Entering or leaving the country with more than 10,000 USD or equivalent in other currencies is not a crime, not declaring so is.

Anyone entering or leaving Mexico carrying over 10,000 USD, or equivalent, in:

1. Cash
2. National or foreign checks
3. Payment orders
4. Any other receivable document

Or a combination of the above-mentioned, has the obligation to declare it to the customs authorities in the following formats:

1. Upon entering the country, the Customs Declaration for Passengers Coming from Abroad.
2. Upon leaving, the Money Declaration, passenger departure.

Should you answer that you are carrying over 10,000 USD in any of these declarations, you must additionally fill out the  Declaration of Entering or Leaving with Amounts in Cash or Receivable Documents.

Note: Should you fail to declare, you will be liable to a fine from 20% to 40% of the amount exceeding 10,000 USD. If the undeclared amount is larger than 30,000 USD, you will be liable to 3 months to 6 years of prison and the exceeding amount will be seized by the federal tax authority, unless lawful origin is proved. Should the lawful origin not be proved, you may be liable to 5 to 15 years of prison and a fine of 1000 to 5000 days, as it is considered an operation with illegally obtained resources.