Three Laws Travelers to Mexico Should Always Follow

1. Three Laws Travelers to Mexico Should Always Follow Mexico Travelers Laws. If you or someone that you know may be currently planning to travel to Mexico, there are a few important things that you should know involving local laws, illegal activity, and simply keeping yourself out of trouble. This will help to ensure that you don’t unintentionally do anything wrong during your visit to this beautiful country. Here are three laws that all travelers to Mexico will always need to follow: *Firstly, as opposed to the United States, the legal drinking age in  Mexico is 18. Despite this, there are police officers in multiple areas of the country who are now cracking down on those travelers whose only purpose of visiting Mexico is to constantly party until they’re unable to any further. Additionally, even though there’s no law in Mexico against traveling in a vehicle with liquor, it is actually illegal to drink alcohol while you’re on the street. If you are a traveler and you do this, you can be fined as well as potentially taken to jail for public drunkenness. There are also breath test checkpoints in many large-sized Mexican cities, which are designed to actively target drunk drivers. Failing one of these tests can result in potential jail time. Interestingly, it is also illegal to drink between 24 and 72 hours prior to voting in an election – regardless of whether or not you have the right to vote in Mexico. *Next, should you decide to rent a car in Mexico, you should never  engage in any activities such as speeding, running red lights, using a mobile device, or other traffic offenses. This can result in you being pulled over by the police and issued a ticket. If you are pulled over, always remain respectful and calm no matter what. Additionally, if a fine is issued to you, politely request that the officer transport you to the local police station so that you can legally take care of it. During instances like this, you may end up being asked for a mordida, or a bribe. If this happens, you will need to firmly, yet politely,

2. decline to pay this, as it is illegal. Oftentimes, police in Mexico will attempt to do this as a form of intimidation. Request instead to be taken to a local police station so that you will be able to not only fill out the proper paperwork, but also take care of your fine legally. If a mordida is repeatedly insisted anyway, request to speak to the chief of police, which will more than likely cause the suggestion to end. *Mexico Travelers Laws. Finally, if you are traveling to Mexico and are  a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s important to note that officially, discrimination against this class of individuals is illegal. On the other hand, travelers who are LGBTQ+ still should remain as respectful and discreet as possible regarding the local culture due to the fact that Mexico remains a largely conservative country.