Guatemala Visa Run
This past week, Chris and I did our first "visa run." Upon arrival in Guatemala, tourists are granted a 90-day visa that is valid for the C-4 countries of Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras. After these 90 days are up, you can renew your visa at the Immigration Office in the City for another 90 days. After the second set of 90 days are over, you then have to leave the C-4 area. Most tourists make a quick border crossing to Mexico in what is popularly called a "visa run."
I don't know how long you technically have to be out of the country for; there doesn't seem to be a set law or rule that people refer to. Some say it has to be 72 hours, while others have said they've had luck crossing the border and coming back on the same day. Since we were on our mid-year school break, we decided to make a vacation out of it (and not take our chances) and visit San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico for a few days.
It's possible to make the trip cheaply via public transportation, but we opted for comfort and less stress and booked a shuttle to take us from Antigua to San Cristobal de las Casas. I asked around in Antigua, and ended up booking with Sunrise Travel. They were the cheapest I found, and I had booked with them before for another trip. We paid $66 each for a round trip shuttle. You can also book just one way ($33), and it's apparently cheaper to book a one way shuttle San Cristobal to Antigua once you're there, but we opted to just book everything with Sunrise.
From Antigua to San Cristobal de las Casas
On Sunday morning we waited at 5:30am as we were told for our shuttle. They came late, which is a bit normal since they pick up plenty of passengers, but I got worried for a bit. But they arrived, picked up a few more passengers, and then we were off. We made two stops on the Guatemala side: the first at Los Encuentros were some people got off to switch shuttles and we had a 10 minutes break, and the second at Cuatro Caminos where more people get off and some got on and we had a 30 minute break. From Antigua to Cuatro Caminos it was about 3 hours (including break time). The stop at Cuatro Caminos is the last stop on the Guatemalan side, and it's another 3 hours before reaching the La Mesilla border. Luckily for us we stayed on the same shuttle throughout (some people have to change shuttles), so we were able to get comfortable in our seats.
At the Guatemala side of the border, we got off the shuttle then we went into the small immigration office and had our passports stamped with an exit stamp. In this area there were several people you can exchange money with. They were just guys off the street with wads of cash, but I heard that they offer a fair rate. After everybody had gotten their passports stamped, we picked up our bags and walked through the gates to our next bus. This bus took us through the 4km of "no man's land" until we reached the Mexican side of the border.
At this side, we had to get off the bus and then go into the Mexican immigration office to get our passports stamped. First they will give you a form which you will have to fill out (bring a pen to make it easier), then after checking everything is okay, they will stamp your passport and give you back the bottom half of the form which you will have to show when you leave the country, so make sure you don't lose it! We were at the border for about an hour waiting for our turns and for everyone else to finish, so we were able to eat our packed sandwiches while waiting.
Then once everyone was settled we were back on the bus and it was another 3 and a half hours to San Cristobal without any breaks or pit stops. We arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas at around 6pm (Mexico is also an hour ahead of Guatemala), and it was still nice and bright. The bus stops near the center, and we just had to walk a few blocks to our hotel. Overall, it was a long but pretty hassle-free trip.
From Antigua to San Cristobal de las Casas
Going back from San Cristobal to Antigua, was fairly similar, but with more delays. Departure time from San Cristobal was 7am. We left on a Friday, and the shuttle picked us up late again, but it arrived nonetheless. It picked up a few more people, then brought us to a spot still within the city where we changed into a bigger bus. From there we were on our way.
After two hours we stopped in a small place, and we had a 40 minute break at a restaurant. The restaurant had a breakfast buffet, but it was expensive so we ate our packed lunch instead. After everyone was back on the bus, it was another 1.5 hours to the border.
When we got to the border, we got off the bus and had to go back into the immigration office to get our passport stamps. They made sure we had our slip, and since we were visiting for less than 7 days, we didn't have to pay any exit/tourist fees. If you're in Mexico longer than 7 days, you will need to pay for this fee. If you arrived by plane, the fee is usually included in your plane ticket, and some travelers have been able to get by showing this as proof. Other travelers had some mishaps -- ticket proof not being accepted, or having to pay but had no cash (there are no ATMs at the border), bribes, etc. so I would suggest to do your research to make sure you have all the information and fees needed. We were there for an hour like last time, then were back on the bus and off to the Guatemalan side.
Once on the Guatemalan side we got our bags, then walked out, and had our passport stamped. I made sure to check that they gave me 90 days, since I heard that some border officials may only give you 30. We had no hiccups with that, but then we had to wait for the Guatemalan shuttles to come. We had to wait half an hour for them to arrive, then after another half an hour of unloading the other people's bags and loading ours, and making sure everything was set, then we were on our way.
The travel back to Antigua was much longer since we were waiting at the border for an hour, plus we had an extra hour of traffic (7 hours as opposed to the 6 it took as going there). We got home at around 8:30pm. It was a long and tiring day, but we were glad we made it safely and without any passport issues.
There we had it. Our first and, thankfully, successful, visa run. Making a visa run by land is long and tiring, but it's a relatively easy and cheap way that is worth it.
Notes and tips
I don't know how long you technically have to be out of the country for; there doesn't seem to be a set law or rule that people refer to. Some say it has to be 72 hours, while others have said they've had luck crossing the border and coming back on the same day. Since we were on our mid-year school break, we decided to make a vacation out of it (and not take our chances) and visit San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico for a few days.
It's possible to make the trip cheaply via public transportation, but we opted for comfort and less stress and booked a shuttle to take us from Antigua to San Cristobal de las Casas. I asked around in Antigua, and ended up booking with Sunrise Travel. They were the cheapest I found, and I had booked with them before for another trip. We paid $66 each for a round trip shuttle. You can also book just one way ($33), and it's apparently cheaper to book a one way shuttle San Cristobal to Antigua once you're there, but we opted to just book everything with Sunrise.
From Antigua to San Cristobal de las Casas
On Sunday morning we waited at 5:30am as we were told for our shuttle. They came late, which is a bit normal since they pick up plenty of passengers, but I got worried for a bit. But they arrived, picked up a few more passengers, and then we were off. We made two stops on the Guatemala side: the first at Los Encuentros were some people got off to switch shuttles and we had a 10 minutes break, and the second at Cuatro Caminos where more people get off and some got on and we had a 30 minute break. From Antigua to Cuatro Caminos it was about 3 hours (including break time). The stop at Cuatro Caminos is the last stop on the Guatemalan side, and it's another 3 hours before reaching the La Mesilla border. Luckily for us we stayed on the same shuttle throughout (some people have to change shuttles), so we were able to get comfortable in our seats.
At the Guatemala side of the border, we got off the shuttle then we went into the small immigration office and had our passports stamped with an exit stamp. In this area there were several people you can exchange money with. They were just guys off the street with wads of cash, but I heard that they offer a fair rate. After everybody had gotten their passports stamped, we picked up our bags and walked through the gates to our next bus. This bus took us through the 4km of "no man's land" until we reached the Mexican side of the border.
At this side, we had to get off the bus and then go into the Mexican immigration office to get our passports stamped. First they will give you a form which you will have to fill out (bring a pen to make it easier), then after checking everything is okay, they will stamp your passport and give you back the bottom half of the form which you will have to show when you leave the country, so make sure you don't lose it! We were at the border for about an hour waiting for our turns and for everyone else to finish, so we were able to eat our packed sandwiches while waiting.
Then once everyone was settled we were back on the bus and it was another 3 and a half hours to San Cristobal without any breaks or pit stops. We arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas at around 6pm (Mexico is also an hour ahead of Guatemala), and it was still nice and bright. The bus stops near the center, and we just had to walk a few blocks to our hotel. Overall, it was a long but pretty hassle-free trip.
From Antigua to San Cristobal de las Casas
Going back from San Cristobal to Antigua, was fairly similar, but with more delays. Departure time from San Cristobal was 7am. We left on a Friday, and the shuttle picked us up late again, but it arrived nonetheless. It picked up a few more people, then brought us to a spot still within the city where we changed into a bigger bus. From there we were on our way.
After two hours we stopped in a small place, and we had a 40 minute break at a restaurant. The restaurant had a breakfast buffet, but it was expensive so we ate our packed lunch instead. After everyone was back on the bus, it was another 1.5 hours to the border.
When we got to the border, we got off the bus and had to go back into the immigration office to get our passport stamps. They made sure we had our slip, and since we were visiting for less than 7 days, we didn't have to pay any exit/tourist fees. If you're in Mexico longer than 7 days, you will need to pay for this fee. If you arrived by plane, the fee is usually included in your plane ticket, and some travelers have been able to get by showing this as proof. Other travelers had some mishaps -- ticket proof not being accepted, or having to pay but had no cash (there are no ATMs at the border), bribes, etc. so I would suggest to do your research to make sure you have all the information and fees needed. We were there for an hour like last time, then were back on the bus and off to the Guatemalan side.
Once on the Guatemalan side we got our bags, then walked out, and had our passport stamped. I made sure to check that they gave me 90 days, since I heard that some border officials may only give you 30. We had no hiccups with that, but then we had to wait for the Guatemalan shuttles to come. We had to wait half an hour for them to arrive, then after another half an hour of unloading the other people's bags and loading ours, and making sure everything was set, then we were on our way.
The travel back to Antigua was much longer since we were waiting at the border for an hour, plus we had an extra hour of traffic (7 hours as opposed to the 6 it took as going there). We got home at around 8:30pm. It was a long and tiring day, but we were glad we made it safely and without any passport issues.
There we had it. Our first and, thankfully, successful, visa run. Making a visa run by land is long and tiring, but it's a relatively easy and cheap way that is worth it.
Notes and tips
- Shuttles run everyday both ways, and it's good to book a day or two in advanced.
- If you're going from Antigua to San Cristobal and back, consider booking your return trip at San Cristobal. It may be cheaper, and you will also be able to follow up with them more easily should they not arrive on time.
- Expect about 12 hours of travel time including waiting time at the border and traffic.
- There are a few stops at the gas station but it's a good idea to pack your own food, snacks, and water.
- Bring a pen, as you will need to fill up the immigration form in Mexico. They will return the bottom slip of the form which you must keep and will need to present upon leaving the country.
- When leaving Mexico, there are no ATMs at the border so make sure you have the necessary cash to pay any fees you have.
- Upon arrival in Guatemala, check your entry stamp to make sure they give you 90 days.
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