Not a backdoor but close

[map style=”width: 300px; height:300px; float:right; margin:10px 0px 10px 10px; border: 1px solid black;” marker=”yes” markerimage=”http://www.wolfandzebra.com/files/map_pin.png” lat=”17.259563″ lon=”-90.987861″ maptype=”OSM” z=”6″]We crossed the border into Guatemala at El Ceibo on Apr 30, 2014 and had a wonderful experience. We spent the previous night at Tenosique and easily made it to the border for its opening at 9am. We were riding into Guatemala less than 2 hours later.

I must say everyone was super friendly and helpful on both sides of the border, the process is quite straightforward and has been documented elsewhere but just in case here is how it went for us:

1. Leave the Aduana to your left and drive to la migration, park your bike to the left of the building.
2. See the migration official, show your visa stamp, provide the receipt for the 306 Pesos entry fee you should have paid when entering the country or pay them now, get your exit stamp
3. Go back to the 2nd building, not the aduana, the Banjercito. park between the 1st and 2nd building, enter through the glass doors
4. Go to the Banjercito window, show your permiso temporado de importacion along with passport and title. Get your import fee refunded. You are done with Mexico.
5. Cross the border and start with immigration, the blue office behind the aduana trailer
6. Show your passport and get your 90 days tourist visa stamped
7. Leave your bike parked in front of the aduana trailer and walk through the border, immediately after the gate at your right is a small tienda offering copy services. Get one copy of the following docs:
• your passport photo page
• your passport page with your new guatemalan visa stamp
• your drivers licence
• your bike’s title
8. Return to the aduana office with your copies, present the originals to the friendly officer, notice the Wolf & Zebra sticker on the wall, get the invoice for your bike import fee, 160 Quezales, about US$23.
9. Step out and go to the yellow banjercito trailer, pay the fee to the official and return to the aduana with the receipt
10. Sign the 3 copies of your import permit, get the SAT import sticker, proudly put in on your windscreen
11. Ride into Guatemala!

Note that their is a fumigation stand where zealous guys will spray your wheels with and unidentified liquid for 40 pesos or US$3. This is legally required for importation but the aduana officer forgot to ask us the proof of fumigation. We got our bikes fumigated anyway and paid for the service.