Medical tourism in Mexico
Medical tourism in Mexico for U.S. patients
Mexico is the closest medical tourism destination for most Americans, and the border cities of Baja California are the easiest to reach: Tijuana is next to San Diego. xcuro's partner clinics in Mexico are VIDA Wellness and Beauty Center in Tijuana, Hospital VELMAR in Ensenada, and Sani Dental Group.
What Americans travel to Mexico for
- Breast augmentation, tummy tuck and mommy makeover
- Liposuction and Brazilian butt lift
- Facelift, rhinoplasty and eyelid surgery
- Dental implants, crowns and veneers
Our procedure guides compare each listed clinic's quoted price with sourced U.S. prices, and add the cost of getting there.
Checking a surgeon in Mexico
Plastic surgeons in Mexico are certified by the Consejo Mexicano de Cirugía Plástica, Estética y Reconstructiva (CMCPER), which keeps a public directory. Every doctor also needs a professional license (cédula profesional), which you can look up in the government registry. VIDA's Tijuana facility is accredited by QUAD A, a U.S. accreditation body for surgery centers.
Getting there and how long to stay
Most patients fly into San Diego and cross by car or on foot, or fly into Tijuana and use the Cross Border Xpress bridge from the airport. U.S. visitors do not need a visa; immigration decides how many days you can stay, up to 180. To return by land, bring a U.S. passport, passport card, enhanced driver's license or trusted-traveler card. Plan on about a week for most cosmetic surgery and up to two weeks for a facelift or a combined procedure.
Since May 29, 2026 the State Department rates Mexico as a whole Level 2, “Exercise Increased Caution”, and asks U.S. citizens to follow the same rules as U.S. government employees, such as no travel between cities after dark. It also rates each state: Baja California, home to Tijuana, Mexicali and Los Algodones, is Level 3, “Reconsider travel”, while Quintana Roo (Cancún) is “Exercise increased caution”. Read the advisory for your state before you book.
Whatever the destination, the CDC recommends seeing a travel-medicine provider before you go, bringing copies of your medical records, arranging follow-up care at home before surgery, and waiting 10 to 14 days before flying after major surgery. Complications treated after you return may not be covered by U.S. insurance.
Traveling from the United States
U.S. passport holders travel without a visa for up to 180 days. A passport book is required for air travel, and a tourist permit (FMM, issued digitally at airports) is required on arrival.
The shortest trip of any destination we work with. Nonstop flights to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Cancun from most large U.S. hubs, 2 to 5 hours; Tijuana is reachable on foot from San Diego.
Entry rules change without much notice. Confirm them with the authority above before you book anything.
Top clinics in Mexico
A plastic surgery practice in Tijuana's Zona Río, led by plastic surgeons Dr. Jose Manuel Fonseca and Dr. Laura Adriana Álvarez, that publishes starting prices in U.S. dollars for American patients.
Family-run dental clinic in Los Algodones, near the Arizona and California border, built around its own dental laboratory, offering implants, full-arch restorations, veneers and same-day CEREC crowns, per the clinic.
Small dental clinic in Zona Río, Tijuana, in practice since 2014, offering implants, crowns and an All-on-4/All-on-6 package priced at $8,000 per arch, per the clinic.
Dental clinic in Los Algodones led by Dr. Ivan Gerardo Puente, focused on dental implants, full-arch treatment and cosmetic dentistry, per the clinic.
Bariatric surgery center in the Grand Hotel towers in Tijuana, founded and led by Dr. Liza María Pompa González, with a published COFEPRIS permit and SRC Center of Excellence and CSG certifications, per the center.
Specialist dental clinic in Colonia Madero, Tijuana, founded by periodontist Dr. Alexandra González, with specialists in implants, prosthodontics, endodontics and orthodontics, per the clinic.
Small dental clinic in Los Algodones founded by Dr. Fernanda Maldonado, offering implants, All-on-X, crowns, veneers and dentures to U.S. and Canadian patients since 2013, per the clinic.
Multidisciplinary dental clinic in Zona Río, Tijuana, with in-office 3D CT and digital scanning, a full published USD price list and U.S. PPO insurance acceptance, per the clinic.
Puerto Vallarta bariatric surgery practice of Dr. Sergio A. Del Hoyo and Dr. Christian O. Ramírez, operating at Hospital CMQ Premiere, with published USD package prices, per the practice.
Plastic surgery practice of Dr. Marco Tulio Marroquín and Dr. Karla Sandoval Díaz in Puerta de Hierro, Zapopan (Guadalajara area), offering facelift, breast, body and nose surgery, per the practice.
Tijuana weight-loss surgery center at Hospital Cyntar in Zona Río led by Dr. Ariel Ortiz, with SRC Master Surgeons on staff, a five-year follow-up program and stated JCI accreditation, per the center.
Boutique dental clinic in Cancún led by oral surgeon Dr. Mark Shtern, with implant, oral-surgery and cosmetic specialists, an on-site lab and CT scanner, published USD prices and a written warranty, per the clinic.
Dental clinic in Zona Río, Tijuana, in practice since 2013, offering implants, full-arch rehabilitation, veneers and biological dentistry, with a published USD price list, per the clinic.
Tijuana weight-loss surgery practice led by bariatric surgeon Dr. Fernando García Govea, operating at CER Hospital in Zona Río, with published USD package prices and San Diego ground transport, per the practice.
Cosmetic and implant dental clinic in the Plaza Kun medical tower in Cancún, led by Dr. Miller Vieira, with an in-house lab and published USD prices for implants and veneers, per the clinic.
Tijuana center founded in 2013 by plastic surgeon Dr. Alejandro Quiroz, with a QUAD A-accredited surgical center, an on-site Recovery Boutique and weight-loss surgery, dental and hair-restoration departments, about 15 minutes from the San Diego border (per VIDA).
Dental clinic in the Cancún Hotel Zone founded by Dr. Irma Gavaldón, with an in-house CAD/CAM lab and a published USD price list for implants, All-on-4, crowns and veneers, per the clinic.
Guadalajara clinic of Hair in 1 Day, a Mexican hair-transplant chain with clinics in Guadalajara, Monterrey, Mexico City and Querétaro, offering FUE with sapphire blades, per the clinic.
Dental practice in Los Algodones with a second office in Tijuana, offering implants and All-on-4/6 with published USD prices, travel bundles and a 5-year implant-parts warranty, per the clinic.
Dental group founded in 1985; its main clinic in Los Algodones, a short walk from the Andrade border crossing near Yuma, Arizona, has over 35 dentists and an on-site lab, according to Sani.
Plastic surgery practice of Dr. Allan Ceballos Pressler in Guadalajara (Puerta de Hierro, Zapopan), focused on mommy makeover, breast and body surgery, with virtual consultations for international patients, per the practice.
Hair-transplant clinic in Cancún's Hotel Zone offering FUE, FUT, DHI and ARTAS robotic transplants, led by Dr. Carlos Alejos Mex, per the clinic.
Tijuana practice of plastic surgeon Dr. Arturo Muñoz Meza, trained at the Guerrero Santos institute in Guadalajara, offering breast, body and facial surgery to patients from Southern California, per the practice.
Private hospital in Monterrey of the CHRISTUS MUGUERZA system, affiliated with U.S.-based CHRISTUS Health; it says it was the first hospital in Mexico accredited by JCI.
Private general hospital in Ensenada, Baja California, founded in 2000; Velmar says it is Ensenada's only hospital certified by Mexico's General Health Council.
Private general hospital of the Grupo Angeles network in Zona Río, Tijuana, with ten plastic surgeons in its directory and an international patient program, per the hospital.
Private surgical hospital in Tijuana opened in 2024, used by the Mexico Bariatric Center and Mexico Cosmetic Center programs, with four operating rooms, an intermediate ICU and 40 private rooms, per the hospital.
Compare all 27 hospitals and clinics in Mexico: ratings, accreditation and prices →
Cost guides for U.S. patients
Popular procedures
Compare clinics and written quotes in Mexico.
Mexico for U.S. patients: common questions
Is it safe to get plastic surgery in Mexico?
Is Mexico safe for Americans right now?
Is Tijuana safe for surgery?
Does Medicare cover medical care in Mexico?
How do I find a good plastic surgeon in Mexico?
How much cheaper is plastic surgery in Mexico?
If something goes wrong after treatment in Mexico
Emergency? In the U.S., call 911; in Mexico, call 911 (not all operators speak English). Then tell the clinic in writing.
Where to complain in Mexico
- CONAMED (Comisión Nacional de Arbitraje Médico): Complaints about care from public or private doctors, hospitals and clinics; free conciliation and, if both sides agree, arbitration.Fill in CONAMED's PDF complaint guide (Guía para presentar una queja) and email it with ID and copies of medical documents to primera_atencion@conamed.gob.mx, or file in person or by post in Mexico City. Spanish only. For care in another state, CONAMED points you to that state's commission. Nothing on its pages excludes non-residents, but we could not confirm that it accepts complaints from patients living abroad.
- State medical arbitration commissions (for Tijuana: Comisión de Arbitraje Médico del Estado de Baja California, CAMEBC): Medical complaints about providers in that state, by conciliation and arbitration.Find the state commission in CONAMED's directory. CAMEBC first refused a complaint from an Oregon patient, saying it lacked jurisdiction; a district judge ordered it to hear the case in September 2026. We could not confirm an official CAMEBC website or online filing route.
- PROFECO (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor): Consumer disputes with businesses, including billing and refunds; the State Department says PROFECO may be able to help resolve disputes over medical services.Online conciliation through Concilianet (registration required) or at a PROFECO office. Spanish only. We could not confirm the procedure for consumers who live outside Mexico.
- COFEPRIS (Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios): Sanitary complaints (denuncia sanitaria) about establishments, including public or private hospitals and clinics operating without proper licensing or in unsafe conditions. It does not award compensation.Online form in the Denuncias Sanitarias section of gob.mx/cofepris (official guide dated May 28, 2026); the complainant's details are kept confidential from the clinic. Spanish only.
The U.S. embassy keeps a list of local doctors and hospitals.
What to do if something goes wrong: the full guide for U.S. patients →