The difference between a passport book or card getaway usa. Can a us citizen fly within mexico without a passport book. If your business or vacation plans take you out of the country, apply for a passport at the office before you go. The us passport card allows you to enter the united states from canada, mexico, the caribbean, and bermuda at sea ports of entry, land border crossings and is more convenient and cheaper than a passport book. Yes it is your only identification while you are in mexico. You can pay with cash us dollars or mexican pesos or credit card.
Most importantly, a us passport card cant be used for international air travel. Fill with black ink, and by hand and in print the application for an ordinary passport book form op5. To apply for or renew both the book and card, check the appropriate box at the top of the form to. It is an alternative to carrying a conventional passport book and is valid for land and sea travel to and from mexico, canada, bermuda, and the caribbean. Passport card when entering mexico traveling by air, land or sea. Plus a valid and not expired passport or travel document. The passport card looks like a drivers license and slips neatly into your wallet. Regardless of your final destination in mexico, all u. The passport card only guarantees land entry into the us. With a passport id card, you can travel to certain countries using specific forms of transportation.
The united states passport card is an official identity and limited travel document issued by the. You should be aware that the us passport card is no good for air travel. Youll need a passport book any time you are flying to a destination outside the united states. You cannot use a passport card when traveling by air internationally.
If youre a citizen of the united states, and youre thinking about traveling to mexico, but you dont yet have a passport, you might consider getting a passport card instead of a regular passport book. Passport cards are valid for land and sea travel to and from canada, mexico and the countries of the caribbean. So, i keep that item, and my mexican tourist permit, in a hidden pocket, inside my clothing. Although documents may not be routinely checked along the land border, mexican authorities at immigration checkpoints approximately 25 kilometers from the u. But to answer your question, no, you cannot travel legally into the interior of mexico i. Permits are enforced when driving approximately 20 kilometers into mexico. Mexico entry requirements tourist card immigration customs lone. I also take along on trips two laminated photocopies of the photo page of my passport.
The passport card is valid for up to 10 years if you are an adult, and allows you virtually unlimited travel to the caribbean, bermuda, mexico, and. The passport card will facilitate entry and expedite document processing at u. Thats dependent on mexicos requirements, not those of the us. Do i need a passport book or will my card work anywhere in mexico. The passport card can also be used for domestic air travel. You should know that the passport card is only valid for travel by land and sea within mexico, canada, bermuda, and the caribbean, and you can not use it for air travel or for travel to other. The new mexico passport office is an important facility for international travelers. Passport holders from countries on mexicos no visa required list do not need to apply. Passport cards requested by mail are always shipped back. Passport requirements to visit mexico travel tips usa today. The mexican passport is also an official id and proof of mexican citizenship. I would like to walk across the us mexico border and take a taxi to the tijuana airport and fly to uruapan mexico.
Differences between a passport book and passport card. According to the 2020q1 henley visa restrictions index, holders of a mexican passport can visit 158 of 191 as the maximum countries without a visa, placing mexico in the 26th rank in terms of global travel freedom. Department of state, this passport substitute is creditcard sized and valid for entry into mexico by land or sea. Is a passport needed when flying within mexico as a u. The passport card is used to enter the united states at the land border crossings and sea portsofentry from canada, mexico, the caribbean and bermuda. Most cities and towns throughout the state have their own passport offices where you can apply. Mexican passports are issued to mexican citizens for the purpose of travelling abroad. The united states passport card is an official identity and limited travel document issued by the united states federal government in the size of a credit card. When the western hemisphere travel initiative was brought into effect in the years following 911, travel. You must have the original copies of all required documents. It will otherwise carry the rights and privileges of the u. National identity cards with similar utility are common inside the european union and efta.
Excellent form of official identification for children or nondrivers. Air travel to and from the united states requires a passport book, but citizens can cross the border by land or sea with the use of a passport book, passport card or an enhanced drivers license. The mexican passport is also an official id and proof of. Is a passport needed for traveling by plane in mexico. This passport card can also be used for land and sea travel to mexico, canada, bermuda, and the caribbean. Required identification while traveling in mexico mexico. For travel by land or sea to, from, and inside canada, mexico, the caribbean, and. Id because you will be crossing a land or sea border into a foreign country. The us passport card is less expensive to get then passport book, and is much smaller.
Travel documents you need to visit mexico tripsavvy. Issued also by the us department of state, the passport card is a official identification document, but a limitedtravel document. I used my drivers license, my brother his passport book and my sister the passport card you know the one that reads only valid for land and sea. The difference between passport and passport card us. The us passport card is an important travel document. Americans passport requirements for travel to mexico usa.
The passport card is about the size of any credit card, and fits easily into your wallet for frequent travel. The passport card is designed for frequent travelers by land and sea to mexico, canada, and the caribbean. The passport card is a walletsize travel document that can only be used to reenter the united states at land bordercrossings or portsofentry by sea from canada, mexico, the caribbean, and bermuda. A passport book is required if you are traveling by air and a card will suffice if you are traveling by land or sea. Identification of both parents valid passport preferably in which the names coincide in its totality with. The passport book has a small photo of you inside the book with several blank pages for immigrations to be able to stamp your book as well as pages for visas for those countries that require a visa. The card may not be used to travel by air outside the united states. Requirements to get a passport card with your passport. See passport fees to find your fess and methods of payment.
You can apply for both a passport book and passport card at the same time using either form ds11 apply in person or form ds82 renew by mail must be eligible. I know by law we need to have them with us at all time. A passport card also could be useful for alaska cruises, as long as all border crossings into canada are done by land or sea. In addition to the documents on a, b, c and d, both parents must accompany the minor. It may often be used as an identity card for purposes other than international travel, such as domestic air travel. If you plan on leaving the country and do not want to purchase a full passport book, the card is an option you may want to consider. A passport card is a smaller version of a passport book and fits inside a wallet.
The passport card is a cheaper alternative to the passport book. Cabo san lucas is in baja california sur, and that makes it in the interior. If you are also applying for a renewal of your passport book and you opt for expedited service by mail, your passport book will arrive in 23 weeks, but your passport card may arrive in a separate envelope several weeks later. Although there are many differences between a us card and book style passport, there are also some similarities. Get a passport card with your passport renewal g3passports. We all usa born citizens crossed the border into reynosa mexico by car and boarded a plane from reynosa mexico to cancun mexico. If you are a previous passport book holder and you are eligible to use form ds82, you may apply for a passport card as a renewal by mail even if it is your first passport card. As like the passport book, the card also must be renewed after validation gets completed. Before you start, make sure you have in hand your current and previous passports, previous visa, employment and education information dates, addresses and complete information about the place you will visit in the u. You need a passport to enter into the interior of mexico by air. One of those copies stays inside a piece of luggage and i carry the other one in a front pants pocket, next to my wallet. Us permanent residents traveling by air, land or sea to mexico are required to present a valid permanent resident card. Lastly, both the conventional book passport and the passport card are accepted as valid proofs of citizenship when traveling by plane inside the united states. Us citizen traveling within mexico without a passport.
The passport card can be used only to reenter the u. Can you fly with mexican passport inside the united states. Similarities between the passport book and passport card. When the western hemisphere travel initiative was brought into effect in. Renewal cost of the passport book and passport card. It is also accepted for entry by land or sea into canada, mexico up to 2030 km from the border. Fees are payable at the time of your appointment when you submit your application in either dollars, leke, or by credit card. You have to already hold a passport in order to participate in the program.
387 249 1002 1193 586 858 208 1207 1486 696 975 56 721 196 1501 733 960 1082 652 140 192 257 877 1143 886 794 1025 316 739 743 516 4 946 602 92