Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 37
Florida-based Tammy Levent never imagined that bringing both her laptop and iPad through customs at Cancun International Airport for a work trip in June would result in an approximately $200 fine.
An entrepreneur in the travel industry, Levent is no stranger to Cancun. For the last decade, she’s visited two to three times a year for work, often bringing neophyte travel agents with her for trainings.
When Levent arrived at the airport this time, she had two check-in suitcases and a carry-on with her. Passing through customs, she was flagged to one of the tables where her luggage was examined by an agent. The agent pulled out her iPad and laptop, telling her, “You can’t have both,” she recounted to USA Today. She said she’s always brought these devices with her before, and this was the first time it was an issue.
As the gateway to Mexico’s most visited city, Cancun International Airport is also the busiest airport in the country with over 13 million passengers annually and 500 daily flights.
Unlike in the U.S., where there’s no limit on how many laptops you can fly with, many of these passengers may not know that Mexican customs regulations only allows one portable computer per foreign arrival, including laptops and tablets. Otherwise travelers face taxes of up to 19% of the deemed value of up to $4,000 of the device, according to the country’s General Rules for Foreign Trade, under Baggage and Passenger Allowance.
Levent said her older generation iPad was considered worth much more than it really is by the agent, making her fine higher than she felt was fair.
Source: USA Today
