I am going to visit retired friends (Americans) in Baja California later this year. Am driving down from San Diego and II plan to stay with them for no more than two weeks. Do I need to bring my passport to cross the border or is my driver's license sufficient? Thanks for your help.
You can't get into Baja with just a driver's license as it's in Mexico. You'll need a passport. I'm not sure whether one of those special border crossing driver's licenses will work (anyone?) but I do know that a regular driver's license won't.
In Response to Passport for Baja California?:[QUOTE]
I am going to visit retired friends (Americans) in Baja California later this year. Am driving down from San Diego and II plan to stay with them for no more than two weeks. Do I need to bring my passport to cross the border or is my driver's license sufficient? Thanks for your help.
Posted by Rita Paul[/QUOTE]
Rita, i wanted to do exactly the opposite. Cross from Tijuana to San Diego and what i got of information, you can cross as Alice says, with the special border crossing driver's license but not with a regular one.
Will you be driving? Cause i was wondering about hiring transportation to ease the trip.
A passport or passport card is required to re-enter the United States. Mexican immigration generally does not stop tourists at their northern border to check for documentation.
You most certainly can visit Baja California without a passport! Just bring a driver's license and preferably a copy of your birth certificate. I have crossed the border many times recently without a passport. The inspector will tell you to get a passport next time and then let you pass. http://realtijuana.blogspot.com/2010/07/do-i-need-passport-to-visit-baja.html
All it takes is one by-the-book inspector to make your day miserable if you go with CarBone's suggestion. You might be waved through with a warning as stated or you might sit there waiting while ICE verifies your US citizenship. Don't screw around - get a passport card and be done with it.
I realize that this is stale, but I couldn't help myself - I had to reply.
Rita, your original post indicated that you have a passport. You're going cross (may already have crossed) an international boundary twice. Why would you not bring your passport? Do you plan to spend any pesos in Mexico? Best source is with an ATM card, but if you plan to convert dollars to pesos at a bank or a cambio, a passport is a necessity. And there are potentially a number of other situations in which a passport would make things simpler and quicker. It's not very heavy or bulky. Why would you hesitate to carry your passport?
I agree completely with the Captain. No reason NOT to bring the passport.
I will also point out that CarBone's source in the posted link is 3 years old.
