Do I really need to renew my passport?

October 27, 2006 12:38 PM

Is it a necessity to have a passport when traveling to Mexico?

I will be traveling from St. Louis to Mexcio in mid-December. Do I need a passport or will a driver's license suffice? What have they asked for upon your arrival?

posted by rglass to Travel & Transportation around Mexico (13 answers total)

Your DL will work in December, but:

On January 8, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.
As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.
posted by Floydd at 12:42 PM on October 27, 2006

From the State Department's consular information sheet:

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: The Government of Mexico requires that all U.S. citizens present proof of citizenship and photo identification for entry into Mexico. However, some U.S. citizens have encountered difficulty in boarding flights in Mexico without a passport. The U.S. Embassy recommends traveling with a valid U.S. passport to avoid delays or misunderstandings. A lost or stolen passport is easier to replace when outside of the United States than other evidence of citizenship. However, U.S. citizenship documents such as a certified copy (not a simple photocopy or facsimile) of a U.S. birth certificate, a Naturalization Certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Citizenship are acceptable.
posted by profwhat at 12:42 PM on October 27, 2006

Usually a passport has not been required - especially if you are traveling to a tourist area but has been always advised.

HOWEVER...all this changes soon. Read this article. Starting Jan 8, a passport will be required.
posted by vacapinta at 12:43 PM on October 27, 2006

Oh, and they require Drivers License and Birth Certificate.
posted by Floydd at 12:44 PM on October 27, 2006

And take it from someone who just spent her entire morning in the freaking passport lineup (in Vancouver, albeit) -- get it renewed sooner rather than later. The lineups are only going to get worse.
posted by cgg at 12:48 PM on October 27, 2006

Floydd is correct - if you use a drivers license you also need an authentic birth certificate. =)
posted by kdern at 12:55 PM on October 27, 2006

if you can get your passport before you go, do it. much faster at immigration that way. i have been to mexico twice in the last few months, one trip before i got my passport and one after. while it isn't a problem traveling with your dl and birth cert (and you do need both), it was much easier with the passport.

have fun!! i love mexico and have a great suggestion for mazatlan if you happen to be going there.
posted by domino at 1:20 PM on October 27, 2006

If you are flying in, you will need one.

I can tell you that if you are crossing the border on the ground into Baja California, going no farther south than San Felipe or San Quintin, and are staying for under 72 hours, you only need a driver's license. Otherwise, you need a tourist card and a passport.

So the short answer is, unless you are driving to a border town for the day, yes, you need a passport.
posted by bryak at 1:45 PM on October 27, 2006

re: bryak - i flew in with my DL and certified copy of my birth cert in August as did my entire family without incident.

i had my passport for a recent cruise, but my travelling companion had only a DL and birth certificate and she encountered no problems there either.

you will be asked to fill out a Tourist card/immigration form/customs form - most likely on your flight. when you go through immigration you will hand them your documentation and this form. lots of checking over and stamping will ensue. once you are cleared there, you will go through customs and push THE BUTTON. green you go ahead, red they rifle through your stuff. unless you are going somewhere really random or look really suspicious, i don't think you will have a problem with just your drivers license and certified bc, but i still stand by my recommendation to get the passport if you can and if you plan on out of country travel in the future.
posted by domino at 2:49 PM on October 27, 2006

I know that Sen. Clinton is fighting the passport requirement for travel. I live near the Canadian border in NY, and there's a lot of fussing that requiring more than a DL will slow commerce. I imagine the Southwest Senators are saying the same thing about travel to Mexico.
posted by saffry at 3:44 PM on October 27, 2006

My car, they won't care. By plane, it'll be a big hassle, regardless of what the letter of the law says right now. (I speak from experience.)
posted by desuetude at 6:00 PM on October 27, 2006

Get a passport now; you'll eventually travel again, and you'll definitely need one at that time. They're issuing the last few passports without RFID chips. You don't want an RFID chip in your brand-new passport in two years. It's spooky.
posted by sachinag at 9:16 PM on October 27, 2006

Sachinag, my 13 year-old's replacement passport just arrived in the mail a few days ago. (We braved the passport office in late September.) RFID all the way, sadly.
posted by DawnSimulator at 10:07 PM on October 27, 2006