Do this first
Do this at the desk: ask for the days you need
Airlines no longer hand out the paper tourist form. At the airport the immigration officer looks at your passport, asks how long you are staying, and stamps the number of days granted with a departure date. That stamp is your permit. The digital form, the FMMD, can be downloaded from the National Migration Institute portal after you enter, during your stay, if a hotel or an airline asks for it. Up to 180 days is possible, but it is not automatic: say the number you need, with the hotel booking ready.
inm.gob.mx is the only official address. The form is free for air arrivals; the tourism fee is already in your airfare.
Getting in
What the border asks for
- Passport
- A valid US passport book. Validity beyond the trip is not required by law; airlines prefer six months.
- Visa for a US passport
- None for tourism. The officer grants up to 180 days at their discretion and stamps the date.
- Arrival form
- No paper form at the major airports. The stamp is the record; download the FMMD from the INM portal after entry if you need a copy.
- Tourism fee
- Included in your airline ticket. Nothing to pay at the airport.
- Longer stays
- The temporary resident visa, applied for at a consulate before you fly. The Retire Abroad Mexico guide covers the income thresholds.
The law and the welcome
Stated plainly, and dated
- Marriage
- Legal in every state since December 31, 2022.
- The law
- Legal since 1929. Federal anti discrimination law since 2003. Federal protection for sexual orientation; protections vary state by state beyond that.
- Spartacus index
- Mid table in the 2026 Spartacus index; the country reads as two countries, the gay cities and the rest.
- In practice
- Puerto Vallarta's Zona Romantica, Mexico City's Roma, Condesa, and Zona Rosa, and Guadalajara are as easy as anywhere on earth. Small towns and the countryside are courteous and conservative; be the guest, not the show.
The Compasserie welcome score is the house read of the law, the indexes, and what the guides' writers found on the ground. It is an opinion, and it is stated as one. The Equaldex and Spartacus figures beside it are not ours and are cited below.
Where to sleep
Where a man over fifty stays
From the Gay Puerto Vallarta and Gay Mexico City guides. Choose on purpose.
- Puerto Vallarta, Zona Romantica, beachside
- Flat streets, the sand and the bars at your feet, no stairs home after dinner.
- Puerto Vallarta, the hillside
- The bay views and the quiet, paid for in steep walks and steps. Beautiful if your knees agree.
- Mexico City, Roma and Condesa
- Tree lined, walkable, safe, cafes at the door, and the clearest recommendation for a man over fifty. Polanco for polished luxury, Zona Rosa if the bars are the point.
- Confirm the elevator. Many charming buildings have stairs and no lift.
- Ask about noise and take an interior room on a lively street.
- Save the exact address in Spanish on your phone before you land.
The body
Pharmacy and clinics
Official sources only. Private care in Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City is excellent and a fraction of US prices, and counterfeit pills are the real risk.
- Everyday prescriptions
- Bring what you need in the original packaging with a doctor's letter that names the generic drug, the dose, and the duration. Antibiotics and controlled medicines are prescription only in Mexico, enforced since 2010.
- Controlled medicines
- Opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants are monitored by COFEPRIS. The doctor's letter is essential and quantities must match personal need. Tramadol became a controlled medicine on July 14, 2026.
- Pharmacies
- Buy only from a national chain: Farmacias Guadalajara, San Pablo, Benavides, or del Ahorro. COFEPRIS issued 30 alerts for counterfeit or unapproved products between November 2025 and May 2026, many aimed at tourists in resort towns.
- Hospitals
- Hospital Joya and CMQ in Puerto Vallarta; ABC Medical Center in Mexico City. English spoken, insurance accepted, pay and claim.
- Emergency
- 911 across Mexico.
Sources: COFEPRIS, the federal health regulator; Partnership for Safe Medicines, Mexico counterfeit report, November 2025 to May 2026.
Before you land
Six things to book
Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you book through one, Compasserie earns a commission at no extra cost to you, and it is how these checklists stay free. Where a link earns us nothing it says so. How the links pay for this.
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One
Travel medical insurance
Travel medical insurance bought the day you buy the flight. A broken hip abroad is the bill that ends trips. Check the age band and the pre existing condition wording on the quote screen before you pay. Cover for a man over seventy, and cover for a condition you already have, are the two things travel policies most often exclude, and they are the two that matter most at this age.
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Two
eSIM for your phone
An eSIM installed before you fly, so the map, the taxi app and the arrival form work the moment you land.
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Three
Hotels
The hotel, in one of the neighborhoods above, with the lift confirmed in writing.
Not an affiliate link. Compasserie earns nothing on your hotel. It is here because you need one.
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Four
Gay welcoming stays
A gay welcoming stay, for when you would rather be a guest in a home than a number at a desk.
Not an affiliate link. Compasserie earns nothing if you book here.
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Five
The airport transfer
The airport transfer booked in advance, and one unhurried tour for the first full day.
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Six
The guide
Gay Puerto Vallarta: A Compasserie Travel Guide. The neighborhoods by character, the table, a sample week, and the pre trip checklist this page grew from.
Behind this checklist
Gay Puerto Vallarta: A Compasserie Travel Guide
This page is the short version. The guide is the long one: thirteen chapters, the neighborhoods by character, where a man over fifty actually sleeps well, the table, an unhurried sample week, and the welcome stated plainly and dated.
Show your work
Sources, checked 2026-09-13
- Instituto Nacional de Migracion, the digital FMM for air arrivals. Checked 2026-09-13.
- Equaldex, LGBT rights in Mexico. Checked 2026-09-13.
- COFEPRIS, medicines and controlled substances. Checked 2026-09-13.
- Partnership for Safe Medicines, fake medicines in Mexico, June 2026. Checked 2026-09-13.
Quarterly. Next review December 2026. Nothing on this page is legal, medical, or immigration advice: every claim names the authority that decides it, and that authority is the one to confirm with before you travel. Found something that has changed? Write to hello@compasserie.com and we correct it.
Stay current
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