Flying to Mexico? Make Sure to Pack Your Passport

LAX, Oct. 1, 2007 (KABC-TV) (KABC) -- The days of being able to fly to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean without a passport are over.

The federal government is tightening travel rules, and a lot of passengers will be affected.

It took the federal government a while to put the plan in place, but there are no longer any exceptions to the rule. If you are traveling out of the country by air, you're going to need a passport to get back in.

It is just one more thing you don't want to forget when traveling overseas: a passport. Now, no matter where you go in the world, you'll need one in order to get back home.

"I think it is a good idea," said Cesar De La Fuente, Mexican national. "It is safe for everybody."

Mexican travelers have always had to carry a passport, but Americans coming back from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Canada have not had to worry about it until now.

"It's a different country, it's the 51st state, but it's a different country," said Patrick Kelley, air traveler.

Different countries with different security concerns, and in the wake of September 11th, it was decided traveling without a passport was a convenience Americans could no longer afford.

"It's part of life post 9/11," said Maryanne Bartell, air traveler. "What are you going to do? It's more of a hassle, but you know I feel more comfortable knowing they're trying to screen more people for our safety."

The new requirements were suppose to go into effect in January, but there was such a backlog in passport requests that the government could not keep up.

The rush of passport applications overwhelmed federal workers and forced customs to ease up on the requirement.

"During the summer when we had a backlog of passport applications we allowed people to enter and leave with proof that they had applied for their passport," said David Donahue, State Department spokesman. "Now it's only taking six weeks for people to get a passport, for routine passports, and it's no longer required. Everyone will be required on Monday to have a passport to enter or leave the United States by air."

Even if you do forget and travel without a passport now, you'll probably still get back into the country, but expect more scrutiny from security and more delays. It will also be more of a headache than normal if you don't have a passport when traveling by air.

Keep in mind, for now anyway, the new passport rules only apply to air travel. If you're traveling by car to Canada or Mexico, you can still do it without a passport.

Get more News »

• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•