I have heard of people going back and forth from USA to MX and back and no a Passport

[seandepagnier]

When I got to la paz I met at least 5 people who did not check in. In many cases this is just easier.

[justwaiting]

Originally Posted by shorebird2

No I have gone from 3 types of insulan and medform down to controlling it by diet since I got back to living on the boat and cruising.

No fast food out there. Plus healthy foods hold up better. I went from 315 to 220 and dropped all the drama and stress out of my life. Its just me and my boat.

Cruising is where its at.

Good news, congrats

[hellosailor]

Dem gummint agents keep changing the rules. A "new" Floriuh driver's license is an "Enhanced Identity Card" and they raised the rates and paperwork burden about 3 years ago to make that happen. In some funny ways, like if you didn't have your SS card, which by law cannot be used for identification, they'd accept a photocopied letter saying a new one had been mailed to you. hmmm...
On the other hand NYS kept the license fees cheaper and gouged you twice as much more if you wanted the Enhanced version.

Me, I like the "Passport Card" because when someone asks me for a photoID, I cna show them a US DOS/DHS military grade photoID. Exactly what they asked for, except, it has no address or SSN on it, which somehow always seems to make them unhappy. (Hey, I'm a licensed Agent of Karma and in high season, I help Santa stuff coal into stockings because all the prissy little elves don't want to get their hands dirty.

Always helps if you GET THE ACTUAL RULES make sure they are current, and THEN make your decision whether you want to throw it out or follow it.

[bajacch]

Officially you can travel from San Diego to Ensenada without a passport. This is considered the "Free Zone" or "Tourist Zone" after Ensenada you should have a passport.

[jeremiason]

Originally Posted by bajacch

Officially you can travel from San Diego to Ensenada without a passport. This is considered the "Free Zone" or "Tourist Zone" after Ensenada you should have a passport.

Isn't Ensenada more than 25 miles from the Border? If it is... Your information is wrong, at least legally. Practice, as with everything in Mexico is negotable.

Legally, you need either a Passport or a Border Crossing Card (BCC) and can travel up to 25 miles into Mexico for up to 30 days without a VISA.

Since 2009, you can not re-enter the USA, as an adult, without a Passport and are required to contact US Customs if you are arriving by boat.

Information for Travelers | Consulate General of the United States Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Do You Need A Passport To Go To Mexico? - RushMyPassport.com

[Bash]

Originally Posted by bajacch

Officially you can travel from San Diego to Ensenada without a passport. This is considered the "Free Zone" or "Tourist Zone" after Ensenada you should have a passport.

Some outdated info here.

For the latest, check the source: International Travel

[zeehag]

very very outdated info--
to enter usa one needs a passport. to enter mexico one needs a passport and a visa.
there ar new mexico check in rules--might nt to check them out this year, as they are in place as of nov 9th, 2012.....
have fun and enjoy your travels.

bash's site is good.
see thread checking into mexico
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ico-90796.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...uce-90734.html

have fun and enjoy your travels.

[motion30]

Originally Posted by jeremiason

Isn't Ensenada more than 25 miles from the Border? If it is... Your information is wrong, at least legally. Practice, as with everything in Mexico is negotable.

Legally, you need either a Passport or a Border Crossing Card (BCC) and can travel up to 25 miles into Mexico for up to 30 days without a VISA.

Since 2009, you can not re-enter the USA, as an adult, without a Passport and are required to contact US Customs if you are arriving by boat.

Information for Travelers | Consulate General of the United States Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Do You Need A Passport To Go To Mexico? - RushMyPassport.com

What happens if you do not contact customs upon re entry ? how do they know?

[zeehag]

What happens if you do not contact customs upon re entry ? how do they know?"

that is for you to find out, as no one else is willing to risk home and boat fro that info.
enjoy your travels.

[John A]

Originally Posted by motion30

What happens if you do not contact customs upon re entry ? how do they know?

You're free to break any law you wish, just don't whine when you're caught.

[jeremiason]

Originally Posted by motion30

What happens if you do not contact customs upon re entry ? how do they know?

I am assuming that you mean not contacting US Customs when your re-enter the US with a boat....

Well you would be violating numerous US Federal Laws, which if convicted could land you in jail, assess you heavy fines and get your boat confescated.

How would they know? I am guessing you have about a 50/50 chance of crossing the US boarder in a boat without Law Enforcement knowing or contacting you. The chance probably goes up when they see you didn't stop at the US Customs Dock or notifiy US Customs in accordance with the law...

But hey anything is possibe... Why don't you try it and report back to us?

[tropicalescape]

I would think that they have real time monitoring of the coastal sections of the US and can watch all boats and planes as they come and go ...

[John A]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

I would think that they have real time monitoring of the coastal sections of the US and can watch all boats and planes as they come and go ...

Of course they do! It's what the USCG is trained to do. Then there's DHS and the Border Patrol.

[s/v Beth]

Do it legal. One time when sailing up to Canada, I found that I had left my passport at home. I immediately let everyone know as soon as I checked in through customs- esp. US customs, even though I would be in Canada for a while. After the usual "you shouldn't do that" they checked out all my information, and when I was coming back they already had me cleared. They told me if I made a habit of it they would detain me, but "We are not going to keep a US citizen from coming back into the country"

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by jeremiason

I am assuming that you mean not contacting US Customs when your re-enter the US with a boat....

Well you would be violating numerous US Federal Laws, which if convicted could land you in jail, assess you heavy fines and get your boat confescated.

How would they know? I am guessing you have about a 50/50 chance of crossing the US boarder in a boat without Law Enforcement knowing or contacting you. The chance probably goes up when they see you didn't stop at the US Customs Dock or notifiy US Customs in accordance with the law...

But hey anything is possibe... Why don't you try it and report back to us?

For whatever it's worth, there are lots of boats (in fact most) who never report back to US customs upon visiting Mexico. Boats take trips to the Coronado Islands, Esenada, and fish all over the place taking on fuel and provisions.

From what I've seen the USCG tends to be more interested in boats going past San Diego as traffickers don't normally enter a busy bay to offload contraband.

I wouldn't screw around with clearance procedures myself, but honestly 90% of boat owners in this town don't even know they're supposed to do anything special upon returning to San Diego other than dropping their Mexican courtesy flag. There are cameras and aerial survelance, but it's an incredibly busy port and Mexican waters are barely a couple of hours away. Really hard to differentiate between boats just out for a sail and ones that touched Mexican dirt.