BajaNomad - For the 10,000 time

For the 10,000 time

Ron_Perry - 6-3-2008 at 08:17 PM

Don't hate me! This question has been asked a million times. I plan to drive down to La Paz in July, .....do I need a passport, or the $20.00 "card" at the border. Thanks for the patience, Ron

David K - 6-3-2008 at 08:19 PM

Not yet... but you must have a photo ID (driver's license) AND proof of US citizenship (ie. cert. birth certificate) if you don't have the passport card or book.

David K - 6-3-2008 at 08:33 PM

More...

Before Jan 31, 2008 you could just 'say' you were an American. Since then you need proof... but land crossings of the border into the US do not yet require a passport:

I posted this on 12/12/07:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Press Release

December 3, 2007
Contact: DHS Press Office, (202) 282-8010
DOS Press Office, (202) 647-2492

TRAVELERS REMINDED OF NEW DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS BEGINNING JANUARY 31, 2008
Documents Proving Citizenship and Identity Will be Required When Entering The United States Through Land and Sea Ports of Entry

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) remind the traveling public that as of Jan. 31, 2008, all adult travelers will be required to present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, and proof of identity, such as a driver’s license, when entering the United States through land and sea ports of entry. DHS will be issuing a notice in the Federal Register formally announcing the change.

This change is a necessary step to prepare travelers and ease the transition to the future requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). WHTI proposes to establish documentation requirements for travelers entering the United States who were previously exempt, including citizens of the U.S., Canada, and Bermuda. As recommended by the 9/11 Commission, Congress enacted WHTI in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. WHTI will result in both enhanced security and increased facilitation across the border once implemented. During this transition, DHS and the Department of State are working diligently to minimize the impact on legitimate trade and travel.

Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers may accept oral declarations of citizenship from U.S. and Canadian citizens seeking entry into the United States through a land or sea border. However, as of January 31, 2008:
§ Oral declarations of citizenship alone will no longer be accepted
§ U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 19 and older will need to present a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, along with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or naturalization certificate
§ Children ages 18 and under will only be required to present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate
§ Passports and trusted traveler program cards - NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST - will continue to be accepted for cross-border travel
All existing nonimmigrant visa and passport requirements will remain in effect and will not be altered by this change.

DOS reminds the public that the current turnaround time for a passport is four to six weeks, so Americans planning international travel may wish to apply now. For information on obtaining a U.S. Passport visit www.travel.state.gov or call 1-877-487-2778. Specific documentation requirements for land, sea and air travel may be found at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/. To learn more about NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST, visit www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/.

###

bajaguy - 6-3-2008 at 08:35 PM

Since he is headed south to LaPaz, maybe he means the FMT.. :?:

David K - 6-3-2008 at 08:47 PM

A passport or passport card ($20 card?)... is for proof of citizenship to get a MEXICAN VISA (FM-T/ Tourist card) and to get back into the U.S. when that is required...

If he means the 'tourist card' (FM-T) by '$20 card', then yes... get that at the border... and you need the same proof of citizenship and photo ID for it, too.

Enter Mexico at Tijuana, and use the far right 'something to declare' lane... Park in the secondary inspection area... Walk to the far right office facing the parking area (INM)... Fill out form, take it about 6 doors down to the teller to pay the fee and RETURN to the INM office for the final stamp to activate the visa/ tourist card. It is available 24/7 at Tijuana.

If you enter at a late hour, and nobody seems to be at either office, walk through the hallway to the pedestrian entrance to Mexico and find the same two offices open on that side.

It is checked only at the state border on Hwy. 1, near Guerrero Negro.

[Edited on 6-4-2008 by David K]

CaboRon - 6-3-2008 at 09:08 PM

Welcome to the board !

Just do what David K says for entry into mexico and get your FMT ...

The passport/or cert. birth certificate and drivers lisc stuff is for coming back to the states ... I think that has been covered pretty well also.

The main thing you should do is take lots of pictures and post a trip report when you get back.

Check your U2U ... in the upper right corner of this page.

CaboRon

BajaWarrior - 6-3-2008 at 09:48 PM

Ok, here is a scenario.

I know you need a passport to fly in/out of Mexico, and also when you take a cruise.

How about a chartered fishing boat, like a three day from San Diego into Mexican waters?

Passport?

Don Alley - 6-3-2008 at 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaWarrior
Ok, here is a scenario.

I know you need a passport to fly in/out of Mexico, and also when you take a cruise.

How about a chartered fishing boat, like a three day from San Diego into Mexican waters?

Passport?

There have been some discussions about this on the fishing message boards. Currently it appears the rule on scheduled party boats, which do not make port or landfall in Mexico, is that you do not need a passport. That's probably true of charters as well, as long as you don't make landfall. However, some posters claim the exact letter of the law is not as clear and the government could require a passport for such trips if they choose.

You do need a photo ID for any party boat, regardless of the destination.

So, many say you should probably just get a passport anyway. There have been unscheduled emergencies and resulting port stops that may put you in the "you need a passport" category.

BMG - 6-3-2008 at 10:06 PM

Quote:

Nah....live bait is better.

I have never been asked for any ID while in Mexico. This includes mainland and Baja. (This doesn't include flying, only driving, trains, ferries and buses.) Just do as David K says and get the FMT and you'll be good to go. Enjoy the drive and stop to smell the cacti.

mtgoat666 - 6-4-2008 at 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ron_Perry
Don't hate me! This question has been asked a million times. I plan to drive down to La Paz in July, .....do I need a passport, or the $20.00 "card" at the border. Thanks for the patience, Ron

get a tourist visa at the border. carry government photo ID and birth certificate (or passport). carry authorization letter if traveling as single parent w/ kid.

get a passport, soon you'll need one to cross any border, really no excuse for not having one, unless you're a home body that has no desire to ever travel. will come a time when even driving across border requires passport.

Oso - 6-4-2008 at 07:43 AM

The U.S. passport card is only that cheap if you already have a passport. The only reason to get one is that it is a little more convenient to carry in your wallet and leave your passport at home. The FMT is needed below Maneadero and you could be asked to show it at Guerrero Negro. Unless you go around... um, never mind.

David K - 6-4-2008 at 07:58 AM

Righty-O (remember Felix the Cat?)

Come on everyone, when you travel internationally you need a passport (Mexico is another nation, afterall). So it was never needed before, but it will be soon for land travelers... Besides, once you have the passport the whole world is open to you... It's valid for 10 years, too.

Udo - 6-4-2008 at 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CaboRon
Welcome to the board !

Just do what David K says for entry into mexico and get your FMT ...

The passport/or cert. birth certificate and drivers lisc stuff is for coming back to the states ... I think that has been covered pretty well also.

The main thing you should do is take lots of pictures and post a trip report when you get back.
The tough part is to figure out how to convert each photo to less than 50K in size (640X480). I have hundreds of photos that would be helpful to club members, but it would take me weeks to downsize each photo.

Check your U2U ... in the upper right corner of this page.

CaboRon

Udo - 6-4-2008 at 08:25 AM

Quote:

Lots of photos is ok if one can take the weeks in time to downsize a 10 megapixel image to less than 50k (640X480).
I have hundreds of photos that would be valuable to the club if I could figure out how to downsize the batch. I guess one could upload everything to a photo site and then give a link to it. But it's a lot cooler to just post some photos on BN along with a description.

David K - 6-4-2008 at 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by udowinkler

The tough part is to figure out how to convert each photo to less than 50K in size (640X480). I have hundreds of photos that would be helpful to club members, but it would take me weeks to downsize each photo.

Use photobucket.com to load your photos and then paste the url onto Nomad for each photo... You can resize them easily for message board size. The last photos I posted (Memorial Day on Shell Island) all came from photobucket.com instead of pre-reduced on my PC... Those were a bit big as I used the 15" screen reduction choice instead of the message board reduction choice.

Check it out Udo! :light:

[Edited on 6-5-2008 by David K]

CaboRon - 6-4-2008 at 10:26 AM

David,
You got someone else's quote in my box. I don't have any trouble uploading pics.

CaboRon

postholedigger - 6-5-2008 at 07:40 AM

If you change your camera settings to take photos at a smaller DPI/Pixel it makes things alot easier if you have no intention of doing detail intensive work with the pics.

David K - 6-5-2008 at 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CaboRon
David,
You got someone else's quote in my box. I don't have any trouble uploading pics.

CaboRon

Hi Ron, I was not saying that to you, just answering Udo... I copied the quote from Udo's post which was inside of your quote... I have just edited out your part. Sorry!

pargo - 6-6-2008 at 09:25 AM

I hear mention of a passport card. Is this something new as opposed to my actual passport?

CaboRon - 6-6-2008 at 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pargo
I hear mention of a passport card. Is this something new as opposed to my actual passport?

Pargo,

Check the third post in this thread by thebajarunner ...

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=30626

Take Care,

CaboRon

Udo - 6-6-2008 at 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

[Edited on 6-5-2008 by David K]

I' have some time today in the afternoon, and I download what I need to get my photobucket photos going.
I tried the flickr.com site, but my photos take forever to download to their site. Google's picasa does it faster but I'm having difficulties how to caption each photo.