Requirements for flying privatefrom Mexico to the United States.

What documents does each passenger need?

A private flight doesn’t change the entry rules: everyone on board presents to CBP (Customs and Border Protection) just as they would on a commercial flight.

Mexican citizens. A valid passport and a B1/B2 visa. Mexico is not on the State Department’s Visa Waiver Program list, and ESTA is only for those countries.

Laser visa. The Border Crossing Card (DSP-150) is both a crossing card and a B1/B2 visa, normally valid for ten years. Without a passport it is only valid at land ports or by sea vessel (8 CFR 212.1(c)); on a flight, bring your passport too.

Other nationalities. A guest from a Visa Waiver Program country (Spain or Chile, for example) needs an approved ESTA and an e-passport. Canadian citizens generally do not need a visitor visa. All other nationalities apply for a visa.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, INM, CBP and CDC.

Can a minor travel with only one parent?

Yes. Per INM, the Minor Exit Format (SAM) is not required when the minor travels with both parents, with one of them, or with a legal guardian. It is required if the minor travels alone or with a third party: it’s filled out online, and only an INM officer can stamp it; without the stamp, the minor cannot leave the country. It is issued per minor, per departure, and is valid for six months.

On the U.S. side, CBP recommends that a minor traveling with only one parent carry a letter from the other parent authorizing the trip, with dates, destinations and contacts; notarizing it is not required, but CBP advises it. On the flight, every child, even an infant, carries their own passport.

Do you clear immigration on a private flight?

Yes: in the United States you clear immigration and customs just as on any international flight. What’s different is where. On the Mexican side, the international flight departs from an airport with customs and immigration: per Mexico’s AIP, Toluca, Monterrey-Escobedo and Guadalajara have it 24 hours, and Monterrey-Del Norte from 07:00 to 24:00 local time. See the Toluca airport guide (in Spanish).

To enter the United States, 19 CFR 122.24 requires private jets and charter aircraft arriving from Mexico to land first at the designated airport nearest the point where they cross the border or coast. In Texas: Brownsville, McAllen, Laredo, Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Presidio, El Paso, San Antonio, Midland, Corpus Christi, Beaumont and Hobby. The exception is the 122.25 waiver, granted at the port director’s discretion, requested 15 days or more before a flight. Hobby is on the list (private flights to Houston (in Spanish)); no airport in Dallas or Colorado is on it, so Dallas (in Spanish) and Vail (in Spanish) carry a customs stop beforehand, unless a waiver applies.

The manifest and the arrival notice: the operator handles these

You don’t file anything with CBP yourself; the operator does, using your information. A paid charter is a “commercial aircraft” (19 CFR 122.1), and its operator transmits the passenger manifest (APIS) before departure (122.49a); for a private aircraft, eAPIS under 122.22 is due no later than 60 minutes before departure. It requires, per person, name, date of birth, nationality, residence, a document with its number and expiration, and a U.S. address.

The pilot obtains CBP’s landing clearance before departure. If a passenger changes or is added, CBP requires a corrected manifest and new confirmation.

On landing: immigration, I-94 and customs

CBP screens every passenger at immigration, customs and agriculture, and records your entry (I-94) electronically; you can look it up on the official I-94 site. The 8 CFR 235.1(h) exemption — 72 hours within 25 miles of the border — does not apply to a trip to Colorado or Dallas.

Cash. Any amount is allowed, but more than 10,000 dollars or its equivalent, including traveler’s checks, must be declared on FinCEN 105; for a family, the total counts together (31 CFR 1010.340).

Food. Meat, fruit, plants and animal products must be declared; from Mexico, mango, orange or guava require a permit. Undeclared items are seized and can be fined.

Dog. Mexico is not on the CDC’s high-rabies-risk list: a receipt from the CDC dog import form is enough (valid for six months), with a dog at least six months old and microchipped.

Step by step

The 7-day and 72-hour windows are our planning recommendation; the legal deadlines are noted at each step.

1. When you get a quote. Check each passenger’s passport and visa. A 122.25 waiver is requested 15 days or more in advance.
2. 7 days before. Manifest details to the operator; stamped SAM if a minor is traveling without their parents; the CDC dog form; a consent letter if traveling with only one parent.
3. 72 hours before. Final passenger list: any change requires a corrected manifest.
4. Day of the flight. Documents in hand; declare cash and food at the designated airport.
5. Return to Mexico. The operator transmits the outbound manifest (19 CFR 122.75a). ANAM allows up to 500 dollars in merchandise per passenger in addition to personal baggage, which includes two sets of sports equipment; for a family, the allowances add together.

On return, your foreign guests receive INM’s digital Multiple Immigration Form, which is for non-Mexican citizens. More in The Guide and the Eagle airport guide.

Data verified September 22, 2026 against travel.state.gov, the current text of 8 CFR, 19 CFR Part 122 and 31 CFR 1010.340, CBP, CDC, INM and ANAM. Requirements can change: confirm them with the authority before you travel.

Vision Air Charter is an air charter broker — not an airline or a direct air carrier. All flights are operated by carriers certificated under FAA Part 135 or its local equivalent.