Passports NOT to be required as expected for Land/Sea Border Crossings to Baja California and Mexico

12/04/07 To enter Mexico from the United States you must have a valid form of photo ID, such as a driver's license and a proof of nationality, such as an apostolated birth certificate. A valid US passport suffices for both items.

UPDATE 12/04/07 Travel Document Requirements - Traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda

Traveling to Canada, Mexico and Bermuda by Land/Sea

Beginning January 31, 2008, the Department plans to move towards WHTI implementation at land and sea ports of entry by ending the routine practice of accepting oral declarations of citizenship alone.

Citizens of the United States, Canda, Bermuda and Mexico will need to present the following to enter or depart the United States by land or sea:

U.S. and Canadian Citizens

• Ages 19 and older: 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 younger: 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.

Citizens from Bermuda

• Passport issued by the Government of Bermuda or the United Kingdom.

Citizens from Mexico

• As under current entry requirements, Mexican nationals, regardless of age, must present a passport issued by the Government of Mexico and a visa, or a valid Form DSP-150, B-1/B-2 laser visa (Border Crossing Card).

• Trusted traveler program cards - NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST - will continue to be accepted for cross-border travel.

Passport Requirements

All citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda are now required to present a valid passport when entering the United States at any airport as of January 23, 2007. This includes:

• Children of any age, including children of Legal Permanent Residents who are United States citizens.

• Mexican citizens who have a Border Crossing Card (BCC) when entering the United States by air. (The BCC is still valid in lieu of a passport and visa for land border crossings within the border region.) The BCC may be used as a visa.

Effective last January all persons entering the US by air, including US citizens were required to present a valid passport or other WHTI accepted document

On June 20, 2007 the Department of Homeland Security quietly muted the implementation of the requirement by expanding the definition of 'acceptable documents' (See: WHTI accepted document) to include a valid drivers license and proof of citizenship "such as a birth certificate" What will end is their acceptance of your verbal declaration of nationality. (See Dept of Homeland Security Page and US Department of State)

Complete implementation of the policy is expected in the summer of 2008. At that time only a passport or equivalent document will be acceptable. The DHS will issue 60 days notice on the implementation of this policy.

The first phase of the WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) planned since 9/11, was begun last January. As of January 2007 all persons entering the United States by air were required to present a valid passport.

When this plan was hatched back in 2002 fewer than 20% of all US citizens had passports. Falling short of their own estimation of demand for passports, the US Department of Homeland Security fell as much as 6 months behind in the backlog for new passports. This resulted in some loosening of the requirements last summer.