Minors traveling with adults other than parents or legal guardians.

AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO BY AND BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND THE NATIONAL MIGRATION INSTITUTE (INAMI-MEXICO):
Mexican or foreign minor migrants traveling alone or with an adult third party are allowed to enter and leave the country without the document granted before notary public or by an authority empowered for it, up to January 24, 2014.

• Personnel carrying out check-in of customers on international flights are obligated to verify that they have valid immigration documents that are in force to travel to Mexico or from Mexico abroad.
• Minors, age 17 or less, whether foreign or Mexican, traveling to Mexico or from Mexico abroad with any person that is not the father, mother, or the person exercising parental authority/guardianship over them, or that are unaccompanied, must submit, in addition to their immigration documents, a notarized document authorizing the minor to travel without them. If the document is issued in a foreign country it must be legalized, or bear an apostille, and be translated into Spanish.
• Sanctions for non-compliance have a highly significant increase (example: currently 6,000 MXN is increased to 60,000 MXN)

Legal Framework:

Immigration Law

Article 44. International passenger transportation companies, via sea or air, have the obligation to verify that the foreign nationals they transport have valid documents that are in force, which are required for entry into the national territory or to the final destination country.

Article 49. Departure from the country of children and adolescents, or persons under legal guardianship in terms of the civil legislation, whether Mexican or foreign nationals, shall be subject, in addition, to the following rules:

I. They must be accompanied by any of the persons who exercise parental authority or guardianship over them, and comply with the civil legislation requirements.

II. In case they are accompanied by a third party that is an adult or are traveling alone, the passport and document certifying the authorization of those exercising parental authority or guardianship must be submitted, certified before a public certifying officer or by the authorities that have the power to do so.

Immigration Law Regulations

Article 42. Companies that provide international transportation services of passengers, via sea or air, shall have the following obligations:

II. Refrain from transporting to the national territory foreign nationals who do not have a passport or an identity and travel document that is valid in accordance with international law, and where appropriate, visa or immigration document certifying their condition of stay, which shall be valid and in force. Otherwise, they shall be responsible for the expenses incurred in due to the return of passengers that were rejected because of not having immigration documents or the latter being irregular.

In the case of children, or adolescents, or persons under legal guardianship in terms of the civil legislation, that are accompanied by a third party that is an adult or are traveling alone, must certify that they have the authorization that paragraph second of section V of this article refers to. The foregoing will not be necessary in the case of Mexicans traveling alone and that will be repatriated to the national territory.

MANAGEMENT OFFICE AIRPORTS

III. Refrain from transporting foreign nationals outside the national territory that do not have a passport or identity and travel document that is valid according to international law, as well as those that do not prove their regular immigration status in the national territory, unless express authorization from the Institute exists;

IV. Refrain from transporting persons showing a passport or identity and travel document that is torn, contains crossed-out text, amendments, or any other damage to the biographic data page that makes the identification of its bearer impossible, or if the damage does not allow mechanical reading;

V. Refrain from transporting minors who intend to leave the national territory, without previously proving they have a passport or identity and travel document that is valid in accordance with international law, and that travel accompanied by any of the persons exercising parental authority or the guardianship over them.

In case of children, or adolescents, or persons under legal guardianship in terms of the civil legislation that are accompanied by a third party that is an adult or that are traveling alone, they must submit a document granted before a certifying public officer or by the authority that has the power to do, authorizing that the minor can leave the national territory, granted by both parents or by those who exercise parental authority or guardianship over them. In the case of a document granted abroad, it shall be legalized or bear an apostille, as the case may be, with its translation in case of a language other than Spanish.

IX. Transport foreign nationals that have been rejected by the Institute to return to their country of origin or where they are admissible, when they are responsible for their arrival to the national territory.

Sanctions

Article 153. Companies devoted to international transportation via land, sea, or air, that transport foreign nationals into the country that have no immigration documents in force, shall be sanctioned with a fine of one thousand to ten thousand days of minimum wage in force in the Federal District, without prejudice of the foreign national being rejected, and that the company returns him/her, at its expense, to the location of origin.

Note:

• It won´t be necessary to maintain the original copy of the notarized letter as part of the flight file.
• All children unaccompanied or accompanied by a person other than a parent or who exercises
• parental authority, who had begun their journey before November, 09 2012, they can return to Mexico or abroad without presenting the notarized letter.
• Children traveling with one parent is not required a notarized letter.
• Foreign minors who do not have the notarized letter, it must require an authorization from the local