Mexico: Harbours, bridges and formalities for sailors

133 harbours

Mexico: 133 harbours, clearing in, papers and fees. Plan your trip with weather, tides and route.

Formalities

outside the EU customs unionCurrency: Mexican peso

Clearing in: Independent state, outside the EU and Schengen. On the Caribbean coast clear in at Isla Mujeres, Puerto Juárez (Cancún), Puerto Morelos, Cozumel or Puerto Aventuras, on the Pacific coast and in the Gulf of California at Ensenada, Puerto Peñasco, Santa Rosalía, La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, San Blas, Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Huatulco, Salina Cruz or Puerto Chiapas: port captain (Capitanía de Puerto) of the first port, immigration with the FMM tourist card for every person, health, agriculture and customs. After that, report every arrival and departure to the Capitanía or the marina (Aviso de arribo and de salida); a Despacho is only needed for a passage abroad. The yacht needs the Temporary Import Permit (TIP) from Banjercito, valid for ten years, with counters also in Guaymas, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas. Since early 2026 the ports on the Caribbean coast require an agent, according to sailors; on the Pacific coast it is not compulsory. On the Gulf of Mexico a yacht usually clears in at Progreso (Yucalpetén); Ciudad del Carmen, Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Tuxpan and Tampico also have a Capitanía and customs. Notify the Capitanía of the arrival within the 24 hours before (form SEMAR-05-017-E). Boats arriving from the USA, where nobody clears out, hand in a statement in Spanish instead of the zarpe, giving the port of departure and the reason.

Ausreise: Clear out before departure and get the zarpe: without it the next state will not clear you in.

Documents: Passport valid for six months; Germans visa-free for up to 180 days, immigration sets the length of stay. Boat papers, crew list, insurance, zarpe from the last country; for the TIP proof of ownership (for financed boats a power of attorney from the bank).

Fees: On the Caribbean coast, according to sailors, since 2026 with an agent about 7,000 MXN for clearing in and 5,000 MXN for clearing out, plus 983 MXN per person for immigration. The TIP costs 51 USD plus VAT at the counter. On the Pacific without an agent only immigration, the TIP and the marinas' berthing fees. Protected areas in the Gulf of California (Espíritu Santo, Cabo Pulmo, Balandra, the islands in the Gulf, Bahía de Loreto): the Pasaporte de la Conservación for 3,760 MXN a year or a wristband per day and area; entry fees for the Caribbean marine parks per person and day.

Fairway: Buoyage follows IALA system B: red to starboard when entering from seaward, the reverse of Europe. The Mesoamerican Reef lies off the coast of Quintana Roo: approach the harbours only through the reef passes, by day and in good visibility. Between Cozumel and the mainland the Yucatán Current sets north at 2 to 4 kn; shallow banks off Holbox and Cabo Catoche. On the Pacific, in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, the Tehuantepecer, an offshore gale from the north: on average twelve events of force 8 to 9 and six of force 10 or more per winter, most of them from November to March. Cross only with a weather window, close inshore, with one foot on the beach; wait in Huatulco or Puerto Chiapas. Off Baja California northbound against the northwesterly ('Baja Bash'), in the Gulf in winter the norte up to 30 kn. Cross the bars off San Blas and the lagoons only at high water and in calm seas. In the Bay of Campeche off Ciudad del Carmen and Dos Bocas stand hundreds of oil platforms: a 500 m safety zone around each platform and 5.5 km around the export buoys, anchoring only from 2.5 km away, keep out of the IMO areas to be avoided (Cayo Arcas, Golfo de Campeche); in the Sonda de Campeche report to the SEMAR traffic centre, keep watch on VHF channel 16, AIS is compulsory. The coast of Tabasco and Campeche is shallow far out, and the entrances of the harbours in Yucatán silt up.

Nature: Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel and Costa Occidental de Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancún y Punta Nizuc: fee, moor only to buoys or anchor in sand, never on coral. Sian Ka'an and Banco Chinchorro biosphere reserves: anchor only at the permitted spots, no fishing. In the Gulf of California the national parks Bahía de Loreto, Archipiélago de Espíritu Santo and Cabo Pulmo: only on buoys or in sand, fishing restricted, wristband or Pasaporte de la Conservación. Islas Marietas off Puerto Vallarta: landing only with a permit. Revillagigedo: national park far offshore, no fishing, only with a permit.

Tropical storm season: On the Caribbean coast 1 June to 30 November, peak August to October; Quintana Roo lies in the storm track (Wilma 2005, Beryl 2024). Shelters according to sailors: the Laguna Makax on Isla Mujeres and the marina of Puerto Aventuras. On the Pacific 15 May to 30 November, peak August to October, the coast from Acapulco to Cabo San Lucas lies in the storm track (Otis 2023 in Acapulco, Odile 2014 in Los Cabos); shelter according to sailors in Puerto Escondido (Baja California Sur), on land in San Carlos (Guaymas) and in Puerto Chiapas, and many yachts leave the coast south of the Gulf of California during the season. Insurers usually restrict cover: check your policy. On the Gulf of Mexico the Atlantic season applies (Karl 2010 and Grace 2021 near Veracruz); from September to May come the nortes, about 50 cold fronts per winter with northerly gales, when the Capitanías close the ports to small craft.

Emergency: 911; Navy (SEMAR) sea rescue 800 627 4621; Navy on VHF channel 16.

Sources: Noonsite: Mexico, Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM), Auswärtiges Amt: Mexico, travel and safety advice, Marina de La Paz: Visiting Mexico by Private Boat (2024), Reglamento de la Ley de Navegación y Comercio Marítimos, Art. 470, Ley de Navegación y Comercio Marítimos, Art. 50, SEMAR: arrival from abroad (SEMAR-05-017-E), DOF 11.10.2016: safety zones around the oil platforms, DOF 29.04.2014: IMO areas to be avoided in the Bay of Campeche, SAT: Importación temporal de embarcaciones, NHC: Gap winds in the Gulf of Tehuantepec (as of 2026-10-20)

Local winds

Tehuantepecer: northerly gap wind through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, October to April; often rises from calm to gale force within hours under a clear sky, strongest off Salina Cruz and far out to sea, with a short, steep sea; sailors cross the gulf close inshore, where the wind has no fetch
Coromuel: south-westerly that blows in the evening and at night from the Pacific across the isthmus into the Bahía de La Paz, May to September; often sets in after a calm day and cools the night, anchorages open to the south-west become uncomfortable
Norte (Gulf of California): northerly in the Gulf of California from November to April, often for several days at 20 to 30 kn; builds a short, steep sea along the length of the gulf, shelter in bays protected to the north

Harbours by cruising area

Mexico: Baja California, Pacific coast (Ensenada, Bahía Tortugas, Bahía Magdalena)

Mexico: Campeche (Ciudad del Carmen, Champotón, Campeche)

Mexico: Costa Maya (Bahía del Espíritu Santo, Xcalak, Chetumal)

Mexico: Costalegre and Manzanillo (Chamela, Barra de Navidad)

Mexico: Cozumel

Mexico: Isla Mujeres, Cancún and Holbox

Mexico: Los Cabos (Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo)

Mexico: Michoacán and Guerrero (Lázaro Cárdenas, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco)

Mexico: northern Gulf of California (Mulegé, Santa Rosalía, Bahía de los Ángeles, San Felipe)

Mexico: Oaxaca and Chiapas (Puerto Escondido, Huatulco, Salina Cruz, Puerto Chiapas)

Mexico: Riviera Maya (Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras)

Mexico: Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta (San Blas, La Cruz, Nuevo Vallarta)

Mexico: Sinaloa (Topolobampo, Altata, Mazatlán)

Mexico: Sonora (San Carlos, Guaymas, Bahía Kino, Puerto Peñasco)

Mexico: southern Gulf of California (La Paz, Espíritu Santo, Loreto, Puerto Escondido)

Mexico: Tabasco (Sánchez Magallanes, Frontera)

Mexico: Tamaulipas (Tampico, Ciudad Madero)

Mexico: Veracruz (Tuxpan, Veracruz, Alvarado, Coatzacoalcos)

Mexico: Yucatán (Celestún, Sisal, Progreso, Telchac, Río Lagartos, El Cuyo)

Frequently asked questions

Mexico: Do I need to clear in?

Independent state, outside the EU and Schengen. On the Caribbean coast clear in at Isla Mujeres, Puerto Juárez (Cancún), Puerto Morelos, Cozumel or Puerto Aventuras, on the Pacific coast and in the Gulf of California at Ensenada, Puerto Peñasco, Santa Rosalía, La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, San Blas, Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Huatulco, Salina Cruz or Puerto Chiapas: port captain (Capitanía de Puerto) of the first port, immigration with the FMM tourist card for every person, health, agriculture and customs. After that, report every arrival and departure to the Capitanía or the marina (Aviso de arribo and de salida); a Despacho is only needed for a passage abroad. The yacht needs the Temporary Import Permit (TIP) from Banjercito, valid for ten years, with counters also in Guaymas, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas. Since early 2026 the ports on the Caribbean coast require an agent, according to sailors; on the Pacific coast it is not compulsory. On the Gulf of Mexico a yacht usually clears in at Progreso (Yucalpetén); Ciudad del Carmen, Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Tuxpan and Tampico also have a Capitanía and customs. Notify the Capitanía of the arrival within the 24 hours before (form SEMAR-05-017-E). Boats arriving from the USA, where nobody clears out, hand in a statement in Spanish instead of the zarpe, giving the port of departure and the reason.

Mexico: Which documents do I need on board?

Passport valid for six months; Germans visa-free for up to 180 days, immigration sets the length of stay. Boat papers, crew list, insurance, zarpe from the last country; for the TIP proof of ownership (for financed boats a power of attorney from the bank).

Mexico: What fees apply?

On the Caribbean coast, according to sailors, since 2026 with an agent about 7,000 MXN for clearing in and 5,000 MXN for clearing out, plus 983 MXN per person for immigration. The TIP costs 51 USD plus VAT at the counter. On the Pacific without an agent only immigration, the TIP and the marinas' berthing fees. Protected areas in the Gulf of California (Espíritu Santo, Cabo Pulmo, Balandra, the islands in the Gulf, Bahía de Loreto): the Pasaporte de la Conservación for 3,760 MXN a year or a wristband per day and area; entry fees for the Caribbean marine parks per person and day.

Mexico: What is the emergency number at sea?

911; Navy (SEMAR) sea rescue 800 627 4621; Navy on VHF channel 16.

Mexico: Which local winds blow there?

Tehuantepecer, Coromuel, Norte (Gulf of California).

Mexico: How many harbours does Sailseer cover?

Sailseer covers 133 harbours with harbour info, weather and route planning.