Short answer: From Chetumal you reach Belize two ways. Take a ferry across the water to the islands, San Pedro on Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, in about an hour and a half to San Pedro. Or cross the land border at Subteniente López into Corozal and continue south by road. Both need a valid passport. There is no fee to enter Belize as a tourist. The crossing is fast now that the new bridge carries most of the traffic. If you are island-bound, the ferry is the move. If you are headed anywhere on the mainland, cross by land. Either way, Chetumal is the door, and once you are through it you are in my part of the country.
I am from the northern border country, and I have crossed at Chetumal more times than I can count, going back to the early 1980s. For people from the north, Chetumal is not a foreign city. It is where you go. This crossing is not a checkpoint to me. It is a routine I have known most of my life. The crossing has changed over the years, mostly for the better, but the basic shape of it is the same, and I can walk you through it the way I would walk a relative through it.
The two routes, side by side
| Route | Best for | Roughly how long | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferry from Chetumal | San Pedro and Caye Caulker | ~1.5 hrs to San Pedro, plus terminal time | Passport |
| Land border (Subteniente López) | Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize City, the mainland | ~30–60 min through the crossing, then road | Passport |
If the ferry schedule does not fit your day, cross by land and pick up a boat to the cayes from Belize City or Corozal later. The two routes are not rivals. They are tools for different days.
The ferry from Chetumal to the islands
Two companies run the water route from Chetumal to the cayes, and it is worth knowing both, because between them you can usually find a sailing that fits.
- San Pedro Belize Express sails the Chetumal route, with the boat leaving the Chetumal terminal in the afternoon as currently scheduled. Their Chetumal dock is the Terminal Marítima Internacional (the Chetumal fiscal dock); on the Belize end they run out of the Belize Marine Terminal in Belize City.
- International Islander Ferries departs Chetumal in the morning, with check-in closing an hour before, and runs roughly four days a week, usually Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Their Chetumal dock is the Muelle Fiscal APIQROO. Coming back, the boat leaves San Pedro in the early afternoon.
The crossing runs about an hour and a half to San Pedro. Caye Caulker is longer, around three hours, because that boat stops at San Pedro first. You clear out of Mexico and into Belize as part of the process; immigration and customs are handled at the terminal, not somewhere you have to go find on your own. Check in about an hour before, because they tag and load the bags, and the boat will not wait for a slow line.
One honest caveat on times: ferry departure times and days shift with the season, and the boats have been known to leave late. Treat the morning-and-afternoon shape and the four-days-a-week pattern as the reliable part. For the exact clock on your date, check belizewatertaxi.com and sanpedrowatertaxi.com directly and book ahead, especially in high season.
And book it ahead in earnest, because these boats are a limited, closed system and in high season they sell out. Travelers turn up at the Chetumal dock to find the next sailing a full day off, and then the choice is to stay the night in Chetumal or backtrack and cross at the land border to Corozal instead. Going the other way, from the islands back toward Mexico, you can skip the boat entirely: fly San Pedro to Corozal on Tropic Air in about twenty minutes, then it is a short fifteen-to-twenty-minute drive to the Chetumal border.
The land border crossing, step by step
The land crossing is straightforward, and the newer bridge has made it faster than it was for most of my life. Here is the order of operations going from Mexico into Belize.
- Get to the border at Subteniente López. From Chetumal it is about a ten-minute ride to the crossing.
- Clear Mexican exit (INM). Hand over your passport. This is where the tourism tax can come up.
- Cross the bridge. A short distance over the river into Belize.
- Clear Belize immigration. Present your passport. Most visitors get a stay stamped on arrival, around thirty days, with no entry fee. Check the rule for your nationality before you travel.
- Belize customs. A standard check. Sometimes vehicles get a quick agricultural spray for pests, which is normal.
- Continue to Corozal, about fifteen minutes on, and pick up onward transport. Buses run from Corozal to Belize City in roughly two hours.
The border keeps daytime hours on both sides, and it stacks up in the mornings, roughly seven to ten, and on weekends. If you have a choice, cross on a weekday and not first thing.
The fees, sorted out once and for all
Most of the confusion at this border is about money, so let me lay it out plainly, by direction, because that is where the guides get it wrong. The exact amounts change, so I am giving you the structure, not numbers that will be stale by the time you read this. Check the official sources for current figures.
- Entering Belize: there is no tourist entry fee. You get a stamp and you walk in.
- Leaving Belize by land: there is a departure fee for non-residents, which includes a conservation charge. You pay it at the border on the way out. If you fly out instead, it is usually already in your airline ticket.
- Mexico’s federal tourist tax (the DNI): if you flew into Mexico, this was almost certainly bundled into your airfare. Download the itemized receipt from your airline and keep it on your phone. Showing it settles the question fast.
- Quintana Roo’s state tourism tax: a separate, state-level charge, not the same thing as the federal DNI. Most guides blur the two together. They are different.
There is one more wrinkle worth knowing. Travelers report that crossing by ferry from Chetumal can sidestep the Mexican tourism-tax question that the land crossing raises. I am telling you what people report, not making you a promise. Rules at borders change without notice. If saving that fee matters to your budget, ask the ferry operator directly when you book and confirm it again at the terminal.
What the booking sites get wrong
Three things, because I hear them every season. First, people think they have to choose Belize City to reach the islands. They do not. The ferry from Chetumal drops you on the caye and skips the mainland entirely. Second, people treat the Mexican tourism tax as one fee with one answer. It is two taxes, and the answer depends on how you entered Mexico and which way you are crossing. Third, people show up at the ferry dock without a booking and without a buffer. The boats are limited, they fill in high season, and they leave on their own time. Book ahead and arrive early.
A note on the food, since you are here
Crossing at Chetumal puts you straight into the Mestizo north, Corozal and Orange Walk, which is panucho and salbute and escabeche country. The Yucatecan food you ate in Mexico does not stop at the border. It crosses it. The panuchos in a Corozal market come from the same tradition as the ones in Mérida. If you want to understand what you are about to eat, the Belize street food guide is where I would start.
Coming from Cancún first? Start with how to get from Cancún to Belize. Once you are in, here is flying within Belize, and the full Belize travel guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can you cross into Belize from Chetumal?
Yes. You can cross by land at the Subteniente López border into Corozal, or take a ferry from Chetumal directly to San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Both need a valid passport.
What documents do I need to enter Belize from Mexico?
A valid passport. Most visitors are stamped in on arrival for a standard stay of around thirty days without a visa, but confirm the requirement for your nationality before traveling.
Is there a fee to enter Belize?
No. There is no tourist entry fee to come into Belize. There is a departure fee for non-residents when you leave by land, and if you fly out it is usually built into your airline ticket. Check official sources for current amounts.
What is the Mexican exit fee or tourism tax at this border?
There are two separate Mexican taxes: the federal tourist tax (DNI), which is usually included in your airfare if you flew into Mexico, and the Quintana Roo state tourism tax. Carry the itemized airline receipt as proof of the federal tax. Travelers report the Chetumal ferry route can bypass the land tourism-tax ask; confirm with the operator before relying on it.
Is there a ferry from Chetumal to San Pedro and Caye Caulker?
Yes. San Pedro Belize Express and International Islander Ferries both run the route. San Pedro Belize Express sails in the afternoon; International Islander leaves Chetumal in the morning, roughly Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Sailings are limited and seasonal, so check the current schedule and book ahead.
How long is the ferry from Chetumal to Belize?
About an hour and a half to San Pedro on the water, plus time to clear immigration and customs at the terminal. Caye Caulker is longer, around three hours, because that boat stops at San Pedro first.
How long does the land border crossing take?
The crossing itself usually takes thirty to sixty minutes. It is busiest in the mornings, roughly seven to ten, and on weekends. Crossing on a weekday and not first thing is faster.
About Isela Post
Isela is a Belizean mother who has been cooking from memory and from markets her whole life. Her recipes carry the food of the Yucatec Maya tradition, the corner store ingredients of daily Belizean life, and the party table of every celebration she has ever fed people at. She writes for the Belize News Post.
