Mexico Flights – Updated Passenger & Crew List Requirements Effective Sept 17, 2025

Written By CST FLIGHT SERVICES

On May 20, 2025, the Diario Oficial de la Federación (DOF) published an amendment to Article 7 of the General Guidelines for the Transmission of Electronic Passenger, Crew, and Transport Lists to the Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM). This reform will go into effect on September 17, 2025 and applies to all private and charter operators flying into or out of Mexico.

Article 250 of the Migration Law establishes that failing to comply may result in fines ranging from $1,471.00 USD to $14,711.00 USD, showing the importance of these transmissions.

The General Guidelines were first issued on November 8, 2012, and since then the requirements have evolved several times with changes to timelines and procedures.

As of September 17, the amendment establishes a mandatory two-step transmission process:

  • First submission: within two hours before departure, whether the flight is inbound to Mexico or outbound to another country.

  • Second submission: a confirmation of passengers on board, sent once the aircraft doors have closed and before takeoff.

To comply, operators must use one of the official channels established by INM:

  • Operators with ARINC access:

    • Using their respective access to their ARINC portal

  • Operators without ARINC access:

 

The reform, was published in the DOF on May 20, 2025, and becomes mandatory on September 17, 2025. The complete text can be found here: DOF Publication – May 20, 2025.

This amendment brings a clear tightening of APIS requirements in Mexico. As these rules keep changing, operators should stay alert and expect more adjustments in the future. The safest way to avoid issues is to review procedures before every flight and make sure the team is ready to comply with the latest requirements.

CST FLIGHT SERVICES
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