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To enter Mexico by land, you do need a passport. However, being how corrupt Mexico is, they don't always stop you and sometimes they just let you go in.
To enter Mexico by air, you always need a passport.
To enter the US by land, you always need a passport or passport card.
To enter the US by air, you always need a passport.
Three years ago, I was planning a trip to visit my family in Zacatecas. I'm from LA, so a friend took me all the way down to the border. From there I took a cab that crossed me into Tijuana and dropped me off at the airport. (this was before CBX) BAD IDEA!!
So when the cab crossed into Mexico, he just signal one of the Mexican officials at customs using a hand gesture, and the guard simply let us go through, we didn't even stop.
At the airport, when I checked in, they didn't provide me with any customs documents, because from Tijuana to Zacatecas, they flight is considered national, so the airline doesn't provide any custom regulations, etc
Upon arriving to Zacatecas, they simply stamped my passport and was allowed to go through.
The issue was coming back!!
Because of some issue that happen, I was forced to take a direct flight from Zacatecas to LA (an international flight). So when i checked in, the first thing they asked me was for my permit. I told them i didn't have one, to which they responded when i enter Mexico, I needed to had got one. After like an hour of arguing and explaining, they allowed me to board the flight. But the custom guard in Zacatecas did told me " it is your responsibility to get the permits and forms you need when you enter a country that is not your own - if the cab didn't stop, it was your duty to let him know you needed a permit and show present your passport".
Location: Mokelumne Hill, CA & El Pescadero, BCS MX.
6,957 posts, read 22,302,067 times
Reputation: 6471
Quote:
Originally Posted by sleeplessinindiana
I have never needed a visa to go to Mexico. Americans can go to almost every nation in the world without one.
I believe you are woefully uninformed. I counted the number of visas on my passport which was renewed 9 months ago. 10. I have driven across the border twice and had to show my passport on reentry both times.
To enter Mexico by land, you do need a passport. However, being how corrupt Mexico is, they don't always stop you and sometimes they just let you go in.
To enter Mexico by air, you always need a passport.
To enter the US by land, you always need a passport or passport card.
To enter the US by air, you always need a passport.
Three years ago, I was planning a trip to visit my family in Zacatecas. I'm from LA, so a friend took me all the way down to the border. From there I took a cab that crossed me into Tijuana and dropped me off at the airport. (this was before CBX) BAD IDEA!!
So when the cab crossed into Mexico, he just signal one of the Mexican officials at customs using a hand gesture, and the guard simply let us go through, we didn't even stop.
At the airport, when I checked in, they didn't provide me with any customs documents, because from Tijuana to Zacatecas, they flight is considered national, so the airline doesn't provide any custom regulations, etc
Upon arriving to Zacatecas, they simply stamped my passport and was allowed to go through.
The issue was coming back!!
Because of some issue that happen, I was forced to take a direct flight from Zacatecas to LA (an international flight). So when i checked in, the first thing they asked me was for my permit. I told them i didn't have one, to which they responded when i enter Mexico, I needed to had got one. After like an hour of arguing and explaining, they allowed me to board the flight. But the custom guard in Zacatecas did told me " it is your responsibility to get the permits and forms you need when you enter a country that is not your own - if the cab didn't stop, it was your duty to let him know you needed a permit and show present your passport".
This doesn't happen anymore because at the Tijuana airport they won't let you past security without first getting and paying for your permit. If you don't have a Mexican ID they will be asking you for a passport and a permit. If you check in at the airline desk they won't give you your boarding pass until you get it. If you check in online and try to get through, the security check person for your ID will ask to see it. There is a big desk at the airport which stamps the visa and another which takes payments so it can be done in less than 10 minutes.
Having a passport to enter Mexico will always be unenforceable due to economics. What of the 18-21 YO's from San Diego who go over to the nightclubs on Revolution on Friday/Saturday nights? They all have passports?
And all those medical tourists going to Tijuana for dental work or going to the Angeles Hospital complex?
Think! Economics!
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