CANCUN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Cancun International Airport is located outside the city of Cancun at kilometer 22 of the Cancun-Chetumal highway. Most of the airports in Mexico are located outside the main cities except for the airports where the cities have expanded around the airports. CUN is one of the busiest airports in the Caribbean averaging about 800,000 passengers per month on high season. It has all the facilities of a major international airport with sings in various languages. There are two buildings, the MAIN terminal and the FBO terminal. Both terminals have arrival and departure concourses. The MAIN terminal is used for domestic and international scheduled flights from major airlines such as American Airlines, AeroMexico, Iberia, etc. The FBO terminal is used mainly for chartered airlines/flights and private planes.
 

Facilities and sevices at the MAIN terminal include banks, duty free shops, convenience stores, beauty parlor, VIP lounges, business center, food court, restaurants, bars, video arcade, tourist information booths, restrooms, lockers, medical services, vending machines, public phones, car rental agencies and money exchange stores. The FBO terminal have more limited facilities than the MAIN terminal to include only the essential services. In both terminals there are airport representatives with information about the airport and the location of all the facilities.

AIRPORT MAP

ARRIVALS PROCEDURES:

Cancun International Airport (CUN) is an international travel friendly airport and as such arrivals to the airport are easy and simple.
 

After your airplane has landed a representative from the airline will welcome you to Cancun and give you last minute information about your arrival such as Local time, where to pick up your luggage, etc. Then he will guide you through the arrival concourse to the immigration hall where you will go through immigration.

Once you are done with immigration you will continue to the baggage claim area where your will pick up your luggage. Please have your luggage claim tags ready and handy. A security officer will ask you for them and will check that they match your pieces of luggage. It is ALWAYS a good idea to mark your luggage with a colorful ribbon or some sort of label so it can be easy to recognize.

After you have collected your luggage you can proceed to customs and then to the exit area where representatives from transportation companies and tour operators are located.
If you are seeking information about arrival time for a specific flight, please check the airline's website for the latest information.

DEPARTURES:
Departure from Cancun International Airport (CUN) is very straight forward and easy.

After you are dropped off at either the Main Terminal or the FBO Terminal, you will proceed to your airline check in counter with your luggage. There are plenty of official airport porters that can assist you with your luggage for a tip. Customary tip is about $1 US dollar per piece and it is well worth it. This is the best way to move through the airport because these airport porters know exactly where your airline's counter is and they will take you right to it.
 

At the airline counter you will check in, document your luggage and get your boarding pass. To check in you will need your airline ticket, passport or birth certificate accompanied by a photo ID if you are from the US or Canada and your TOURIST CARD. There is a “DEPARTURE TAX” of about $18.00 US per person BUT THIS TAX IS USUALLY INCLUDED IN YOUR AIRLINE TICKET THEREFORE YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY IT AGAIN. If your are not sure please contact your airline before you leave to Cancun and ask them if the Mexican Departure Tax is already included.

Once you got your boarding pass and your luggage claim tags, your will proceed to security and off to your gate's waiting area. You will go through customs and immigration at the first port of entry of your return. In other words, wherever your plane first lands after taking off from Mexico is where you will go through customs and immigration from that country.

During the inbound flight, you will receive and need to fill out a customs form (Hacienda). After passing through immigration, you collect your bags and proceed to the exit. You will hand the form to the customs agent and press the button on what looks like a traffic light. A green light means “go” and red means “inspection” in which case, officials perform a quick inspection.

As a rule of thumb you are allowed to bring into Mexico whatever you need for the time period you will be staying in Mexico. You are not allowed to bring food, fruits and/or products that are not packed and sealed. And if you are bringing food or products they are allowed only if you need them because of a special diet or for medical reasons. The same rule applies to medicine. You are allowed to bring enough medicine for the time period you will be in Mexico. If you are bringing an unusual quantity of medicine please bring a doctor's prescription just in case you need to prove the medicine is for your own consumption.

INMIGRATIONS:

Cancun International Airport is an international port of entry to Mexico and as such it is regulated by Mexican and international laws and treaties. What this means is that every country in the world has a treaty with Mexico detailing on what is necessary for the citizens of that county to enter into Mexican territory. Please check with your travel agent or with the Mexican Embassy in your country about the documentation and visas you need to enter Mexico. There are several countries that do not need a visa to enter Mexico. We cannot list all of them but they include The United States, Canada and some countries members of the European Union.

Everybody needs a passport to enter Mexico except for citizens of the United States and Canada which can enter with a birth certificate accompanied by a photo ID. As mentioned before, citizens from some countries might require an entry visa. If you are not sure please check with your travel agent and/or the Mexican Embassy in your country.
 

When you reach the arriving terminal after landing in Cancun you will be guided to the immigration hall where you will form a line and wait for your turn with a Mexican Immigration officer. This officer will ask you for your passport (birth certificate and photo ID if you are a US or Canadian citizen), entry visa, if you are from a county which requires it, and your tourist card, which will be given to you aboard the plane. The immigration officer may ask you a few questions as of the purpose of your trip, how long you will be staying and if this is your first time in Mexico.
 

The “tourist card” is a form that the airline will give you at the counter when you check in or aboard the plane. It is one per person, meaning that each member of your party must have one with his/her individual information. Questions in this form include: Names, country of origin, passport number (if you carry one), place where you staying in Mexico, arrival and departure dates and so forth. After the immigration officer has stamped this card you MUST KEEP IT IN A SAFE PLACE AND DO NOT LOSE IT. YOU WILL BE ASKED FOR THIS DOCUMENT WHEN YOU DEPART MEXICO. Although very rare, you might be held in Mexico if you lose your tourist card, so please make sure you do not lose it, keep it in a safe place and have it ready at your departure.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CARRY THESE DOCUMENTS WITH YOU WHILE IN MEXICO. WE RECOMMEND YOU LEAVE THEM AT YOUR HOTEL IN A SAFE PLACE.

This information is very general and can change at any time. If you have any questions we recommend you talk to your travel agent or the Mexican Embassy in your country.

LOST & FOUND DEPARTMENT:

The Lost & Found Department is operated by the Security Office. Although this office is part of the airport it operates independently from the airport and have its own policies and procedures. Due to new and more strict security regulations the Security Office is a very tight and stern department.
 

The Security Airport receives and process items found within the airport premises. These items are usually turned in by passengers, airport personnel or by security officers. NOT ALL ITEMS are reported. Many times people find items and they keep them. ALL airport personnel are searched and screened for items before they leave the airport's premises after a day's work. This is done to ensure that they do not take items that they might have found.
 

The Security Office is not responsible for luggage and items forgoten inside the airplane. Luggage is handled strictly by the airline's personnel and not by the airport's personnel or security. If you are missing a piece of luggage or your luggage was damage in some way, please contact your airline directly and file a complaint with them. The airport can not assist you with this type of claims.
 

Only owners of items can claim them with the Security Office. This has to be done by phone or in person. YOU CAN NOT CLAIM A LOST ITEM BY EMAIL. If you want to claim a lost item please call the Security Office at the airport at (01152) 998 848 7200. This is an international long distance call. The reason why you have to call or claim your items in person is because the security office will ask you specific questions about the items to ensure they are yours.
 

The Security Office is open 24 hrs. a day but it is open for claims from 9:00AM to 5:00PM Daily.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

IS CANCUN AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPOR?
Yes, and as such it is regulated by international treaties and laws

WHERE IS CANCUN LOCATED? Cancun is located in the Northeast point of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Caribbean Ocean.
 

ARE CANCUN AND THE RIVIERA MAYA THE SAME THING? No, Cancun is a resort with its own hotels and attractions. The Riviera Maya is the area South of Cancun which has become very known thanks to the new mega-all inclusive-hotels and attractions such as Xcaret and Tulum.
 

DO I NEED A PASSPORT TO GO TO CANCUN? Well, it all depends on your nationality. United States citizens and Canadian citizens can enter Mexico without a passport and just with a birth certificate accompanied by a picture ID. Citizens from other countries need passports and sometimes visas to enter Mexico. Please check with your travel agent or the Mexican Consulate in your area about the documents you need to travel to Mexico.
 

IS THERE AN AIRPORT TAX? Yes there is. Most of the time this airport tax is included in the price of your ticket. Please check with your airline or check your airline ticket to make sure the tax is included.
 

HOW FAR ARE THE HOTELS FROM THE CANCUN AIRPORT? The hotels located in Cancun are about 10-20 minutes away depending on which hotel. Playa del Carmen hotels are located about 30-40 minutes away. It takes about 45-1hr. to get to Akumal or Puerto Aventuras and about 1 1/2 hrs. for Tulum.
 

WHAT AIRLINES FLIGHT TO CANCUN? All major airlines from the United States and Canada flight to Cancun. They have connecting service from almost every city in North America and direct non-stop service from all major hubs. There are also several airlines from Europe and South America that either flight directly to Cancun or with a stop at a major hub.
 

ARE THERE LOCKERS AVAILABLE AT THE AIRPORT? Yes there are. There is a company called "Mexicana de lockers del Sureste." Sorry no email or webpage, but you can contact them by phone at (998) 734 8052 (this is a local Cancun phone).

 

HOTELS IN:

Riviera Maya: Puerto Morelos, Punta Bete, Playa del Carmen, Xcaret, Kantenah, Akumal, Puerto Aventuras, Xpu-Ha and Tulum

Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Merida, Chichen Itza and Uxmal