Los Cabos Airport To Get New Electronic Immigration System To Speed Up Wait Times 

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Last Updated 2 years ago

In the near future, Los Cabos Airport will be getting a new electronic immigration system that will speed up wait times at the airport.  The Autonomous Migration Filters system is already in use at both Cancun International Airport and Mexico City International Airport and appears to be successful in making the immigration process much quicker in those places.  In addition to having the high-tech system installed in Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara will also be getting the new technology sometime in the future as well. 

The System In Use 

Currently, the use of the system is limited to American and Canadian travelers, but there is talk about extending that privilege to visitors from other countries in the future.  One reason for American and Canadian tourists being the first to get to use the FMA system has a lot to do with the fact that they make up such a large portion of foreign visitors in Mexico.  In fact, so far, more than 56,000 Americans have utilized the system, and over 6,000 Canadians have used the system, and it is barely out of its trial stage and was only officially adopted at the end of 2022. 

Why This Is Important 

With Los Cabos consistently growing in popularity ever since the pandemic, when travelers continued to visit Los Cabos due to minimal restrictions, this system couldn’t come at a better time.  Millions of foreign tourists visited the popular vacation destination in 2022, and Americans accounted for a huge portion of them.  There are direct flights available from more than 20 different U.S. cities, sometimes even multiple flights a day from just one airline in one city. 

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Los Cabos Breaking Records 

By the end of 2022, the record for annual visitors to Los Cabos was broken, with the arrival of 7 million passengers by air.  Next year tourism officials are expecting even more visitors from all over the world, with estimates currently at around 8 million.  To prepare for this record-breaking mass arrival of tourists for the second year in a row, updates to Los Cabos International Airport have been made, and more are currently in the works. 

Los Cabos Airport Updates 

Adding additional gates to terminal 2 at Los Cabos Airport is one part of the project that will seriously help the flow of traffic in the airport, as there will be a total of 19 gates once the project is completed.  Additionally, a new terminal, Terminal 3, is also being constructed and is expected to be completed sometime this year.  The project as a whole is an investment into the airport of over $13 million, and the installation of the electronic immigration machines will be a further investment into an increasingly busy airport.  

The Current Situation 

Currently, it is suggested that travelers arrive at Los Cabos International Airport three hours ahead of takeoff.  This allows enough time to get through security, customs, and immigration without having to worry about missing your flight.  One of the longest parts of this process, up until recently, was waiting in the immigration line, but nixing the tourist card helped speed up transactions. 

What To Do When Waiting At Los Cabos Airport 

If you arrive early enough at Los Cabos Airport to have some waiting time, there is plenty to keep you occupied.  Multiple restaurants, a couple of bar options, a duty-free store, multiple other stores, and some cozier VIP lounges can all make the waiting time go much quicker.  Lounges cost about $40 a day but with snacks and beverages provided, it may be worth it. 

Once this new automated electronic system is implemented, Los Cabos tourists can expect things to go along more smoothly at the airport.  And most importantly, it will make things go much quicker too.