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Passports are required for all air travel to and from Mexico. For travel by land or sea, adults should have a passport, passport card, enhanced driver’s license, or a trusted traveler card like NEXUS, FAST, or SENTRI. Children under the age of 16 may travel with only a birth certificate, as may children under the age of 19 who are traveling with an organized group like a school, church, or sports group. However, keep in mind that Mexican regulations typically require US citizens to have a passport if they travel beyond the “border zone” into the interior of the country.
Instead of a passport, passengers on closed-loop cruises, which begin and end in the US, may cruise with a state-issued photo ID and birth certificate or naturalization certificate.
Please Note: U.S. visitors can arrive by plane to Mexico without a testing or quarantine requirement. However, effective January 26,2021, all airline passengers coming back to the United States ages two years and older must provide a negative COVID-19 viral test taken within three calendar days of travel. Alternatively, travelers may provide documentation from a licensed health care provider of having recovered from COVID-19 in the 90 days preceding travel.
Do I need a passport for Mexico?
Whether or not you need a passport to go to Mexico depends on two factors: how you’re getting there and when you’re planning to go. Passports are already required for travel to Mexico if you are traveling by plane. However, land and sea travelers can cross the border with a passport book or a passport card.
Some border crossings may permit travel with a state-issued ID (like a driver’s license) and proof of American citizenship (like a birth certificate). However, this is not recommended as you will have a harder time crossing back into the USA without your valid passport. The only groups of people who are able to cross the border using birth certificates will be children under 16 traveling with family and children under 18 if they are on an organized trip with a school, church, or sports group. These exceptions only apply to children traveling by land or sea. Everyone flying to or from Mexico will still need a passport, regardless of age. As a safety precaution, it’s best that all travelers to Mexico have a passport in case they need to fly home unexpectedly.
If you’re planning a trip to Mexico, it’s important to apply for a passport at least 8 weeks and preferably several months in advance.
If you need a passport to Mexico in a hurry, you should consider using a private passport expediting service to submit your passport application. With an expediting company, your application will be processed more quickly, bypassing the normal wait times. With RushMyPassport.com, you can have your passport processed quickly, safely, and securely!
Click here to view our passport processing options, and order your passport to Mexico the easy way!
I love mexico
Hi, do you provide services to expedite the renewal of a Mexican passport?
Unfortunately not. At this time, we are only able to assist with the expedition of United States Passports.
Do I need to renew or have all my shots before entering Mexico?
Hi Connie,
For US Citizens, all that is required to fly to Mexico is a valid passport.
hey am going to travel to mexico but my way back its going to be by land and am bring my niece for a couple of month to the usa i have all my documents including my passort but i dont know if my niece is going to need a passport she is 3 years.
Hi Vane,
A suspended driver’s license shouldn’t be a problem unless she’s actually behind the wheel, but not having a passport might be — they do have the ability to detain you temporarily at their discretion on the way back into the US if you don’t have a passport, just to make sure you really are a citizen.
If you live close to the border and don’t want to spend the money on a passport book, why not just get passport cards? You can’t use them to fly but they are less expensive and are Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-compliant for when you cross back into the United States.
My sister and I, 31 and 20, need to go to Tijuana right outside the Mexican/US border. We do not have our passports but we are citizens and have our birth certificates and our ID. However, my sisters Drivers liscence is suspended. Would this be a problem when returning to the U.S. ?
Hi Emily,
If you’re getting off the boat in Honduras, you need a passport. Besides, it’s a good idea to have one anyway if you’ll be exploring independently- that way, if something happens and you miss the boat, you can book a flight to catch up with it at the next port. Have fun!
So if I leave from Galveston, TX and take a seven day cruize through Belize, Honduras, Mexico and back to Galveston, will I need a passport? I am 23, and will definitely be getting off the boat to explore areas in these counties. Even if a passport is technically not needed, should I get one, just in case?
If you’re traveling by car, you may be able to get into Mexico, as long as you go no further than 12 miles in. Further than that, passports are required by the Mexican government. Getting back into the US, you may experience delays while they verify your US citizenship, so allow extra time for that. If your husband lives out of the country, it would be best if you got a passport or at least a passport card.
Am a US citizen going to mexico on the 23 of this month but i dont have a passport but i do have a Drivers Licemse? Am going to Durango Mexico. Im worried i wont Be able to go see My husband is down there and i havent seen him in 6months.
Hi Crystal,
Only if you’re traveling by land or sea, going no further than 12 miles into the country and staying less than 72 hours. However, you need a passport, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license or a trusted traveler card like a NEXIS, FAST or SENTRI card to get back in to the US with no hassles.
Can u enter mexio without. Pasport
My 16 year old daughter has been invited to go with a friend and his family to Mexico. They will travel by car. They are visiting relatives in Mexico. She has a driver’s permit, but not a drivers license. She also has a birth certificate, but no passport. Will she be able to enter Mexico and return to the US?
Hi Diana,
She’s 16, so technically she needs a passport or a passport card to travel into Mexico, even by car. She’ll also need a notarized letter from you and her father giving permission for the trip. Here’s an example: http://gomexico.about.com/od/entryrequirements/qt/parent_autho.htm
I lost my passport and have the receipt from when i originally got it. Would that work for returning back to the states after being in Mexico?
Hi Christopher,
No, I’m afraid not. Contact the nearest US Embassy and they should be able to help. Good luck!
Does a year-old baby need a passport also? Traveling by air.
Hi Jerry,
Yes, the little one will need a passport, also. See the instructions here: How to Get a Child Passport
I have a friend that is going to walk over to the border to mexico to shop just south of San Diego, does she need a passport she also might go to a town in Mexico about 60 miles south of the border by car will she need a passport for her trip?
Hi Laurie,
She will need a passport, a passport card, a NEXUS, FAST or SENTRI card (the last three are “trusted traveler” programs)
Hello. We are driving to mexico and want to take a family friend who’s under 16, what does she need?…thanks
Hi Steve,
She needs her birth certificate, and if her parents aren’t coming along for the ride you need a signed, notarized permission slip from them for the trip.
Have a great trip!
So I don’t need a passport to go into Mexico I’m not worried about getting back to the u.s
Hi Jaynie,
You are legally (by the Mexican government) required to carry a passport if you’re going beyond the “border zone,” about 12 miles into Mexico.
i will be going to delrio texas in july and would like to take my family over to ciudad acuna mexico if we all have our dl and photo ids as well as birth certificates can we get ib.n without passports.
Hi Ginny,
If you’re driving, the kids will be fine with birth certificates if they are under 16, but anyone over 16 should have a passport or a passport card. You can get into Mexico without a passport, but without these you may be detained temporarily on the way back into the US while they verify your citizenship.
Have a great trip!
Hi, so my daughter is 15 and were planning to go to mexico by land this friday, but she doesnt obtain a passport, but has a birth certificate will she be able to renter the US.
Hi Laura,
Yes, she’s under 16, so she can use a birth certificate for land travel.
Have a great trip!
Do you have to have a passport to cross into Mexico for Medical or Dental appointments? Kathie
Hi Kathie,
If you’re driving across, technically you’re supposed to have a passport, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license (this has an RFID chip in it like a passport and is only available in a few states) or a NEXUS, FAST or SENTRI card to get back into the United States. I assume you’re not flying, but if you are, you absolutely need a passport book.
We are traveling to Mexico by plane 2/18-2/23. Our children’s passports expire March 2012. Just wanted to reconfirm above point “For Mexico, it just has to be valid for the length of your stay” to be on the safe side – thanks!
Hi Melissa,
That is correct, but you can definitely call the Mexican Embassy at (202) 736-1600 to double-check. Have a great trip!
My friend is having a birthday party in Mexicali with her family there and is inviting friends from the U.S. to go with her. I do not have a passport and don’t think I should go. I don’t want problems coming back over the border.
Hi Sandra,
That’s understandable. If you’d like to go without investing in a passport, as long as you’re driving you can apply for a passport card for $55. This no good for air travel but will get you through if you’re traveling by land or sea. Hope this helps!
My wife has a passport but it is in Michigan.She wants to go to Mexico from Arizona. She has a birth certificate and driver’s license. Will she be okay to re-enter the U.S.
Hi Tom,
If she’s driving, she’ll be okay, since Customs can’t keep a US citizen out of her own country. However, they may detain her temporarily while they verify that her documents are legit, so she should allow extra time at the border just in case. She probably would not be allowed on an airplane to/from Mexico without her passport, though.
Good luck!
My son is 17 and going on a cruise with friends and their family. the cruise leaves from long beach stops in ensenda and return to long beach. does he need a passport card or can he use his dl and birth cert?
Hi Kari,
He’ll be fine with his birth certificate and driver’s license.
hi i am trying to plane a trip with my niece she is underage US citizen (5 years old) what would i need to travel with her
If you’re traveling to Mexico, she needs a passport and you need a notarized letter signed by both of her parents granting permission for the trip. 🙂
My sister and niece want to go to Mexico but my niece’s passport expired. She is a US citizen. She is barely going to renew so she won’t get it in time for when I leave next week. We are driving over. What can she do?
Hi Jose, How old is your niece. If she’s under 16, she just needs her birth certificate. If she’s older, she is supposed to have a passport or a passport card to get back into the United States from Mexico. I would recommend either making an appointment at the nearest Passport Agency Office (call 1-877-487-2778) or give us a call and we’ll be happy to help!
do you need a passport to stay in mexico if you marry in mexico?
Well, as long as you’re a US citizen you should keep a valid passport on hand if you’re living overseas, so that you can return to the US if necessary. You can renew yours at a US Embassy in Mexico. As far as what Mexico requires a US citizen married to a Mexican citizen to have, you’ll need to check with their Immigration department.
Will you clarify, June 1st of what year?
Hi Martha,
The regulations went in effect June 1st, 2009. Hope this helps!
What if its a child that needs to come back for school and his passport is in progres is there any way he can come back without it. He has a WI Id. Will they let him on a plane with his Id and birth certificate.
Hi Mary,
It’s highly unlikely that they’ll let him on the plane without a passport. However, he can cross the border by land with his ID and birth certificate. Or, contact the nearest US Embassy and see if they can help him get his passport more quickly. Good luck!
what if i have already gone to mexico and did not take a passport and i want to go again without one what will happen im a us cizitien
You won’t be able to fly in to Mexico without a passport book. If you’re traveling by car, you really should have a passport book or a passport card. Customs officials can’t keep you from re-entering if you’re a US citizen, but they can detain you and are more likely to do so if you have a history of trying to cross without a passport. You really should at least get a passport card.
do I need my passport valid 6 months after I visit Mexico (if I visit in September does my passport have to be vaild to March?
Hi Sue,
Not unless you’re staying until March. 🙂 For Mexico, it just has to be valid for the length of your stay. Have a great trip!
how do i get a pass port in mexico for my niece who is a US citizen and has lived there since she was 4. so how can she get back now that she is 18?
Hi Larae,
Contact the nearest US Embassy and they should be able to help you. Have a great day!