Traveling to Mérida
If traveling via Mexico-City International Airport, check the following passenger guide: http://www.aicm.com.mx/informacionalpasajero_en/Guiadelpasajero/
This describes everything needed to move around the airport, including your transfer to Mérida.
In short: Mexico City airport has two terminals: 1 and 2, and it depends on the airlines where you arrive/depart. Terminal 2 airlines are: Aeromar, Aeromexico, LAN, Copa Airlines, and Delta Airlines. If you arrive with any of those airlines and proceed to Mérida with any of those, you don’t have to change the terminal. In all other cases you have to change to or from terminal 1, which is easily done using the Aerotrén (Airtrain). This leaves every ~11 minutes and the transfer takes ~5 minutes. Access is on the upper level, and in terminal 1 you have to walk first from the international towards the national gates (~5-10 minutes); just follow the signs!
If you have a connecting flight to Mèrida, you will first have to pass through immigration, pick up your bags and proceed to customs (see below), and then re-check your luggage; that most probably require you to take them to the other terminal! To be sure please ask your airline, if re-checking is possible in the arrival terminal.
If you arrive at the Cancun International Airport, please visit the page http://www.cancun-airport.com/index.htm for more information. If you have a connecting flight to Mérida, you will have to pass through immigration, pick up your bags and proceed to customs (see below). If you continue by land transport, several options are available.
Transport to Mérida directly from the airport terminal is possible by bus, using the ADO bus company. Only 4 daily services with limited capacity are available, leaving between 13:30 and 21:00 with a travel time of 4 hours, and arrival is conveniently in front of the Fiesta Americana hotel. This service has a cost of ~500 Pesos (US$40).
If you have problems with the in advance reservation of your ticket, please send en email with your name, flight details and preferred bus connection to our meeting organizer LunMaya. They will make he reservation and send you the ticket by email, and charge it to you when registering.
You can also take a ADO bus or a Greyline shuttle service or a taxi to the central bus station in Cancun, this transfer takes about half an hour. From there buses leave to Mérida every ~30 minutes, with prices between 300-500 Pesos, depending on the final destination and quality of the service. Tickets can be purchased online using a credit card, or in the ADO offices in the airport and bus terminal.
From the central bus station, part of the buses also go to the Fiesta Americana (more than 10 per day), but the others go to the Mérida bus terminals. From there you will have to take an authorized taxi to your hotel.
If you arrive at Mérida International Airport from abroad, immigration and customs procedures are as described below. In case you arrive from any Mexican airport, you pick up your bags and proceed to the exit.
An IAGA 2013 welcome desk will be installed only on Sunday 25 from 10-18 and Monday 26 from 10-18 to provide any help if needed, please check for a large IAGA 2013 sign. The welcome desk may also help to arrange parties to share a taxi. Transport to Mérida city center is possible only by the licensed taxi services, the approximate cost is 200-300 Pesos (US$ 15-25; payment with credit card or Pesos at the official taxi counters), according to the distance of the destination and the taxi size (car or Van). If a shared taxi drops passengers at different hotels, this total price may be a bit higher.
Please contact in advance the organizers, if you need any special help!
Immigration and Customs procedures
Upon arrival in Mexico you will need to present an up-to-date passport plus a visitor’s permit, which is now known as the FMM (Forma Migratoria Multiple):
This form is provided free of charge by your travel agent or airline, or at any point of entry to Mexico.
Immigration will check your documents and stamp and process the FFM form, handing you back the stamped right-hand portion. You have to return this form when you leave Mexico! If you lose this form, you will have to go to the immigration desk at the airport and may have to pay a fine for obtaining another one, so better take care of it! The immigration officer at passport control may also ask you about your stay and to prove the necessary economic means and a return ticket to your country.
Customs Procedures at arrival airport
During the inbound flight, you will receive and need to fill out a customs declaration (see below; may be available in Spanish, English, French or Japanese). For details about duty free items before you fly, please check
http://www.aduanas.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2008/pasajeros/139_10178.html
After passing through immigration, you collect your bags and proceed to the exit. You will hand the form to the customs officer and press the button on what looks like a traffic light. A green light means “go” and a red light means “inspection,” in which case an official perform a quick inspection. In many airports your luggage is also checked by X-ray systems, mainly for weapons, food and other forbidden items. Based on that revision, a manual inspection may be decided by the officials.
As a rule of thumb, you are allowed to bring into Mexico whatever you need during your stay. You are not allowed to bring food, fruits, and/or products that are not “factory” 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, you will need to bring a doctor’s prescription just in case you need to prove the medicine is for your own consumption. Read responses to frequently asked questions here.