Country guide

Flying private to Mexico: permits, paperwork and handling

Mexico requires foreign private and business aircraft to obtain authorization from AFAC (Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil) before landing or overflying. This guide covers what you need, how far in advance to ask, and which airports accept international arrivals, using live data from the i-Handler airport directory, sourced from the country AIP.

Authority: AFAC (Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil) · Reviewed: 2026-09-27

Permits: who issues them and when to apply

Landing and overflight permits for foreign civil aircraft are handled by AFAC (Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil). For private flights, the key document is the multi-entry authorization obtained at your first airport of entry; start the paperwork days ahead, and earlier for charter.

Reference the approved permit in your ICAO flight plan (item 18) and file the plan only once the permit is confirmed. Private non-revenue and charter (revenue) flights follow different tracks; charter requires additional commercial documentation, so start earlier.

Private foreign aircraft operate under a Multiple Entry Authorization (Autorizacion de Internacion Multiple), issued at the first airport of entry and valid for the calendar year for that aircraft.

Mexico requires APIS: electronic advance passenger information submitted before arrival and departure. Fines for missing APIS are significant. The i-Handler App produces the passenger data in the format Mexico expects.

Insurance must be valid in Mexico; most operators carry a policy issued or endorsed by a Mexican-authorized insurer. Mexico City (MMMX) requires slots; Toluca (MMTO) is the usual general aviation alternative for the capital.

Documents you will be asked for

Aircraft: certificate of airworthiness, certificate of registration, international insurance certificate with coverage valid for Mexico, and noise certificate.

Crew: pilot licenses and current medical certificates.

Passengers: passports (6 months validity is the safe standard) and a General Declaration (GENDEC) for arrival.

The i-Handler App generates the GENDEC, passenger manifests and the ICAO flight plan from your trip data, so the paperwork above is produced in minutes instead of retyped per flight.

Airports of entry

Plan your first landing at an airport of entry. Other fields may show customs in the AIP data, but use them as onward stops after clearing in, unless the authority authorizes otherwise. The live table below marks entry, customs, mandatory handling, slots and fuel per airport.

Mexico airports at a glance (live from the i-Handler directory)

Airport	Entry	Customs	Handling	Slots	Fuel	Providers
MMAAGen Juan Alvarez International	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	7
MMANMonterrey/Del Norte International	Yes	Yes	Mandatory	No	AVGAS JET	17
MMASAguascalientes/Jesus Teran Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	6
MMBTBahias De Huatulco	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	5
MMCBCuernavaca/Gen Mariano Matamoros	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMCCCiudad Acuna International	Yes	Yes	No	No	NO FUEL	0
MMCECiudad Del Carmen	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	6
MMCLCuliacan	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	6
MMCMChetumal Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	4
MMCNCiudad Obregon International	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	2
MMCPCampeche/Ignacio Acuna Ongay Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	2
MMCSCiudad Juarez/Abraham Gonzalez Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	4
MMCTNuevo Chichen Itza	Yes	Yes	No	No	JET	1
MMCUChihuahua/Gen R Fierro Villalobos	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	7
MMCVGeneral Pedro J Mendez/Ciudad Victoria Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	2
MMCYCelaya	No	No	No	No	NO FUEL	0
MMCZCozumel Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	10
MMDODurango	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMEPTepic	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMESEnsenada/Gen Alberto Salinas	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMGLGuadalajara/Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	12
MMGMGuaymas/Gen Jose Maria Yanez International	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	2
MMHCTehuacan	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMHOHermosillo/Gen Ignacio P Garcia	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	5
MMIAColima	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMIOSaltillo/Plan de Guadalupe Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	7
MMJAJalapa/Lencero	No	No	No	No	NO FUEL	0
MMJCAtizapan De Zaragoza	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMLCLazaro Cardenas	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMLMLos Mochis/Valle Del Fuerte	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMLOLeon/Bajio/Guanajuato International	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	7
MMLPLa Paz/Gen Manuel Marquez de Leon	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	4
MMLTLoreto	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	5
MMMAMatamoros/Gen Servando Canales	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMMDMerida/Lic Manuel Rejon International	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	5
MMMLGen Rodolfo Sanchez Taboada/Mexicali International	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMMMMorelia/Gen Francisco Mujica	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	5
MMMTMinatitlan	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMMVMonclova/Venustiano Carranza	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMMXMexico City/Lic Benito Juarez International	Yes	Yes	Mandatory	Yes	AVGAS JET	8
MMMYMonterrey/Gen Mariano Escobedo	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	9
MMMZMazatlan/Gen Rafael Buelna	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	7
MMNGNogales International	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMNLNuevo Laredo/Quetzalcoatl Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	4
MMOXOaxaca/Xoxocotlan Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	4
MMPAPoza Rica/Tajin	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	2
MMPBPuebla/Hermanos Serdan Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMPCIngen Juan Villasana	No	No	No	No	NO FUEL	0
MMPEPuerto Penasco/Mar de Cortes Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMPGPiedras Negras Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMPNUruapan/Lic Y Gen Ignacio Lopez Rayon	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMPQPalenque	No	Yes	No	No	JET	0
MMPRPuerto Vallarta/Lic Gustavo Diaz Ordaz	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	1
MMPSPuerto Escondido	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	4
MMQTQueretaro Intercontinental	Yes	Yes	Mandatory	Yes	AVGAS JET	8
MMRXReynosa/Gen Lucio Blanco Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	4
MMSDSan Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	12
MMSFSan Felipe	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMSLCabo San Lucas International	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	7
MMSPSan Luis Potosi/Ponciano Arriaga Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	4
MMTBTeran/Gen Div P A Angel H Corzo Molina	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMTCFrancisco Sarabia International/Torreon	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	7
MMTGTuxtla Gutierrez/Angel Albino Corzo	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMTJTijuana/Gen Abelardo L Rodriguez	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	6
MMTMTampico/Gen Francisco Javier Mina	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	5
MMTNVilla Tamuin/Tamuin	No	No	No	No	AVGAS JET	0
MMTOToluca International Adolfo Lopez Mateos	Yes	Yes	Mandatory	No	AVGAS JET	15
MMTPTapachula Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	5
MMUNCancun International	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	13
MMVAVillahermosa/C.P.A. Carlos Rovirosa Perez Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	5
MMVRVeracruz/Gen Heriberto Jara Corona Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	6
MMZCZacatecas/Gen Leobardo C Ruiz	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	3
MMZHIxtapa-Zihuatanejo Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	8
MMZMZamora	No	No	No	No	NO FUEL	0
MMZOManzanillo/Playa De Oro Intl	Yes	Yes	No	No	AVGAS JET	8

Live data from the i-Handler directory; each ICAO links to the airport page with contacts, frequencies and live METAR/TAF.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a landing permit for a private flight to Mexico?

Yes. Foreign private and business aircraft need authorization from AFAC (Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil). For private flights, the key document is the multi-entry authorization obtained at your first airport of entry; start the paperwork days ahead, and earlier for charter. The permit goes in item 18 of your ICAO flight plan.

Which airports in Mexico accept international arrivals?

Mexico has one of the largest networks of airports of entry in Latin America (60+), including Cancun (MMUN), Mexico City (MMMX), Toluca (MMTO), Monterrey (MMMY), Guadalajara (MMGL) and Los Cabos (MMSD). The table on this page shows entry, customs and handling status per airport, live from the i-Handler directory.

How do I find a handler or FBO in Mexico?

The i-Handler airport directory lists ground handlers and FBOs per airport with phone numbers, and pilots contact them by chat through the free i-Handler App.

What paperwork does a flight to Mexico require?

Aircraft certificates, insurance, crew licenses, passports and a General Declaration. The i-Handler App generates the GENDEC, manifests and ICAO flight plan automatically from your trip.

What is the Mexican Multiple Entry Authorization?

A permit for private foreign aircraft issued at your first Mexican airport of entry, valid for that aircraft for the calendar year, allowing multiple entries without a new permit each trip. Bring the aircraft and insurance documents; fees apply.

Is APIS mandatory for private flights to Mexico?

Yes. Advance passenger information must be transmitted electronically before arrival and departure, and fines for non-compliance are significant. The i-Handler App generates the required passenger data from your trip.

Do the paperwork once, not per flight

The free i-Handler App organizes the trip, generates the GENDEC, manifests and ICAO flight plan, and connects you by chat with the handlers and FBOs listed at your destination. Create your pilot account at i-handler.app.

Create your free pilot account

Last reviewed 2026-09-27 against operational sources. Requirements change: always confirm current rules with AFAC (Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil) or your handler before the flight. This page is operational guidance, not legal advice.