If you’ve done any sort of travel by road in Mexico, you are no doubt familiar with the occasional military checkpoints that pop up in certain places. Seeing armed soldiers can be a little unsettling.
Some checkpoints are set up when they are looking for a specific vehicle or persons. Some are permanent.
What to do When Rolling Up to a Checkpoint
When you come up to a checkpoint, the traffic will likely be slowed into 1-2 lanes and there will be armed guards looking in the vehicle. Slow down and be prepared to stop if asked. They may wave you by, or they may ask you to stop and want to know where you are going. If you look suspicious, they may ask you to pull over to ask additional questions or inspect your vehicle. Keep your passport, migration document, driver's licence, vehicle papers and your Mexican insurance policy where you can reach them.
If you are detained for any reason, find out why they are doing so and request to speak with the U.S. or Canadian Consulate (or wherever you are a naturalized citizen from). For US citizens, the US Embassy's emergency line from inside Mexico is 55 2579 2000 (US Embassy Mexico contact page); that page also lists each consulate's address and phone number. In an emergency, 911 is Mexico's emergency number (Ángeles Verdes, gob.mx).
Another thing to understand in Mexico is there are several levels of law enforcement; ask locally which forces cover the roads you will drive.
- Guardia Nacional – Mexico’s federal public-security institution.
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