BajaNomad

lost/stolen ID

dcoyote - 3-16-2014 at 03:13 PM

On my way back from La Paz to the Border I lost or had stolen my whole package with passport,license,money,credit cards,insuance etc..all I have is my checkbook and my vehicle registration..I can borrow some money but can I get across the border without all the hassle of applying for new passport and waiting..as I don't have the correct ID for that either? I hear they can't refuse you to cross but is that your car too? Any Thoughts?:?::?:

woody with a view - 3-16-2014 at 03:24 PM

just get in line and tell the border guard. they'll prolly give you the 4th degree, including cavity search but as long as you aren't on the most wanted list they'll let you go.

eventually!

let us know how it goes!

tiotomasbcs - 3-16-2014 at 03:26 PM

Amigo, sorry to hear of your bad luck. Some posts have stated you can cross back over w/o Passport but I hope you have some other identification. Car reg or anything else with your name on it left behind? Where are you now? Lots of good Nomads all up and down the Peninsula. Check in later and good luck. Tio

dcoyote - 3-16-2014 at 03:30 PM

Yes I do have vehicile registration and my checkbook book..I'm thinking go for it rather than get bogged down here trying to get a new passport..when I don't even have the right ID's to apply!

larryC - 3-16-2014 at 03:33 PM

I thought you had to pay extra for the cavity search. Or maybe you pay extra so you can choose who does the search. Look for someone with freakishly small hands.

DENNIS - 3-16-2014 at 03:33 PM

What Woody says. Just plead your case and let them do their thing. They don't want you around any longer than necessary.
BTW......you do know who won the US Table Tennis championship in 1967, doncha?

Location

bajaguy - 3-16-2014 at 03:38 PM

Coyote, where are you now??

DENNIS - 3-16-2014 at 03:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajaguy
Coyote, where are you now??


Maybe he found a bar that will take a check. I hope so anyway.

desertcpl - 3-16-2014 at 03:44 PM

I know what he is going thru,, I lost or was stolen my wallet

on New Years day this year,, had my passport card in it with every thing else, what a b-tch

dcoyote - 3-16-2014 at 03:45 PM

I'm in Loretto now..have filed a police report and supposed to take it to feds for a documented form then to immigration here in Loretto on Tuesday morning! Not sure what good all that will do but at least will be documented!

bajaguy - 3-16-2014 at 03:48 PM

Bring a copy of the form and report with you when you cross the border
Quote:
Originally posted by dcoyote
I'm in Loretto now..have filed a police report and supposed to take it to feds for a documented form then to immigration here in Loretto on Tuesday morning! Not sure what good all that will do but at least will be documented!

dcoyote - 3-16-2014 at 04:29 PM

A guy I met for about 5 minutes at Los CoCo's in Muleje when I discovered my fanny pack was missing named Don loaned me 640 pesos and got me on my way back to Loretto to see if I could turn up my stuff at the 3 places I stopped there on the way north..so I'm sitting at Augie's Bar and Grill on the Malecon having a Margarita and have a friend going North from La Paz tomorrow who hopefully is bringing me some cash to get me home from another Nomad..friends on the road ..que rico!

absinvestor - 3-16-2014 at 04:57 PM

You'll get across the border. I had something similar happen to a friend. Actually only held him up for about a hour at the Tecate border crossing. The border agents asked him all the normal stuff ie dob, ssn , current and former addresses, etc etc and let him through. As for Don- I lived near Mulege for a couple of years. I don't know him but what a nice gesture. Lots of nice people throughout Baja and it looks like Don is one of the best.

Russ - 3-16-2014 at 05:08 PM

You can start the process of reporting a stolen passport here:
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/emergencie...

Good Luck I think like the others, You will get across the border.
EDIT: Disregard the above idea. I read some of it and it's typical gov. B&S Just go and get a replacement when you get home.

[Edited on 3-17-2014 by Russ]

dcoyote - 3-16-2014 at 05:41 PM

Bueno!! Thanks for all you good words and support..I'll celebrate Benito Juarez's holiday tomorrow in Loreto and get my document and head up through Tecate as I don't think I could put up with TJ..and if I get hung up I'll just go a bit south and have some vino!!

gnukid - 3-16-2014 at 05:44 PM

you have no other choice, simple

willardguy - 3-16-2014 at 05:49 PM

tell em your name is Alexander Supertramp, they'll let you in!

dcoyote - 3-16-2014 at 05:54 PM

Me gusta simple!

bledito - 3-16-2014 at 06:49 PM

just don't tell em your name is jose rodriguez or they'll never let you leave.

apple - 3-16-2014 at 06:52 PM

On a related note, anyone know how long it takes to get a passport card from the consulate in Tijuana? Or how much it costs to get one expedited?

gnukid - 3-16-2014 at 08:52 PM

Usually about three weeks to get your passport replaced through TJ

Dave - 3-16-2014 at 11:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by apple
On a related note, anyone know how long it takes to get a passport card from the consulate in Tijuana? Or how much it costs to get one expedited?


I actually think it takes less time to get a passport than a card. If you can show need you could probably get one that day. I got a replacement passport at the consulate in TJ the next day. Got a card in five working days. There was no extra charge.

gnukid - 3-17-2014 at 06:48 AM

You can get one in the same day with an itinerary on letterhead showing planned flights an expedited fee, but the consulate also ships and sometimes hand delivers replacements in La Paz in about 3 weeks.

DENNIS - 3-17-2014 at 07:11 AM

We've had this discussion in the past, but I make copies of everything, and if I were on a trip, I'd have copies with me somewhere other than with the originals.

Nye - 3-17-2014 at 07:18 AM

I once had my wallet lost/stolen,I did however had my dogtags and was lucky enough the border guard was cool about it.

DavidE - 3-17-2014 at 11:34 AM

I would tell the nice man in the kiosk right off "Hi I am a US citizen and I was robbed". The Tec 2 database system references your license plate number to the DMV and playing the part of victim seems to help. Whether it helps "a lot" is the question.

In explaining, I would also tell the nice men that you intend to stop at the DMV (CA 52) on your way north and get a "temporary" driver license.

When they have me by the short hairs, I always refer to them as "Nice Man"

mulegejim - 3-17-2014 at 11:37 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
We've had this discussion in the past, but I make copies of everything, and if I were on a trip, I'd have copies with me somewhere other than with the originals.


Very good point Dennis, I also scan the facing page on my passport, my Sentri card, my drivers license and my RT card then email all of that to myself. That way you can at least bring up the email and print out the docs from anywhere you have internet access and a printer.

Cloud Storage

bajaguy - 3-17-2014 at 11:43 AM

Another option is to use a cloud storage application such as DropBox or PogoPlug......scan all of your documents and place them the cloud........you can also give limited access to your kids or trusted relatives to the files you select

https://www.dropbox.com/

https://pogoplug.com/
Quote:
Originally posted by mulegejim
Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
We've had this discussion in the past, but I make copies of everything, and if I were on a trip, I'd have copies with me somewhere other than with the originals.


Very good point Dennis, I also scan the facing page on my passport, my Sentri card, my drivers license and my RT card then email all of that to myself. That way you can at least bring up the email and print out the docs from anywhere you have internet access and a printer.

Whale-ista - 3-17-2014 at 12:22 PM

I like the cloud idea. Wifi is pretty common now so info would be relatively easy to access from remote servers if you are in a town.

I'm curious what systems/techniques others have set up to avoid similar problems.

If you're travelling solo, it's a bit tougher, but on past trips I have photographed my passport and other important documents and saved them in either my camera/phone/Ipad under locked/password protected files.

I also add those of the people I'm travelling with if they want.

Another: I've photocopied documents and swapped them with people I'm travelling with, along with emergency contact info, so if my bag/wallet is stolen, or I'm incapacitated, they have copies of my docs and vice versa and know who to contact for help in the US.

Worse case scenario: ALL items get lost/stolen/destroyed in (fire/flood/name that disaster), but as with any engineering project: backups/redundancy is a virtue.

OTOH- Not sure if these copies would represent a security problem- if stolen, they have the Information, but not the original documents to do any forgery...

So- other ideas on preventing total loss scenarios?

[Edited on 3-17-2014 by Whale-ista]

Cloud

bajaguy - 3-17-2014 at 01:06 PM

I also have all personal, vehicle, current medical/rx info and financial stuff (credit card numbers & contact phone info) and contact info for friends in Baja in the cloud so if anything gets stolen or lost I can contact people immediately. My kids have access in the event I can't.

dcoyote - 3-17-2014 at 03:34 PM

All great ideas and glad I generated some discussion from my negligence. I am a long time traveler and usually very proficient on backup etc...I guess the one word I could use here is complacency. So used to traveling down the Baja that for some reason on the way back up I had everything in my small fanny pack..Including photcopy of birth certificate, backup driver's license and photocopy of passport...go figure..when you least expect it....you become complacent and that's when it happens so tomorrow off to the border and will share my adventure when I get over!

Cheers