The IAVE pass is an electronic means of payment for tolls in Mexico. It is a physical sticker or transponder (plastic unit about the size of a credit card) that sits on the windshield of your vehicle. As you pass through tolls in the IAVE lane, the system will read your sticker or transponder and deduct the toll amount. No cash necessary!
What does IAVE stand for?
Identificación Automática de Vehículos or Automatic Vehicle Identification.
What are the benefits of IAVE?
Short lines, dedicated toll lanes, and automatic payments! Not to mention discounted toll rates. The appeal of the pass is certainly increasing as Baja grows in popularity.
What forms of payment are accepted?
There are 3 ways to pay for your balance:
Prepaid: purchase a toll allowance of any amount from $50 to $3,000 pesos to a Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card (roughly $2.50 – $150 USD). Re-purchase when you run out. You can buy these cards at places like OXXO, fresko, la Comer, etc.
Monthly Payments: these will be automatically deducted from your Visa or Mastercard debit/credit card account on a monthly basis. The minimum deductible is $200 pesos (~$10 USD), and can go up to $500, $1,000, $2,000 and $2,500 pesos. A Visa/Mastercard credit or debit card is required.
Postpaid: toll charges are automatically deducted from your account. A $200 peso deposit is required for Via/Mastercards and for AMEX there is no fee. To pay your balance, you can do so online or in-person at an IAVE office.
More information on Prepaid IAVE tags
Purchasing a prepaid tag makes it easy to save money and time on tolls. Follow these three steps:
Buy & activate your pass: activation is done automatically at the time of purchase.
Register your pass: you can do this by calling or downloading their mobile app. You will need to provide your name, email and IAVE Tag #
Call: 01 800 111 0088
Download the mobile app
Recharge your pass: this can be done on the website or via their mobile app. Recharges can be done in the amount of $50 to $3,000 pesos (roughly $2.50 – $150 USD)
Depending on which city you’re in, the following stores will sell pre-paid IAVE passes.
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