Travel is more complicated during the pandemic, and if you’re planning a Cancun, Mexico vacation, you should know about 5 important steps that you need to take before you leave.
Regardless of whether you’re vaccinated or not, these are the latest procedures, and you’ll need to follow these 5 steps in order to leave Cancun and return to the United States. Most of the steps are related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but one of them is about a brand-new departure tax that international visitors must pay when flying out of anywhere in the state of Quintana Roo (where Cancun is located).
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This travel video is about my personal experience while flying JetBlue from Cancun to New York City. One thing is for sure: you should plan on the airport departure experience taking longer than usual, at least for now.
- Get a COVID-19 Test. Even if you’ve been vaccinated, you can’t board a flight to the United States unless you present negative results from a test taken within 72 hours before departure from Mexico (or any country that you happen to be visiting).
In my case, I paid $19 to take a COVID-19 test onsite at the beautiful Grand at Moon Palace Cancun resort. It was easy to make an appointment and results were provided within about 30 minutes. Some hotels may provide onsite tests for free, while some may require that you find out outside place to take a test (which is also the case if you stay in an Airbnb or other short-term rental). It’s a good idea to check with your hotel or accommodations before your trip, so you’ll know the process for arranging a test.
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2. Pay the new Quintana Roo departure tax. In April 2021, the state of Quintana Roo introduced a new travel fee, which amounts to approximately $10-$11 depending on the exchange rate. The new departure tax must be paid upon booking, upon arrival or upon departure, via a website called Visitax. The tax is supposedly used to fund tourism development around the state (it’s only in this state, not in other parts of Mexico).
What to watch for: One fellow traveler told me that the departure tax was included in the cost of his airline ticket, but tourism officials told me that I had to go online and pay the fee — yet when I got to the airport, no one asked me for prove of payment. It’s a good idea to verify at the time of booking if departure tax is included in your airfare.
3. Wait on line at the airport to present your negative COVID-19 test to an airline rep. You won’t be able to obtain a boarding pass online, and you won’t be able to use a kiosk, either. You must wait in line to see a human at the ticket counter, because they need to review and verify your negative COVID-19 test results. I had to wait in line nearly an hour to reach the JetBlue counter in Terminal 4 at Cancun International Airport.
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4. Fill out a health testimonial form. In addition to showing my test results at the airline ticket counter, I had to fill out a separate form attesting to my health status and hand it right back to the ticket agent. and that wasn’t the end of the process …
5. Scan a QR code and complete an online COVID-19 status form. Yes, there’s yet another form that you must complete. The QR code is displayed in the ticketing area and in the area just before the security checkpoint, and you need to scan it and complete to show to a security officer at the next checkpoint (I assume there are hard copies available for people who don’t have a smartphone, but it appears you’d need to ask for it).
I waited for about 20 minutes in the security line, which is longer than I’ve waited in the past, so it appears that the additional health measures have extended the wait time there, too. Even though I’d arrived just over two hours before my departure, by the time I got past security I barely had time to use a restroom and buy food before boarding (and I had to take my food on the plane).
Bottom line: Plan on getting to Cancun airport early if you’re traveling during the pandemic, and arrange your test as soon as you can so you’ll be ready with test results.
Please feel free to share your questions and comments! Follow my travels on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/mundera/