can i use my birthcertificate replacing my passport to cross the us,mexico border?
my passport expired. but im planning on going to tj. with hannah, my austrailian exchange student so that means i cant do sentri because i dont want her to walk across alone. but they will for sure check my passport if i do. which is expored. ill bring my passport my birthcertificate id school id whatelse? what do you think?
Packing & Preparation - 2 Answers
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1 :
You can still use your Drivers License as identification until January 31, 2008. Absolutely no changes will be made in regards to identification requirements prior to January 31, 2008. So if you are planning a road trip to Mexico, and you plan on returning to the US before January 31, 2008, you can still use your US Drivers License as ID. On January 31, 2008, Department of Homeland Security is now stating the following: "JANUARY 31, 2008 U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present either a WHTI-compliant document, or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, plus proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. DHS also proposes to begin alternative procedures for U.S. and Canadian children at that time." travel.state.gov/travel/cb..._2223.html Please keep in mind that these dates have been delayed in the past, so it would not be surprising if this January 31 date got pushed back a few months. We will keep you posted. The Department of Homeland Security also states that "perhaps" as soon as the Summer of 2008, they "might" "possibly" "potentially" start requiring passports for all land travel across the border. Please note that there is absolutely no set date for when this will happen, and there will be an announcement of at least 60 days prior to when the requirement will actually be implemented. The language is extremely open ended and ambiguous, so don't expect changes anytime soon. Many people who have been monitoring the passport requirement situation still feel that it will be 2009 before passports are actually required. Homeland Security is waiting to finalize the Pass Card technology before implementing the passport requirements, and it does not appear that the technology is very close to being ready for use. Read more from the US Department of State website Below is a quick summary of the new passport legislation, and a timeline of when the changes are expected to be implemented: Why is the Passport Law Changing? As part of the The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the Department of Homeland Security is supposed to implement a plan that requires all travelers to the US to provide a passport or similar documentation upon entry into the US. This requirement applies to all US citizens and foreign travelers. This plan is called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Read more about the WHTI - NOTE - this web page still lists the January 2008 deadline, but the documentation below will show that the deadline has been changed to sometime around June 2009. Also, note the difference between Air and Land travel. When Will Passports be Required for Re-Entering the US from Mexico? This is where the confusion lies! The passport requirements are being applied at different dates for different types of travel. There are 3 different classifications for traveling into the US. 1: Air Travel - (By airplane): As of January 23, 2007, all travelers - including US and Canadian citizens are now required to have a passport when entering the US by airplane. 2: Sea Travel - (By boat or cruise ship): The exact deadline for when passports (or similar documentation) will be required for entering the US by sea has not been set. However, current legislation has been passed that requires the deadline to be no later than June 2009. The sea travel deadline will be the same as the land travel deadline. 3: Land Border Travel - (Driving a vehicle or walking across the border): The exact deadline for when passports (or similar documentation) will be required for entering the US by land has not been set. However, current legislation has been passed that requires the deadline to be no later than June 2009. The land travel deadline will be the same as the sea travel deadline. Why has the Passport Requirement for Land Border Travel Been Delayed? Originally, the passport requirements for land border travel were supposed to be implemented by January 2008, but in October 2006, the President signed into law a delay of this deadline until June 2009. The main reason for the delay is because the Department of Homeland Security is attempting to develop a PASS CARD system. This system will create drivers license-sized cards that will serve as limited use passports for land border entries from Mexico and the US. The Senate recognized that the PASS CARD system could not be properly implemented by the original deadline, so they passed the Leahy-Stevens Amendment which delayed the deadline until sometime prior to (or on) June 2009. Read the actual legislation from Senator Leahy's website Read the documentation of the President signing the June 2009 deadline - Page 3; bottom right paragraph Should You Get a Passport Now? If you think you may be driving to Mexico after June 2009, then you should probably go ahead and get a passport sometime soon. The passport processing times will only get longer as we get closer to the passport requirement deadline. It is currently taking up to 15 weeks to receive a new passport without paying extra for expedition. Plus - you already need a passport if you want to travel to Mexico by airplane!
2 :
yes you can use your birth certificate, drivers license, social security card. school id possibly. I've been to Mexico a few times and they let me come back to the states with proof of drivers license since i didn't have a passport at the time. but i brought the other items just in case. I'm Mexican by the way but i have light skin so i thought for sure I'd get stuck and speaking English and Spanish very fluent hahaha but no. all went well :) have fun. *be careful about the taxi drivers. right when you cross the boarder they will hound you. some taxi drivers are crooked. some on purpose drive you to your location but pretend to get lost to make more money. DO NOT get into a cab if it doesn't look real or if it looks really ghetto and no company info on the doors. makes sure its nice from the outside and looks like a cab. Trust me on this.
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