Mexico Faces a New U.S. Travel Advisory – What Travelers Need to Know
Updated Advisory Levels Reflect Growing Security Concerns
The U.S. State Department updated its Mexico travel advisory on August 12, 2025, raising the country to Level 2, which means travelers should exercise increased caution, with terrorism now added to the risk indicators alongside crime and kidnapping. This marks a shift from previous advisories, as the terrorism designation is new. The advisory update occurred in September 2024 as well, with individual risk assessment levels assigned to each Mexican state. The Level 2 advisory currently applies to 17 Mexican states and notes that violent crimes include homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery. According to preliminary data from Mexico’s Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security, the national homicide rate reportedly around 23.3 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2023 and 2024, while nationally, the homicide rate fell slightly for the third year in a row, from 25.9 per 100,000 in 2022 to 24.9 per 100,000 in 2023.
States Facing Do Not Travel and Reconsider Travel Warnings
Six Mexican states carry Level 4 advisories, meaning Americans should not travel there: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. Seven states including Baja California, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, and Sonora have a Level 3 advisory, which means Americans should reconsider travel. The northern border regions remain particularly concerning. The Overseas Security Advisory Council warns that the northern half of Mexico is generally a higher-threat area, primarily due to organized criminal conflicts and competition for drug trafficking routes to the U.S. Tijuana, along with popular San Diego destinations such as Rosarito and Ensenada, has been assigned a Level 3 advisory status, meaning travelers should reconsider visiting these areas due to ongoing security concerns. The warning comes after homemade explosive devices were dropped in a parking lot of the anti-kidnapping unit in Tijuana, damaging six cars.
Tourist Hotspots Under Level 2 Warnings
Popular tourism destinations that fall under the Level 2 category include Baja California Sur (where Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo are located), Mexico City, Nayarit, Oaxaca, and Quintana Roo (where Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Isla Mujeres, and Cozumel are situated). However, not all regions face equal risk. According to the latest U.S. State Department travel advisory update on August 12, 2025, Campeche and Yucatán remain the only Mexican states classified under Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions, the lowest risk level for travelers. Recent U.S. Embassy in Mexico winter season travel alerts, with the list extending to Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and La Paz based on official nighttime restrictions and downtown safety warnings. There were more than 36.7 million visits by Americans to Mexico in 2023, yet Mexico remains a paradox – an incredibly popular destination for American tourists that has the most active State Department travel advisories of any country in the world.
Kidnapping Risks and Cartel Activity Targeting Americans
In 2021, there were 625 reported kidnappings, down from 831 cases the previous year. Roughly 66 percent of kidnappings in Mexico now fall under the express category, where victims are abducted for one to three days to maximize payout while minimizing exposure. A 35-year-old tourist from New York was abducted near Tulum in a targeted ransom kidnapping, likely orchestrated by a local cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as cartels operating in Quintana Roo are increasingly turning to express ransom tactics targeting tourists. The U.S. State Department documented 115 deaths of American citizens in Mexico between January and June 2022 alone, with 25 of them homicides. The U.S. government has limited ability to help in many parts of Mexico, as government employees are not allowed to travel to certain high-risk areas.
Essential Safety Precautions and Entry Requirements for Travelers
All travelers must obtain a Forma Migratoria Múltiple, or FMM, which people can apply for online or at a local immigration office (a fee applies for certain entries), and this document is needed to leave Mexico and should be kept in a safe place while traveling. Bringing firearms or ammunition into Mexico without proper local permits and permissions is a serious crime that can lead to a lengthy prison sentence, and all guns and even small amounts of ammunition, used shells, empty magazines, knives, fireworks and explosives, daggers, swords, and brass knuckles are illegal. If you encounter a road checkpoint, you should comply, as fleeing or ignoring instructions can lead to you being hurt or killed. Emergency services are limited or unavailable in remote or rural areas, and travelers should call 911 in an emergency. Travelers should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP, for safety updates and information on how to get help in an emergency from the embassy or consulate.
