Crossing the border with no passport

[Tim H. 168]

My mom will be traveling with me to Tijuana. Today she received a rejection letter for her passport because the birth certificate she sent was not the correct long-form birth certificate.

We no longer have enough time for her to apply for a new birth certificate and a new passport.

Has anyone here been able to cross back into the US with only a drivers license and a birth certificate?

[amys 41]

Now im crapping my pants, cuz I think mine is short form I didn't know there was a difference

[wannabaloser 59]

We may wind up without a birth certificate as well. My surgery date got moved up to March 9 and I can't even order mine until next Friday when my birth certificate gets here.

I called my coordinator and she promises me it is fine as long as we have an ID and birth certificate. She says they have patients on a daily basis cross back with just that.

I would not worry that much about it. We can get into Mexico with no problem so at least we will have the surgery complete if they won't let us back.

[mark! 449]

Coming back is going to be the issue. Check out the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. With all the problems they'be been having lately on the border, I wouldn't want to be stuck in a border town any longer than I had to be. I've never gone for surgery, but been there numerous times recently.

[bee13 44]

Go to a passport office for an emergency appointment (not the post office). Can you imagine having to wait hours at the border post surgery?

[Tim H. 168]

My coordinator also said an i.d. and a birth certificate will work fine. I am just hoping someone here can back that up with personal experience.

(We've been on the phone with the passport office and the state records department, and even by paying those crazy fees for expediting the forms, it's unlikely the documents will return in time.)

[Losin4good 689]

I was told a birth certificate and ID were fine. I am a nervous planner so I expedited my passport and it came in time. My sister was going with me and did not have enough time. We were assured over and over it was fine.

Coming back into the states was perfectly fine. I was afraid that because i had mine that the guard would make a big deal about her not having hers, Nope. They didn't even glance twice. Its nothing new to them. Especially for the medical vans that shuttle back and forth everyday.

Having your passport is ideal. But if your coordinator says its okay, then i would trust them. They do this everyday.

[KatInFL 216]

My coordinator also said an i.d. and a birth certificate will work fine. I am just hoping someone here can back that up with personal experience.

(We've been on the phone with the passport office and the state records department, and even by paying those crazy fees for expediting the forms, it's unlikely the documents will return in time.)

This is probably in the top 5 questions I've seen here since I started reading. You'll get a ton of different opinions, but I'll tell you this...I've never read of even one instance where a post-op sleever or their companion had issues coming back from Mexico. Could you potentially? Yes, of course. There's no guarantee you won't get questioned or delayed but I haven't seen anyone here say it's happened to them.

~Kat

[mimimcd 46]

I did not have a long form either so i will probably have the same issue . I called and they said it was what i needed but now i am afraid because no hospital on it...

[mimimcd 46]

Where do you live at ????

[wannabaloser 59]

My husband and I went into Piedra Negras 2 years ago with our 3 kids. We were only there about 4 hours. We were close so we just went in to see what it was like. When we came back out we had NO idea you were required to have a passport now. None of the 5 of us did. We spent probably an extra 10 minutes at the crossing than the othe cars. Most of that was them telling us why we needed a passport now.

I know stuff has gotten stricter since then but I think since we will be with one of the medical vans that cross daily it won't be as big of a problem if we were crossing along in our personal cars.

[socal13 7]

I had my surgery there in August, I only had ID and BC.. it was no problem at all.. I figured what's the worst that could happen?? Are they gonna deport me back to the USA..

[wannabaloser 59]

I had my surgery there in August, I only had ID and BC.. it was no problem at all.. I figured what's the worst that could happen?? Are they gonna deport me back to the USA..

I had my surgery there in August, I only had ID and BC.. it was no problem at all.. I figured what's the worst that could happen?? Are they gonna deport me back to the USA..

I hadn't thought about that but that makes sense. I already know I can get across with no problem and it's not like they can keep us forever.

[bee13 44]

So, here's what I don't understand...I haven't been in Mexico since they started the passport thing, however, I have traveled extensively and every time I get off the plane in a foreign country the ask to see your passport and stamp it before they allow you into the country. Does Mexico not stamp the passport? They just let you walk into the country? Even when I walked into France once they made me go through the passport stamp line...does anyone know?

[socal13 7]

No they do not stamp it