More red tape to get through Mexican border
Thousands make the trip across the border into Mexico. But over the weekend many Belizeans were surprised by a new process that caused hours of delays and long lines. The new requirement comes at the behest of the Mexican government for visitors to that country and the new regulation is being implemented at all Mexican ports of entry. Visitors will now have to fill a form, which is available in English and Spanish that can be obtained from the Mexican immigration office at the border and present passport and photographs to be allowed entry. The rule applies to everyone if you do not hold a border visitor’s card, a document which Mexican authorities now urge people to apply for and which can be obtained only at the Mexican immigration office at the border. The card allows traveling within Quintana Roo, including Chetumal, Playa del Carmen and Cancun for up to three consecutive days. The new system, according to Mexican authorities, will provide more security and will give better transparency to immigration procedures. Anyone wishing to know more about the new form and process can visit the Mexican immigration authority’s web site at: www.inami.gob.mx or the embassy’s web page at www.sre.gob.mx/belice. The Embassy of Mexico can also be reached at 223-0193 or 223-0194.
Correct me here if I am wrong. But there was another article some time back last year, how there was a law passed in Mexico allowing Belizeans to travel throughout Mexico without a visa and not limiting them only to Chetumal?
So let’s say I wanted to catch a bus from Chetumal to Ciudad Juarez. This would take more than three days to do and according to the report channel 5 did last year where they interviewed the ambassador to Belize I think it was, he stated Belizeans only need a passport to travel throughout Mexico.
A passport should suffice a visit for more than one day to Chetumal alone. I am not saying the Goverment of Mexico does not have the right to change their laws. But this is too early for a change to happen like this. If I am wrong, then I am wrong.
v/r
Dave
Dave..a press release dated July 01, 2009 addresses what you said. As of that date no visa is required for Belizeans travelling in Mexico. This new rule being implemented is very confusing and creating havoc especially for those who have medical appointments or connections to catch. More resources (people) should be put at the border to make the process go quicker cause its taking over an hour just on the mexican side. If Mexico changed the rules they should have expected long lines and prepared for this. After all, we are travelling to Mexico to spend our hard earned Belizean dollars. The Link to that press release is below
Link: http://portal.sre.gob.mx/belice_eng/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=68
I think everyone is just making a big deal out of nothing. Many people knew that as of 1 May if you dont have a Mexican card you will have to fill out the form. I am amaze … made a big deal of this and when the US embassy increase their fees for US visa no one says nothing. So why cant the Mexican do what they want its their country. The bottom line is the Mexican wants the Belizeans to get the card that speeds up the process at the immigration and its FREEEEEEEEEE people.
Just another example of Belizeans being taken for fools, after all the money we have spent developing Chetumal, we still get to wait at the end of the line…like stray dogs waiting to be fed. Look at their infrastructure built with Belizean money, all their thriving businesses… yet we have to wait in line for hours to get processed in Mexico. Mexicans get priority leaving our freezone (in which we are not allowed!!! ) so just to get out of Belize we must wait in line. I say we spend our dollars at home, boycott Mexico altogether. See how much they will change to cater to our business once they lose it!
Good idea Christian Soldier! We need to learn to support our own economy! Just the other day Belizeans were saying let’s suopport Mexico when they were fussing over the 50 cents increase for parking at the PGIA.
Christian no one forces you to go spend your money over there! the mexicans don’tbeg you to shopping in their country! you go on your own free will! it is a hassle to get this card but what can you do? just deal with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I totally agree, lets boycott passing to chetumal 1 weekend, and I bet they look into a change,
it is riduculous to wait for so long. But as usual, we Belizeans are to laid back and dont sacrifice where we should.
Besides the fact that Mexico is the biggest hypocrite on immigration, I agree that we should boycott shopping in chetumal for a weekend. If they want our money they must treat us as customers. That is not too much to ask. As it is shopping in Chetumal is not as cheap as it is made out to be, if you really add the cost to get there, the cost to buy food, pay customs etc. If our greedy merchants would lower their prices they could compete for these dollars. Chetumal shopping would be more of a luxury, an outing, than the norm.
Last December I travelled to Cancun Mexico and I did not need a visa, I then went to Belize from Cancun, and on my way back to Cancun I only had to fill out a form at the border, it was not a big deal at all, that alone made our trip worth the while.
Belizeans, don’t expect to go to other people country without having to at least full out a simple form stating who you are, you are all just being silly about this whole thing, really.
The government is not saying that Belizeans are not welcome there.
and standing in line can’t be that darn annoying.
Christian Soldier, as far I am concerned the people of Belize go across the border to take advantage of the cheap crop selling in Chet because the price in Belize is too darn expensive. It is your money; spend it where you want to.
While this does not bother me too much, I do have to agree with BelizeMan. Doesn’t Mexico have a problem with people trying to GET OUT of their country, rather than in?
If you think the development over there is because we spend our li dallas over there on the weekend something really wrong wid you!!! Their roads alone are worth more than Belize entire GDP! their development is dues to the 100+ million productive tax payers in that country. Wake up!
I personally experienced the fiasco in Chetumal on Saturday. The first problem we encountered was a slow moving line of vehicles to get to the immigration post; It then came the biggest challenge of the day. At the immigration post, there were two lines, one for those who refused to pay the merdida and the other was for those who were willing to put $5.00 inside their past ports to save the long delays. I was with my family of 8, so we paid $40.00 and in fifteen minutes we were out of the line. My other Belizean brothers and sisters took some 3 hours to pass.
After the hazel at the border, and shortly after the bus arrived at the new market in Chetumal, a taxi ran into the side of the bus and forced a traffic jam. It saddened my heart to see the advantage that was taken of my Belizean brother. All the money that was paid to the bus for the trip was swiped away by Mexican extortionist.
I was lucky this time around. A few years ago I had to pay $ 500.00 to the police to avoid being taken to jail and to leave Chetumal without my vehicle after a very old and dilapidated pickup ran into the back of my new vehicle.
I have no problem with the card that the Mex Authorities want us to fill out. Every country in the world must know who is entering and who is leaving their country. The problem is with our Belizean Authorities who moved the entry point to our country about a mile away from the border to accomodate the Free Zone. Ladies and Gentleman the Free Zone is in Belize not in Mexico. Mexican come and go as they please. We do not know who is entering and who is leaving the Zone. Remember what happened about three years ago when we had that shootout at the Casino? That would never have happened if the border Entry Point was placed where it belonged. Another point, if we had our Border Entry Point where it should be i.e. At the foot of the
friendship Bridge, Belize would be in a better position to reciprocate. Then we will what the Mex Authorities do. In the first they would not have thought of this period. So let’s be realistic our authorities are the ones who have failed us.
I go t chetumal regularly so i decided that i will get a tourist visa that will allow me to enter Mexico for Ten years without that hossling and i can go all the way to Tijuanna without any problem. Think my people or if so just boycott Chetumal do you all see the look of Chetumal City, we Belizean made it like that for the past 10 years. why not spend that in Belize and make our country looks as pretty as them.
I think my Belizean should stay in our country, and spend our money home to build our country, we need some lots of revenue desperatelly at this time we all need to move into the future by all means we should have looked as chetumal is looking long time ago but we don’t have any real leader here. we need real man and woman who are pariotic for their country and not for the love money, Belize the potential here we got oil and lots of other natural wealth untold, but we got to blam the government for this cause they what all we got but they refuse to mention hence the reason they fight to become ministers of government to reap the sweets from this country.
According to a recent decree, a new advantage for foreigners going to Mexico, is that if they have a United States visa, or are permanently or temporarily residing over there, do not need a Mexican visa, thus they just need to fill out the statistic new immigration form at any port of entry.
I keep seeing news article posted along with comments but, the MAIN PEOPLE who need to comment are the POLITICIANS. They don’t read or listen to what the people who elected them WANT & NEED. This is why we NEED AN INDEPENDENT PARTY TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE, not all these LOSERS who want POWER AND MONEY. Foreigners come into Belize and make money, Belizeans go out of Belize to buy goods, HOW ARE WE GOING TO SELF SUFFICIENT, since the money is taken out and nothing put in,
Belizeans are being treated like stray dogs across the Mexican side, yet they are still insisting through a hard time to get across the border. Wake up Belizeans and stay in your beautiful country. Why go across? to get your as kick by those senseless mexicans? Anything you do there its Belizean fault, no matter what. They are all hungry dogs for “Mordidas” Yeah thats what they are famously known to be. Avoid all of this and stay in your country after all its the same amount you will spend here, after taking into account your bus fees,fuel, taxi, food, snacks, your precious time to get across, and the MORDIDAS if don’t walk on a straight line overthere!! So think twice, think wise!!
I like all the comments!! You now have an idea of what foreigners (other than blond Americans and Europeans) have to endure in Belize. It is exactly and even worse of all of you are saying about Mexico.
It’s true we should not go to chet unless its an emergency lets spend our dollars here. Plus all the goods Mexico has it can be found here in Belize for a few cents more. So why pass threw humiliation like if we are terrorist while all we go do da Mexico is spend our money our hard working money. Mexicans feel we most travel to there country so they put all sorts of laws like if from Belize there are well known terrorists its not fair my people only go to Chetumal if you have an emergency lets unite as Belizeans and spend our hard working money here in our own country thanks.
Wake up Belizeans, why allow yourselves to be disrispected in Mexico. Do you realize that we spend over $100,000,000.00 per year in Chetumal? Our money has help to develop Chetumal that was a dust town not too many years ago when we use to go to Chetumal by ferry and paid 50cts per car to cross over. Economic deplomacy is one of the weapons that countries use against each other when they want to drive hoime a certain point. This is not secret as we hear on the new about economic sanction going back to the days of South Africa, and these days against Mr.Robert Mogabi, North Korea,and now Iran, to name a few countries that economic pressure is been use against to cet their attention.
Stop going to Chetumal for a month and see what will be the economic effect on that city economy. Another thing about this Belize Chetumal fiasco, they take our belize currency and get settlement in USD, which is a direct drain on our foreign reserve. Why are`we not taking Peso in Belize, not just in the free zone, and do settlement in USD also? Why have wealthy Belizeans not try to set up shops in Chetumal and service Belizeans. Seem like we should have a hotel or two in Chetumal and catch the Belize dollars in Chetumal, this is known as reverse commerce. We are like the black consumers in the United States that are always spending their money outside of their communities, while other ethnic groups compete to bring spending in their community and do their best to provide the goods and services within their community, thus keeping as much as possible of the money that come into their communities.
Further, our government should find a way to work out some reasonable solution with the merchants in Belize that will cause them to compete with prices in Chetumal that will slow down the contraband and wasting lots of man hours with little result. No need to hastle the Mexicans about respecting us, in the real world economic power will gain lots of respect.