Mexican officials crack down on transit visa abuses
For many years now, the practice of Belizeans traveling by road through Mexico from the United States has been a common exercise. And during the roughly twenty years, that this has been going on, the relationship between Belize and Mexico has remained friendly and cordial. But even among good friends, when certain privileges are violated there comes a time when the line has to be drawn. And for Mexican customs officials, that time came last month. A Belize Government press release Tuesday advised those traveling through Mexico that effective February, a New Customs Regulation was implemented. That regulation, according to the Government release, restricts travelers transiting Mexico to have in their possession only three each of a category of home appliances, including electronic apparatus. But when News Five contacted the Mexican Embassy in Belize City to get an explanation of this new stipulation, we were told that there is no new regulation being implemented. In fact, Ambassador Enrique Hubbard says, what is happening now is simply the enforcement of an old law governing transit visas. Hubbard says the clamp down is intended to stomp out the abuse of the service by enterprising individuals and certain business establishments.
Enrique Hubbard, Mexico’s Ambassador to Belize
“Belizeans have been bringing automobiles for instance with a transit visa through Mexico. Now during those years, it happened more and more that along with the vehicle, that they were bringing here, perhaps to sell it here, they were bringing some items in the vehicle, usually it was electrical appliances, gas appliances, household appliances. We understood that this was for personal use, not that it is a commercial operation because the transit visa is not for that. You are supposed to go through Mexico and take with you whatever personal belongings you want to. But only if it is your items and you are going to use them yourself. Lately we have been seeing that many of this transit visas were being used to transport commercial shipments, in other words, people would say, I have a van and I have some items with me. When you check the van you will find out that it was all commercial, it was something that was brought in to be sold.”
According to Hubbard strict enforcement of the Customs Regulation is starting out moderately, and that even the temporary limit of appliances being allowed through is not carved in stone. Hubbard says that a case by case interpretation of the regulation will be applied by Mexican customs officials.
Enrique Hubbard
“Saying for instance if you’re bringing your own items, well normally you would bring a couple of TV sets but not ten or twenty. So that means that they put two to three as a maximum, normal household items, but of course if somebody for any other reason is moving back to Belize for any reason, repatriating from the U.S., that’s a different situation, you can prove that you’re bringing more items because they are for your personal use.”
Hubbard says that he does not foresee the enforcement of the Customs Regulation inconveniencing Belizeans that much. Ninety percent of those transiting Mexico the diplomat says, fully comply with the stipulations of their visa and that customs officials already have a pretty good idea of who the abusers are.
