Does any anybody have a reliable info for bringing/using drones in Mexico.
I'm flying from LAX to Cancun and then planning to fly/shoot around Tulum (private residence, not near any airport).
I'd like to avoid my M3C been confistacted by the federales...
Please advise!
Thank you!

@DarthSLR,

First, have fun on your trip and I hope you bring back some great images and video for us!!!

Second, I would check this out.  https://eaglepubs.erau.edu/dronesacrosstheworld/
Sarah Nillson is a very accomplished pilot, drone pilot, and aviation attorney and also an author.  Great read on international rules and regulations.

Oh and just to help zero in on Mexico, https://eaglepubs.erau.edu/dronesacrosstheworld/chapter/mexico/

TonyPHX Posted at 1-14 23:12
Oh and just to help zero in on Mexico, https://eaglepubs.erau.edu/dronesacrosstheworld/chapter/mexico/

Thanks Tony!
I asked ChatGPT for a summary of this very detailed but very long page, and upon reading that (and some other pieces of information), decided to abandon the idea of bringing my M3C to MX.
Mexico RPAS (UAV) policies are much worse than US ones (everything above 250g requires registration, M3C is 910g with battery), and considering the general state of corruption of government officials, I'll be a prime target for all sorts of extortion schemes.
Oh well... No drone shots from that trip.

I fly my regular airplane down to Mexico frequently. Frankly I have far worse issues on the US side than with the Mexican CAA. Mexico does have a bit of people putting the bite on you for some services, but frankly I have never had the CAA be anything but professional in their dealings. Cannot say the same for the US side. Because I fly an airplane, on a flight plan, use the proper EAPIS system to log in 30 minutes before I cross the border, have all the proper stickers. I still am treated like a drug dealer, even had one dip pull his gun on me in Key West. He is hopefully shining shoes in a mall somewhere now. I complained very loudly and long with several congressmen. Many of whom lately have been accepting cash and gold bars, here in the US.

Mexico is very friendly with great people and no, not everybody is like "The Treasure of Sierra Madre." That seems far more common on our side now. When I fly in, I have to go online with my border crossing time (ADIZ Penetration), number of people on board and their nationalities, airport of entry. I land and am met by the military reps on the airfield, who look over my pilot's license and flight plan. Next stop is immigration, they look over my passport insert it in their computer reader and it prints a visa in it. Customs looks over my bags and then I go pay the airport landing fee and close my flight plan with CAA.

On the other side, when I come back. I have to remain in the aircraft until a Homeland Security wanker comes out. I am not allowed to exit the aircraft until this happens, could be 5 minutes, could be two hours. I have to do all the same internet reporting and such, but I have waited in the airplane at Tucson International for over two hours in the summer for them to grace me with their presence. Then a dog (who damaged my airplane interior last time), then a gieger counter then baggage check, sometimes they take your airplane apart and you have to put it back together. Then you do immigration. All this with folks that are humorless twits, who on a whim will show you how important they are by pulling out their gun. Compared to any country I have flown into, 59 is the last count, the USA is the worst. I recently had my aircraft re-painted and used the opportunity to change the registration number. The one I had was awkward on the radio. It took our super efficient FAA 6 month to issue a new one +$185. It  required that the transponder be re-programmed, logical, the ELT to be re-programmed, never had to do that before, get a new airworthiness certificate and a new registration, which just came three months after the six month period to get approval to change. This used to take 3 days and $5, up until 2010 (last time I did it).

Nope, Mexico has some weird rules, like you must have Mexican insurance to have either a car or an airplane in their country, on top of any other insurance you may have. You cannot fly VFR at night, or privately, only commercial. At least they are not inefficient, unpleasant, self important wankers, oh are they corrupt, well only as much as our guys are in the USA.

Dogpilot Posted at 1-15 12:45
I fly my regular airplane down to Mexico frequently. Frankly I have far worse issues on the US side than with the Mexican CAA. Mexico does have a bit of people putting the bite on you for some services, but frankly I have never had the CAA be anything but professional in their dealings. Cannot say the same for the US side. Because I fly an airplane, on a flight plan, use the proper EAPIS system to log in 30 minutes before I cross the border, have all the proper stickers. I still am treated like a drug dealer, even had one dip pull his gun on me in Key West. He is hopefully shining shoes in a mall somewhere now. I complained very loudly and long with several congressmen. Many of whom lately have been accepting cash and gold bars, here in the US.

Mexico is very friendly with great people and no, not everybody is like "The Treasure of Sierra Madre." That seems far more common on our side now. When I fly in, I have to go online with my border crossing time (ADIZ Penetration), number of people on board and their nationalities, airport of entry. I land and am met by the military reps on the airfield, who look over my pilot's license and flight plan. Next stop is immigration, they look over my passport insert it in their computer reader and it prints a visa in it. Customs looks over my bags and then I go pay the airport landing fee and close my flight plan with CAA.

I'm sure flying a real airplane has all sorts of issues when crossing the border (or even flying domestically).
In my case, however: I'll be coming from a commercial flight, with expensive cameras/lenses in the bag (you don't need to be an expert to estimate the content of that bag at about $20K or more), obviously for pleasure. There will be nothing easier for a customs official to just pull me aside and start digging in, requesting all sorts of authorization for my poor 1kg M3C, as well as counting it as an extra camera, of which MX allows only TWO(!) of any sorts - dslr, action, drone, P&S.
Long story short, if I'm unlucky, I will either miss my connection, lose my drone, or lose some substantial amount of $$ as a "fee".
Considering I'd only need my drone for one particular shot, I don't think that shot is worth any of those troubles.

I take way more expensive cameras visible and multispectral, testing gear and a lot of survey and science equipment with me (kind of why I fly my own plane down). I am a geologist, I go down to consult on mines there. I just put everything on my customs declaration, three copies. They just stamp it and keep two copies. I go out with raw gold frequently, usually a full Nagalene bottle of it to take up to the lab in Tucson for assessment. That is around 30 oz or so. Never had an issue with them. I also have to do a SID (Standard Import Declaration) on arrival in the US and post a bond. Which you should do for your cameras, there is a form you need to fill out CBP 4457 or they will charge you duty on your cameras when you come back to the USA, should they feel like being twits and they are worth more than $2k. That is unless your cameras are made in the USA. I have that for all my gear, just for the USA, nobody else seems to care, even in Africa. Which is where my next project is. Tankwa Karoo, South Africa.

Dogpilot Posted at 1-15 13:56
I take way more expensive cameras visible and multispectral, testing gear and a lot of survey and science equipment with me (kind of why I fly my own plane down). I am a geologist, I go down to consult on mines there. I just put everything on my customs declaration, three copies. They just stamp it and keep two copies. I go out with raw gold frequently, usually a full Nagalene bottle of it to take up to the lab in Tucson for assessment. That is around 30 oz or so. Never had an issue with them. I also have to do a SID (Standard Import Declaration) on arrival in the US and post a bond. Which you should do for your cameras, there is a form you need to fill out CBP 4457 or they will charge you duty on your cameras when you come back to the USA, should they feel like being twits and they are worth more than $2k. That is unless your cameras are made in the USA. I have that for all my gear, just for the USA, nobody else seems to care, even in Africa. Which is where my next project is. Tankwa Karoo, South Africa.

Thank you for your advice and for sharing your experience.  Declaring expensive items (with serial numbers) is a good idea.