New Rules In Mexico Ease Holiday Travel Across Border

Southbound travelers create long lines at a Mexican customs checkpoint in Laredo, Texas.

Mónica Ortiz Uribe

By  Mónica Ortiz Uribe

December 09, 2013

Mónica Ortiz Uribe

Ofelia Gomez sells handmade soap at a mall in Ciudad Juárez. Mexican retailers along the border feel they lose at lot of business to the United States, especially during the holidays.

This is the busiest time of year for travel along the United States-Mexico border.

Many Mexican shoppers head north and unload their wallets at American stores. Americans with family ties in Mexico travel south to visit relatives, sometimes carrying loads of presents.

During this year's holiday season the Mexican government is making it easier for southbound traffic to enter the country.

The El Paso Times reports drivers traveling south in vehicles registered in the United States will be subject to fewer inspections along their journey. These drivers are initially inspected by Mexican customs immediately after crossing the border. Now they will no longer be subject to a second inspection, which typically happens at checkpoints just south of the border. 

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced the closing of those secondary checkpoints last month during a visit to the border town of Ojinaga. He said the closures will create fewer delays for travelers and hopefully help boost tourism.

Furthermore, the Mexican government will allow Mexicans living in the United States to carry more American merchandise south of the border. The El Paso Times reports the amount of merchandise they can bring over has increased from $300 to $500 per person.

Facilitating spending north of the border does not sit well with some Mexican business owners. In late October, Mexico's congress passed a tax hike for Mexican border states. To help compete against prices for goods sold in the United States, Mexican border states have a tax rate of 11 percent on goods. As of Jan. 1 the tax rate will rise to 16 percent to mirror the rest of the country.

A business group in Tijuana is protesting the tax hike saying it will send even more business and shoppers north, hurting Mexican retailers.