I'm Going to Mexico Without a passport. How hard of a time will I have gettng back into the US? I've read that its not a that

big of a deal and that I might be sent secondary inspection to ascertain my US citizenship and given some non complanciance paper work. Does anyone have any experiences with this type of situation?

• don't know about getting back to the US, but won't you need a passport to enter Mexico? I know on my most recent trip my passport was checked.

• I did that YEARS ago (so I might not longer apply) but I had to pay a fee of $75 (if I remember correctly).

• You need a passport. You might get into Mexico without a problem (and with the addition of some $$) but trust me, you will NOT get back into the US without one. At the US border or on return to a US airport you will be sequestered in a room that is locked from the outside, questioned by armed Customs and Immigrations officials, your luggage and possessions will be confiscated and examined (out of your sight, so there is the possibility of something being planted in your bags). And there is always the possibility of a body cavity search. You will almost certainly be flagged for "random" search the next time you travel by air, whether you cross an international border or not. You may be put on the no-fly list.

• I'll be walking across the border R1 when you walk across they just let you into Mexico you walk past a turnstile of Mexican cops and just go in unless they stop you for questioning. Most people aren't smuggling anything into Mexico so there isnt't the hypervigilance that you see when you cme back into the country/US.

• Just say you had an unexpected death in the family /emergency situation and didn't have time to get your passport in order when you are coming back.

• Op, here I'll ave my receipt for my passport saying that its being processed but unfortunatey I know I will not be getting it back soon enough. I'm not going to make up any stories about any deaths in the family.

• Why don't you just get a passport OP? I find it strange for adults not to have one but living in Europe I suppose it's usual to need one more. even some domestic flights these days ask for your passport.

• OP here. My renewal passport is being processed R7, but Im trying to go in the next 3 days .

• you can get an emergency passport in as little as 24 hours. ive seen it done. legally.

  kenny%20bottom%20chesney

• OK. I can get a same day passport here if I go to the passport office with all the documentation etc. It costs quite a bit but it can be done. I am sure you have a similar system over there. The other thing would be if you can get in easily is to then say you have lost your passport but I suppose they can check their system and see you are awaiting a new one.

• OP, seriously, what is so freaking important in Mexico that you HAVE to go before you get your new passport? Your idea of leaving the U.S. without one seems foolhardy at best.

• It's me again. May I also mention that I can't live without drama in my life?

  OP

• Mexico? Gross.

• The State Dept. advises against travel to Mexico these days because crimes against tourists are out-of-control and the police are corrupt. If you want to travel to a tropical paradise, go to Hawaii. It's safe and they don't require a passport.

  Hawaii%20Tourism%20Board

• [quote]Just say you had an unexpected death in the family /emergency situation and didn't have time to get your passport in order when you are coming back. ROFLMFAO

  Homeland%20Security

• Good lluck getting back in without a passport. It simply will not happen.

• It would be foolish to enter Mexico without a crossing card. You don't need a passport, just the $75 card. The problem is the return. Yes you will get back in but the shake down and scrutiny is not worth it. I haven't been to Tijuana in years but would not. Juarez is a shit hole and the Sonoran border, Nogales, Naco, Agua Prieta is under an advisement not to cross. A US citizen was shot dead on the Streets of Nogales Sonora Christmas eve. He had some issue with druggies. They apprehended the shooter who confessed. The shooter was paid $54 to shoot the US citizen, handed a gun and directed to the target. When he was apprehended he had already spent $20 of his earnings on his meth fix. You might not be a druggie but you some assassin might confuse you for the intended target. A human life worth only $54, that is sad. Make sure your bung hole is clean cause they will strip search you and check.

• R17 I'm trying to go to Moterrey then DF and then Oaxaca. My only real concern is having to travel thru the North of Mexico to get to the central and Southern portions and then the return trip thru the North due to all the crime the Northern region is having like your post indicated. I know the US would let me back in and maybe subject me to more extensve searching and interrogation but to be honest I am not a druggie and not going to Mexico for sex or any other type of negative reasons so I know eventually they would confirm I'm a US citizen and eventually release me. I don't partcularly want to run afoul of US customs and immgration but Im stuck in a situation where the quickest I will get my passport is "maybe th 8th of January which is to long to wait, and unfortuately I am not currently able to fly so my trip will have to be by land which brings up the hazards of crossing thru the southern tip of Texas to the North of Mexico thru Nuevo Laredo which definitely has seen a lot of violence which has endangered the border.

  op

• The last time (1998) we entered the USA from Tijuana we just walked over the border at that crossing near the TJ airport and flashed our California driver's license to the control officer (a hot-looking young black number) who did not even take it to look at it closely. Is it not still this way?

• No R19 it changed around 2010 or maybe 2009 now you need a passport. I use to go in and out of Mexico all the time before I moved to the Mid Atlantic I would even stay in 20 dollar Mexcan hotels a few miles from the US border all the time but things have really changed a lot in Mexco within the last 5 years so its even less safe now then before.

  op

• [quote] Make sure your bung hole is clean cause they will strip search you and check. Check to see if it's clean?

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• This is not a question to ask on Datalounge. You need to check the State Department web site and get a REAL answer or you could find yourself homeless in Mexico.

• Not OP but friends that gamble offered me a very cheap cruise to Mexico from a Vegas casino, on a special party boat. Never been on a cruise, nor needed a passport. Are cruises to Mexico safe? Is it worth it?

• I found out at the last minute that my passport had expired right before a trip. Pain in the ass, but I went to the passport office, presented my ticket showing I was travelling the next day and they expedited my passport. I had to pay an extra fee for my forgetfulness. Stressful but I got my new passport within about 4 hours. OP, are you too busy shopping for billowy caftans and sarongs for your trip to Cancun?

• Prepare to be flagged permanently by Homeland Security. There is no reason whatsoever to do this. You can wait until you get your passport.

• What? R15? It's been done, believe me.

• What on earth could possibly be important enough that you not only *need* to travel without a passport which could afford you the assistance of the U.S. State Dept. should you need it, but you're going to undertake land travel over a highly dangerous area where gringos could bring a bounty? OK.

• Forgot to add that it helps if you have a local border-town address on your ID

• [quote]I know the US would let me back in and maybe subject me to more extensve searching and interrogation OP! NO! THEY WON'T LET YOU BACK INTO THE US WITHOUT A PASSPORT OR PASSPORT CARD!

• What are you adding to your iPod, OP?

• I almost hate to spoil this but I anticipate follow-up posts from an Internet cafe from OP asking how to get back in. The saga will continue...

• You'll need a coyote to bring you back to the US.

  Anomynous%20

• I can't believe you're going to take this risk. Seriously, is it worth it?

• I have a recurring nightmare where I`ve tried this.

• OP is one of the most stubbornly obtuse people ever to post here. Go ahead, OP; cross without a passport. PLEASE.

• [quote]OP is one of the most stubbornly obtuse people ever to post here. This reminds me of the Lesbian Potluck Wedding thread.

• OP, don't be afraid of Mexican jails. It's an opportunity for self-discovery and second chances.

• A point of info. As of June 1, 2009, to travel from the US to Canada or Mexico, "by land or by sea", you need (unless you have a passport) an Enhanced Driver's License. I know this, because I just got one a few months ago. IN NY State, it costs an extra $30. Since I was due for renewal soon anyway, I renewed ($64 addition; NY is expensive). I had to show: my expiring license, social security card, birth certificate; also two "proofs of residence": utility bills, tax bills; even postmarked mail w/in 3 months - all are okay. OP, this probably wouldn't work for you in this instance 'cause takes about 2 weeks to get renewal/enhanced drivers license in the mail. But for anyone who can't/doesn't want to (I am poor these days) afford a passport, the EDL is not a bad option.

  Lives 2 miles from Canadian border near Lake Ontario

• OP is getting his facelift there.

• [quote]OP here. My renewal passport is being processed [R7], but Im trying to go in the next 3 days . Hopefully this will be a lesson to be better prepared in the future and not wait until the last minute to do things like renew your passport.

• Sorry, the border patrol will turn you away. You will have to find a nearby US Embassy and get the passport there. Don't expect them to expedite this either under these circumstances. Bring plenty of credit for your extended stay if planning on not sleeping in the streets.

• R38, Not OP but thanks for your info. I really just need a 2nd form of ID, in case my state DL/ID gets stolen. Do all states offer an enhanced ID? Sounds quicker and easier than a real passport. Still don't know if I should take that cheap cruise to Mexico, sponsored by a Vegas casino.

• OP you live in a police state - you must have zee papers!!

• This country is filled with uneducated and unskilled Mexicans who managed to get from Mexico to the USA without any papers, and many of them probably do not know what the word "passport" means. If they can manage to get here, OP, then I would doubt that it would be a big problem for someone who actually speaks the language.

• If I didn't make it perfectly clear, OP, I am saying "go for it". I encourage you to go ahead and go to Mexico without a passport.

• [quote]Not OP but friends that gamble offered me a very cheap cruise to Mexico from a Vegas casino, on a special party boat. The waters of Arizona are especially lovely this time of year.

• I also encourage OP to go for it. Roll the dice you beautiful idiot!

• R3 is it wrong to ask for the hot guy to do my cavity search/probe. Should I ask him to double check or is that considered tacky in Mexico? Is it crass to moan? Etiquette in the age of travel is very difficult!

  I%20need%20Emily%20Post%21

• R44, OP, Do you have the money to bribe the coyotes to bring you back across the border? Will they trust you to be their drug mule, and will you risk death in their elaborate system of underground tunnels? Will you ignore the gang rape and murder of desperate young females, who may try to resist?

• Oddly enough my father a retired Customs agent Lol. I was a little nervous to ask him this question so I decided too post my query here. I think he'd flip ifI were to ask him.

  op

• So did the OP depart yesterday? Will he ever be heard from again?

• [quote] But for anyone who can't/doesn't want to (I am poor these days) afford a passport, the EDL is not a bad option. That's only an option if you're travelling over land at a border crossing. If you're flying it's got to be a passport-passport.

• Can you swim?