOD, obtainable at most international ports of entry and land border crossings. (except King Hussein/Allenby Bridge)
Kazakhstan	Visa not required	30 days
Kenya	eVisa	3 months	Fee US $51.
Kiribati	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 12-month period.
North Korea	Visa required
South Korea	Electronic Travel Authorization	3 months	The validity period of a K-ETA is 3 years from the date of approval.
Kuwait	Visa required
Kyrgyzstan	Visa not required	60 days
Laos	eVisa / Visa on arrival	30 days	17 of the 31 border crossings are only open to visa holders. e-Visa may be used to enter Laos through Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, 3 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges and in Boten (road and railroad). Visa on arrival is available at Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, the 4 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges and 6 border crossings. Visa on arrival is extendable for an additional 60 days at the Department of Immigration in Vientiane.
Latvia	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Lebanon	Free visa on arrival	1 month	Extendable for 2 additional months; granted free of charge at Beirut International Airport or any other port of entry if there is no Israeli visa or seal, holding a telephone number, an address in Lebanon, and a non refundable return or circle trip ticket.
Lesotho	eVisa
Liberia	Visa required
Libya	Visa required
Liechtenstein	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Lithuania	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Luxembourg	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Madagascar	eVisa / Visa on arrival	60 days
Malawi	eVisa / Visa on arrival	3 months
Malaysia	Visa not required	30 days
Maldives	Free visa on arrival	30 days
Mali	Visa required
Malta	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Marshall Islands	Visa on arrival	90 days
Mauritania	Visa on arrival
Mauritius	Visa not required	90 days
Micronesia	Visa not required	30 days
Moldova	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Monaco	Visa not required	90 days
Mongolia	eVisa	30 days
Montenegro	Visa not required	90 days
Morocco	Visa not required	3 months
Mozambique	eVisa / Visa on arrival	30 days
Myanmar	eVisa	28 days	eVisa holders must arrive via Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw or Mandalay airports or via land border crossings with Thailand — Tachileik, Myawaddy and Kawthaung or India — Rih Khaw Dar and Tamu. eVisa is available for tourism only.
Namibia	Visa on arrival	3 months	Available at Hosea Kutako International Airport.
Nauru	Visa required
Nepal	eVisa / Visa on arrival	90 days
Netherlands	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
New Zealand	Electronic Travel Authority	3 months	International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy must be paid upon requesting an Electronic Travel Authority. Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay (pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement), subject to meeting character requirements and obtaining an Electronic Travel Authority prior to departure. Such travelers are not required to pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.
Nicaragua	Visa not required	90 days
Niger	Visa required
Nigeria	eVisa	90 days
North Macedonia	Visa not required	90 days
Norway	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Oman	Visa not required / eVisa	14 days / 30 days	Eligible for eVisa if holding a valid Schengen Visa, or a valid visa or residence permit from Australia, Canada, UK or USA.
Pakistan	Online Visa	3 months	Online Visa eligible. Electronic Travel Authorization to obtain a visa on arrival for business purposes.
Palau	Free visa on arrival	30 days
Panama	Visa not required	90 days
Papua New Guinea	eVisa	60 days
Paraguay	Visa not required	90 days
Peru	Visa not required	183 days
Philippines	Visa not required	30 days
Poland	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Portugal	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Qatar	Visa not required	30 days
Romania	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Russia	eVisa	16 days	eVisa holders must arrive and depart via 29 checkpoints.
Rwanda	eVisa / Visa on arrival	30 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Visa not required	3 months
Saint Lucia	Visa not required	6 weeks
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Visa not required	3 month
Samoa	Visa not required	60 days
San Marino	Visa not required	90 days
São Tomé and Príncipe	eVisa
Saudi Arabia	Visa required		E-visa available just for transit up to 96 Hrs (Tourist visa require regular process)
Senegal	Visa required
Serbia	Visa not required	90 days
Seychelles	Free Visitor's Permit on arrival	3 months
Sierra Leone	eVisa	3 months
Singapore	Visa not required	30 days
Slovakia	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Slovenia	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Solomon Islands	Free Visitor's permit on arrival	3 months
Somalia	Visa on arrival	30 days	Available at Bosaso Airport, Galcaio Airport and Mogadishu Airport.
South Africa	eVisa		eVisa holders must arrive via O. R. Tambo International Airport.
South Sudan	eVisa		Obtainable online Printed visa authorization must be presented at the time of travel
Spain	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Sri Lanka	ETA / Visa on arrival	30 days	Electronic Travel Authorization can also be obtained on arrival. 30 days extendable to 6 months.
Sudan	Visa required
Suriname	Visa not required	90 days	An entrance fee of 25 USD or 25 Euros must be paid online prior to arrival.
Sweden	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Switzerland	Visa not required	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period in the Schengen Area
Syria	Visa required
Tajikistan	eVisa	45 days	Fee US$50.
Tanzania	eVisa / Visa on arrival	3 months
Thailand	Visa on arrival	15 days	Visa on arrival from 14 April 2019.
Timor-Leste	Visa on arrival	30 days
Togo	eVisa	15 days
Tonga	Visa required
Trinidad and Tobago	Visa not required	90 days
Tunisia	Visa not required	90 days
Turkey	eVisa	30 days	Issued free of charge
Turkmenistan	Visa required
Tuvalu	Visa on arrival	1 month
Uganda	eVisa	3 months	May apply online. Fee US$50.
Ukraine	Visa required		e-Visa (30 days) is currently suspended.
United Arab Emirates	Visa not required	180 days
United Kingdom and Crown dependencies	Visa not required	6 months
United States	Visa required
Uruguay	Visa not required	3 months
Uzbekistan	Visa not required	30 days
Vanuatu	Visa not required	30 days
Vatican City	Visa not required
Venezuela	Visa not required	90 days
Vietnam	eVisa		eVisa is valid for 90 days and multiple entry.
Yemen	Visa required
Zambia	eVisa / Visa on arrival	90 days
Zimbabwe	eVisa / Visa on arrival	3 months	30 days for visits on business, 3 months for tourists

Dependent, disputed, or restricted territories

Unrecognized or partially recognized countries

Territory	Conditions of access	Notes
Abkhazia	Visa required
Kosovo	Visa not required	90 days
Northern Cyprus	Visa not required	up to 90 days
Palestine	Visa not required	Arrival by sea to Gaza Strip not allowed.
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic		Undefined visa regime in the Western Sahara controlled territory.
Somaliland	Visa on arrival	30 days for 30 US dollars, payable on arrival.
South Ossetia	Visa not required
Taiwan	Visa required
Transnistria	Visa not required	Registration required after 24 hours.

Dependent and autonomous territories

Territory		Conditions of access	Notes
China
Hong Kong		Visa not required	90 days
Macau		Visa not required	90 days
Denmark
Faroe Islands		Visa not required
Greenland		Visa not required
France
Clipperton Island		Special permit required
French Guiana		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
French Polynesia		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
Guadeloupe		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
Martinique		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
Saint Barthélemy		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
Saint Martin		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
Mayotte		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
New Caledonia		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
Réunion		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
Wallis and Futuna		Visa not required	Visa free for 3 months within any 6-month period for each territory.
Netherlands
Aruba		Visa not required	up to 90 days for each territory
Bonaire		Visa not required	up to 90 days for each territory
Sint Eustatius		Visa not required	up to 90 days for each territory
Saba		Visa not required	up to 90 days for each territory
Curaçao		Visa not required	up to 90 days for each territory
Sint Maarten		Visa not required	up to 90 days for each territory
New Zealand
Cook Islands		Visa not required	31 days
Niue		Visa not required	30 days
Tokelau		Permit required
Norway
Jan Mayen		Permit required	Permit issued by the local police required for staying for less than 24 hours and permit issued by the Norwegian police for staying for more than 24 hours.
Svalbard		Visa not required	Unlimited period under Svalbard Treaty but it's practically impossible to board a flight/ferry to Svalbard without entering Norway. Hence double entry Schengen visa would be required to go and come back from Svalbard to mainland Norway.
United Kingdom
Akrotiri and Dhekelia		Visa not required
Anguilla		Visa not required	3 months
Bermuda		Visa not required	up to 6 months, decided on arrival
British Indian Ocean Territory		Special permit required
British Virgin Islands		Visa not required	up to 6 months
Cayman Islands		Visa not required	6 months
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)		Visa not required	30 days
Gibraltar		Visa not required
Montserrat		Visa not required	6 months
Pitcairn Islands		Visa not required	14 days visa free and landing fee US$35 or tax of US$5 if not going ashore.
Saint Helena		eVisa
Ascension Island		eVisa	3 months within any year period
Tristan da Cunha		Permission required	Permission to land required for 15/30 pounds sterling (yacht/ship passenger) for Tristan da Cunha Island or 20 pounds sterling for Gough Island, Inaccessible Island or Nightingale Islands.
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands		Permit required	Pre-arrival permit from the Commissioner required (72 hours/1 month for 110/160 pounds sterling).
Turks and Caicos Islands		Visa not required	90 days
United States
American Samoa		Entry permit required
Guam		Visa required
Northern Mariana Islands		Visa required
Puerto Rico		Visa required
U.S. Virgin Islands		Visa required
Antarctica and adjacent islands
Special permits required for Bouvet Island, British Antarctic Territory, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Argentine Antarctica, Australian Antarctic Territory, Chilean Antarctic Territory, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Peter I Island, Queen Maud Land, Ross Dependency.

Other territories

• Australia. Ashmore and Cartier Islands – Special authorisation required.
• Belarus. Brest and Grodno – Visa-free for 10 days
• China. Hainan – Visa on arrival for 15 days. Available at Haikou Meilan International Airport and Sanya Phoenix International Airport. Visa not required for 21 days for traveling as part of a tourist group (2 or more people)
• China. Tibet Autonomous Region – Tibet Travel Permit required (10 US Dollars).
• Colombia. San Andrés and Leticia – Visitors arriving at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport and Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport must buy tourist cards on arrival.
• Ecuador. Galápagos – Online pre-registration is required. Transit Control Card must also be obtained at the airport prior to departure.
• Eritrea outside Asmara – To travel in the rest of the country, a Travel Permit for Foreigners is required (20 Eritrean nakfa).
• Fiji. Lau Province – Special permission required.
• Greece Mount Athos – Special permit required (4 days: 25 euro for Orthodox visitors, 35 euro for non-Orthodox visitors, 18 euro for students). There is a visitors' quota: maximum 100 Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox per day and women are not allowed.
• India. Protected Area Permit (PAP) required for whole states of Nagaland and Sikkim and parts of states Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh. Restricted Area Permit (RAP) required for all of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of Sikkim. Some of these requirements are occasionally lifted for a year.
• Iran. Kish Island – Visa not required.
• Kazakhstan. Closed cities – Special permission required for the town of Baikonur and surrounding areas in Kyzylorda Oblast, and the town of Gvardeyskiy near Almaty.
• North Korea outside Pyongyang – Special permit required. People are not allowed to leave the capital city, tourists can only leave the capital with a governmental tourist guide (no independent moving).
• Malaysia. Sabah and Sarawak – Visa not required. These states have their own immigration authorities and passport is required to travel to them, however the same visa applies.
• Maldives outside Malé – Permission required. Tourists are generally prohibited from visiting non-resort islands without the express permission of the Government of Maldives.
• Russia. Several closed cities and regions in Russia – Special authorization required.
• Saudi Arabia Mecca and Medina – Special access required. Non-Muslims and those following the Ahmadiyya religious movement are strictly prohibited from entry.
• Sudan. Darfur – Separate travel permit is required.
• Sudan outside Khartoum – All foreigners traveling more than 25 kilometers outside of Khartoum must obtain a travel permit.
• Tajikistan. Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province – OIVR permit required (15+5 Tajikistani Somoni) and another special permit (free of charge) is required for Lake Sarez.
• Turkmenistan. Closed cities – A special permit, issued prior to arrival by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is required if visiting the following places: Atamurat, Cheleken, Dashoguz, Serakhs and Serhetabat.
• United States. Closed city of Mercury, Nevada, United States – Special authorization is required for entry into Mercury.
• United States. United States Minor Outlying Islands – Special permits required for Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island.
• Venezuela. Margarita Island – Visa not required. All visitors are fingerprinted.
• Vietnam. Phú Quốc – Visa not required for 30 days.
• Yemen outside Sana'a or Aden – Special permission needed for travel outside Sana'a or Aden.
• UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus – Access Permit is required for travelling inside the zone, except Civil Use Areas.
• Korean Demilitarized Zone – Restricted area.
• UNDOF Zone and Ghajar – Restricted area.

APEC Business Travel Card

  Full members of the scheme

  Transitional members (United States, Canada)

Holders of an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) travelling on business do not require a visa to the following countries:

Australia1 Brunei1 Chile1 China2 Hong Kong2 Indonesia2 Japan1 South Korea1 Malaysia2

New Zealand1 Papua New Guinea2 Peru1 Philippines3 Russia1 Singapore2 Taiwan1 Thailand1 Vietnam2

_{1 – up to 90 days
2 – up to 60 days
3 – up to 59 days}

The card must be used in conjunction with a passport and has the following advantages:

• no need to apply for a visa or entry permit to APEC countries, as the card is treated as such (except by Canada and United States)
• undertake legitimate business in participating economies
• expedited border crossing in all member economies, including transitional members
• expedited scheduling of visa interview (United States)

Non-visa restrictions

Blank passport pages

Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages. Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.

Vaccination

Main articles: Vaccination requirements for international travel, International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, and Vaccine passports during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cover of the new International Certificate of Vaccination issued by the Bureau of Quarantine in the Philippines since 2021

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia, require all incoming passengers older than nine months to one year to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, as does the South American territory of French Guiana.

Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Passport validity length

Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.

However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).

Some countries, such as Japan, Ireland and the United Kingdom, require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.

In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain, Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.

Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand. Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.

Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.

Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives and South Africa.

Criminal record

Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States, routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record, while others impose restrictions depending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.

Persona non grata

The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning them from entering the country or expelling them if they have already entered. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.

Israeli stamps

Israeli border control Entry Permit (issued as a stand-alone document rather than a stamp affixed in a passport)

Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, and Yemen do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.

To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.

Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.

Biometrics

See also: Countries applying biometrics

Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than go landside.

Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan, Argentina, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Japan, Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken), Malaysia upon entry and departure, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by its own legislation), intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.

Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa. The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to greatly increase the biometric data it collects at US borders. In 2018, Singapore began trials of iris scanning at three land and maritime immigration checkpoints.

See also

• Visa policy of Mexico
• Mexican passport

References and Notes

References

Notes