There’s a limit to what you can bring.
According to a report by public safety organization UL Standards and Engagement, an average American flies with four gadgets, with smartphones being the most popular electronics on board. Unbeknownst to travelers, Cancun airport in Mexico is penalizing travelers for hoarding electronic devices.
Recently, a traveler from the U.S. was asked to pay $200 on her iPad because she also had a laptop with her. According to her, the value of the old device was overestimated. She even sent a letter of complaint to Mexican customs and was told that inspections happen at random, USA Today reported.
Mexican customs allow just one “portable computer equipment known as laptop, notebook, omnibook or similar” per passenger. If you travel with more than one device, you can face taxes of up to 19% of the deemed value up to $4,000. And if you don’t pay the fine, you have to say goodbye to your device. Plot twist: you are allowed to bring three phones to the country without any penalties.
The U.S. also charges customs duty on goods that land on its soil from other countries. “The purpose of Customs Duty is to protect each country’s economy, residents, jobs, environment, etc., by controlling the flow of goods, especially restrictive and prohibited goods, into and out of the country.” However, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) doesn’t restrict the number of devices.
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Cancun International Airport is the second busiest airport in Mexico, and one of the busiest in the world. It serves over 25 million passengers, and Americans love to jump on non-stop flights to holiday along the Caribbean. Not all passengers will be flagged when they try to bring more electronics than lawfully exempted—in fact, you may have traveled many times without getting caught. It’s really a game of chance, but if you want to avoid penalties, it may be worthwhile to travel with one less gadget.
While travelers may be unaware of the rule, it isn’t new. In fact, it may be a bit too old if you look at the restrictions on DVDs and CDs you can fly with.
David Ortiz Mena, President of the Tulum Hotel Association, told Riviera Maya News that more people are working remotely since COVID, and this policy needs to be reviewed. “If we want to be a tourist powerhouse, let us be consistent. This practice of traveling with more than one electronic device is not usual and, yes, it hurts our image.”
It may be useful also to check out other limitations, such as more than 10 packets of cigarettes, up to three liters of alcoholic beverages, and two cameras per passenger. You can check the full list of customs here.
No matter where you’re going, make sure you declare valuables or cash if they exceed the permissible limit. Actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger was held by officials at Munich airport earlier this year for failing to declare a luxury watch. He ended up paying €35,000 (almost $40,000) in taxes and penalties.
2) this has actually nothing to do with the cancun airport in particular, it's a country wide policy.
3) the 'airport' itself is not who fines the people. They're fined by the government, via employees working in the airport. It's not as if the airport, specifically, is directly profiting from the revenue from this fine, as if it were an airline charging an overweight baggage fee.
4) often the price is measured by looking for the item in question for sale on Mexican websites, such as Amazon-Mexico, where, inclusive of various tariffs, the price can sometimes be as much as double what it would be in the US. People are advised to be aware and have a receipt ready for their device if they purchased it electronically and suspect it may be an issue, though to be fair that is far from a reasonable expectation for everyone to have, though it would help dispute the value in a fine.
What would actually help, would be a quick process for disputing the valuation of the fine, or perhaps an adjustment to the rule that prohibits permanent imports of multiple devices, but allows someone to bring the additional devices subject to verifying the devices removal when they leave, or something like that, so that tourists aren't impacted, but that flying in doesn't open up an avenue for mass importing goods as a way of avoiding tarrifs