Cancun, Q.R. — While authorities acknowledge INM improvements, there is still a need for more, says the Riviera Maya Hotel Association (AHRM). After meetings and a recent amendment to Article 35, immigration policies at the Cancun International Airport have been improved.
One of those improvements included the activation of the INM digital kiosks, which the AHRM says, has gone a long way to streamlining immigration filters. The other has been the addition of immigration agents. Line times have been reduced from three-plus hours to just over 40 minutes.
“In most cases now, they only have to spend an average of 40 minutes in the terminal to do their paperwork when in the past, it took up to three hours,” Toni Chaves, head of the AHRM said.
“We are pleasantly surprised since everything they promised, they fulfilled,” he acknowledged.
While great strides have been made with the immigration wait times, he says customs services is an area that still requires work. Chaves said that a meeting has already been had with state and federal INM officials to follow-up on strategies to improve airport immigration service.
“Now we will continue with the second part of the plan in order to improve on issues such as the elimination of the paper entry form for a digital one, and the placement of passport kiosks instead having the process carried out by immigration personnel,” he explained.
Chaves also said they are currently working with Customs to improve luggage verification “since the problem at the moment is that the verification of suitcases is a slow process due to lack of personnel.”
Last week, Miguel Torruco Marqués, Secretary of Tourism, announced that on April 29, a reform to Article 35 of the Migration Law was approved that allowed the activation of INM digital kiosks in Mexican airports.
