Crossing any border isn’t difficult or alarming. Our tips are designed to make it as simple as possible.
When your vehicle is approached by border officials, be sure you have removed your hat and sunglasses. This makes it easier to identify you. Hold out your passport and those of any passengers. Smile. Answer any questions honestly. Do not volunteer any information that isn’t asked for. Have any other paperwork, pet, vehicle, handy. Don’t offer them. If you do, you are just adding more pieces to the puzzle and if they want more things, they will ask for them. Follow their directions. If you don’t understand what they are saying, look puzzled and ask for clarification. They are accustomed to language issues.
Sound easy? It is! Remember:
Remove hats and sunglasses
Offer passports
Answer questions honestly
Don’t offer anything they don’t ask for
Smile and say thanks
What can I cross this border with? It changes, but the current information is readily available on line.
About those fruits and vegetables....
The reason restrictions are in place is for the protection of the resources in the areas you are entering be it the US, Mexico or even Argentina. In Mexico like the US, there are a number of state lines that have checkpoints looking for specific items, it could be meat, eggs, or specific fruits or vegetables. If they take your avocados, it’s because the area you are leaving has a pathogen that could wipe out the avocados in the area you are entering. This is true of raw eggs into the US, pork into Campeche, lots of items.
Please don’t smuggle items! Would you want to be responsible for the new outbreak of Mediterranean fruit flies or even Newcastle disease? Don’t think so, and especially not for just the price of a bag of oranges.
