Mexico and Central America Ride Planning and Road Wisdom

The short answer is yes - it was designed specifically for frequent land/sea travel to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Burmuda.

It is not designed to be used for air travel or for entering any other country than those listed and then only by land or sea.

I've used it for Mexico travel many times. Works like a charm. I've also ordered an online TVIP with it many times.

This was answered in my post

This was answered in my post

This was answered in my post

Technique only:

For moto travel to Mexico, bring both the passport and the passport card.

Use one or the other for the TVIP/tourist card, keep the other hidden on the bike as your "get out of jail free" token should you lose the primary.

Once you get to the Guatemala border, they'll want to see your passport book with an exit stamp from Mexico. You can ice your passport card once you get here, it's of no use Guatemala on down.

No stamp, no entry into Guatemala.

We were delayed at the border into Guatemala this past February when one of our viajeros couldn't produce the receipt for his tourist card.

No receipt for your tourist card, no Mexico exit stamp in your passport book.

No Mexico exit stamp in your passport book, no entrada into Guatemala.

He went back to the parking lot, swearing up a storm, looking for his tourist card receipt.

Meanwhile, a bus load of people looking to cross into Guatemala arrives, unloads, and lines up in front of the lone official with the precious stamp.

Our man eventually finds the receipt, and tries to go to the head of the line. No dice, the official is not having this. Head hung in despair, he gets in place the back of the now long line.

Actually, it wasn't any trouble at all. We were already on "island time" and really didn't care.

Besides, this was the guy who jumped into the back of the ambulance with another guy who crashed near the Copper Canyon, and stayed with him in the hospital until the day of his medevac.

For kings like that, we wait.

Actually, I feel quite the opposite. I feel the process is quite valid.

The tourist card isn't valid until its been paid for, and its possible to run around the country with one, without without having validated it by paying for it. Maybe here lies the rub, and in the understanding of it, we might back off being critical of the stance these officials take.

A perfect example of how this process plays out is at the crossing into Mexico at El Ceibo, near Tenosique, where the Banjercito is closed on Mondays (or at least still was earlier this year). You can wait until Tuesday, or just continue on and validate the tourist card by paying at another Banjercito location. Which is what I did.

So, theoretically, you could enter there and then run down here and try to get stamped out, without ever having paid. It's really not the border guy's job to figure out why somebody doesn't have their TC receipt. One thing is for sure - if he doesn't stamp you out without seeing that receipt, and you want to get into Guatemala, you will need that exit stamp, so they will get their money. Sure - it might be annoying to the traveler if he's already paid, but as we've seen, that's on the traveler if he loses the receipt. "Keep Your Receipt" - I see that in a lot of places. Parking garages come to mind.

As with our man Bob C, lack of understanding of a border process can mean some frustration - but it doesn't always have to point to corruption or to officials who are out to be a pain or who are on the take. Yes, I've read examples of that from Mexico to Ushuaia, but I don't feel it applies to this particular border process.

Yes, there are other accounts also of viajeros blitzing past the Texas border and riding downrange without tourist cards or TVIPs. In fact, although I've always had these documents, there have been occasions where I've ridden around Mexico without ever being asked to show either one.

We do note that at Mexico's northern border, U.S. CBP personnel do not ask to see a Mexico exit stamp.

My personal bottom line: since the paperwork process is so easy, I'm not ever tempted to roll the dice.