Mexico
Trip Support
The two-step APIS, Part 91 entry documents and the private letter of operation, Cancun and Cabo customs, winter parking and peak surcharges, fuel priorities and the 2026 pet rules, with the Mexico and Central America airport guides, from a desk that flies Dallas to Cabo and Cancun every week.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 10 September 2026
The working reference
How Mexico works for a private flight
Mexico is the desk's busiest foreign country and the paperwork is now precise. APIS is a two-step filing for private and charter flights, an advance manifest and a reconfirmation near departure or arrival, inbound and outbound. A Part 91 flight carries insurance that names Mexico or does not exclude it, the registration and airworthiness certificates, and the pilots' licences and medicals, and at Toluca, Cancun, Tapachula and Ensenada a private letter of operation on company letterhead. Fuel uplift charges are tracked and presented to the local authority. Cancun gives private passengers a separate terminal and three FBOs; Cabo San Lucas is the country's only private-jet-only international airport, open 0600 to 2000; San Jose del Cabo runs 0700 to 2100 with no overtime; Toluca can hold a fuel uplift for ninety minutes; Hermosillo wants firearms permits declared; the state fuel supplier serves the airlines first. In the winter peak Cabo raises handling and parking, and the resorts fill from Christmas to Easter. Dogs and cats enter on a Spanish-language form with a vet certificate inside fifteen days, and since August 2026 dogs need a screwworm inspection certificate inside five days in each direction. The desk files both APIS steps, carries the letter, books the parking for the peak, and plans the uplift where the airlines do not have priority.
APIS, two steps
An advance manifest, then a reconfirmation near departure or arrival, for private and charter flights, inbound and outbound. The desk files both and keeps the confirmations with the trip.
Part 91 documents
Insurance for private use in Mexico or a worldwide policy that does not exclude it, certificate of registration, certificate of airworthiness, pilot licences and medicals, and at Toluca, Cancun, Tapachula and Ensenada a private letter of operation on company letterhead, subject to the local authority. Fuel uplift charges are tracked and shown to the authority.
Cancun and the Riviera Maya
Three FBOs and a separate private terminal; passengers arrive about fifteen minutes before departure. Customs and immigration at the FBO. Tulum opened in December 2023 and takes the overflow. Cozumel for the island.
Los Cabos
Cabo San Lucas: the only private-jet-only international airport in Mexico, open 0600 to 2000, handling and parking surcharged in peak. San Jose del Cabo: 0700 to 2100 with no overtime, the airline field. The desk picks the field for the hour and the address.
The interior
Toluca for Mexico City, where a fuel uplift can wait ninety minutes and the letter of operation applies. Queretaro for the Bajio. Hermosillo wants firearms permits declared. The state fuel supplier prioritises the airlines, so the desk plans the uplift on arrival or at the FBO with its own supply.
Season
Christmas to Easter is the peak at Cabo, Cancun and the Riviera Maya, with handling and parking surcharges at Cabo and overnight parking to be confirmed before the aircraft moves. Summer is quieter and hurricane season on the Caribbean coast runs to November.
Pets
Dogs and cats only, two per passenger, at least three months old, on the Spanish-language form. Vet health certificate inside fifteen days, rabies certificate stating validity, deworming inside six months. From August 2026 dogs from the US need a screwworm inspection certificate inside five days, and again on the way back, inspected after immigration. Cats are exempt from the screwworm rule.
Central America next door
Costa Rica needs no landing permit; San Jose is 24 hours with parking authorisation mandatory and Liberia allows no overnight in peak. The desk files Costa Rica with the Mexico trip when the itinerary continues south.
Guides and updates
Mexico articles from the desk
The detailed pieces behind this page, newest first, each with the year it was written and the discipline it belongs to.
Airport guides
The airports behind Mexico operations
Runways, slots, customs, handling and fuel on each field's own guide, written by the desk that files the paperwork.
Questions
Mexico trip support questions
What is the two-step APIS for Mexico?
An advance passenger manifest filed ahead, then a reconfirmation near departure or arrival, for private and charter flights in both directions. The desk files both and keeps the confirmations.
Does a Part 91 flight need a permit for Mexico?
Not a landing permit, but it needs insurance that names Mexico, the registration and airworthiness certificates, the pilots' licences and medicals, and at Toluca, Cancun, Tapachula and Ensenada a private letter of operation on company letterhead.
Which Cabo airport should a private jet use?
Cabo San Lucas, the private-jet-only international airport, open 0600 to 2000, for almost every trip. San Jose del Cabo, open 0700 to 2100 with no overtime, when the hour or the address demands it.
Is parking a problem in Mexico in winter?
At Cabo, Cancun and the Riviera Maya from Christmas to Easter, yes: handling and parking are surcharged at Cabo and overnight parking is confirmed before the aircraft moves. The rest of the year it is straightforward.
Can I fuel quickly in Mexico?
At the FBOs on the coast, yes. At Toluca a state-supplied uplift can wait ninety minutes because the airlines are served first, so the desk plans the uplift on arrival or at a field with its own supply.
How do private passengers clear customs at Cancun?
At the FBO, in a separate private terminal, arriving about fifteen minutes before departure. Fuel uplift charges are tracked and presented to the local authority.
Can I bring my dog to Mexico on a private jet?
Yes, dogs and cats only, two per passenger, at least three months old, with a vet health certificate inside fifteen days, a rabies certificate stating its validity, and since August 2026 a screwworm inspection certificate inside five days for dogs in each direction.
Does Hermosillo have special rules?
Firearms permits must be declared. Otherwise the standard Part 91 documents and the two-step APIS apply.
Can I continue from Mexico to Costa Rica on the same trip?
Yes. Costa Rica needs no landing permit for general aviation; San Jose is 24 hours with parking authorisation mandatory and Liberia allows no overnight in peak. The desk files it with the Mexico legs.
What does the desk need to file a Mexico trip?
Aircraft registration, airworthiness and insurance wording, pilot licences and medicals, passenger and crew passports for APIS, the dates and the airports. It comes back with both APIS steps filed, the letter of operation carried, parking confirmed for the peak and the uplift planned.
Get it filed
Flying into Mexico? Filed from the desk
Send the dates, the aircraft and the airports. You get both APIS steps filed, the letter of operation carried, the winter parking confirmed, and a number you can hold us to.
Contact UsPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email tripsupport@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7.