18/07/2026
🇲🇽 Traveling to Cozumel with your scuba gear or underwater camera? Here's what you need to know about Mexican Customs.
We've recently received questions from guests concerned about reports of customs officers charging travelers for scuba equipment or underwater camera gear.
The good news is that most recreational divers traveling with their personal equipment should have no problems, provided the equipment is clearly for personal use and not intended for commercial import.
According to the official Mexican Customs (ANAM)regulations, your personal baggage may include, among other items:
📷 Up to two photographic or video cameras, plus photographic accessories.
💻 One laptop, portable electronic devices, GPS, mobile phones, storage devices, and related accessories.
🏄 Up to two personal sports equipment sets, which generally covers recreational scuba diving equipment carried for your own use during your trip.
In addition, travelers arriving by air or sea may bring up to USD $500 worth of additional merchandise duty-free as part of their customs allowance, separate from their personal baggage.
✅ Our recommendations for scuba divers
✔️ Pack your dive gear together as used personal equipment, not in original retail packaging.
✔️ If bringing an expensive underwater camera system, keep it assembled with your dive gear when practical, showing it is your personal equipment rather than new merchandise.
✔️ Carry proof of ownership (purchase receipt or insurance documentation) for high-value camera systems if available.
✔️ If you travel with multiple camera bodies, numerous lenses, lighting systems, or duplicate equipment, be prepared to explain that they are for personal underwater photography, not for resale.
✔️ If you're a professional photographer or videographer traveling with extensive commercial equipment, consider checking in advance whether additional customs documentation may be appropriate.
📖 Always rely on official information
Customs regulations can change, and individual situations may vary. Before traveling, we recommend reviewing the official Mexican government information:
🇲🇽 Mexican National Customs Agency (ANAM) – Baggage and Duty-Free Allowance
https://www.anam.gob.mx/equipaje-y-franquicia/
🇲🇽 Government of Mexico – What You Should Know When Passing Through Mexican Customs
https://www.gob.mx/shcp/articulos/lo-que-debes-saber-al-pasar-por-una-aduana-mexicana
At Scuba Life Cozumel, we welcome underwater photographers and recreational divers from around the world every day. If you have questions before your trip, send us a message—we'll gladly share our experience to help make your arrival in Mexico as smooth as possible.
🌴 See you underwater in Cozumel! 🤿📷
