Travel

That Mexican vacation is all booked and it is only one month to go until nothing but sun, surf, bikinis, and margaritas. Everything is planned, everything is taken care of, unless, wait…do I need a passport to Cancun? This question is not as simple as it seems, and although the answer is almost certainly yes, there are a few different factors to consider.

While it is not generally assumed that if a traveler is leaving US soil for any reason, they will need a passport. With Cancun being located in a foreign country, it would only make sense that a passport would be needed to go there. This is probably true in most cases, but there are still a few circumstances when a passport may actually not be needed.

Everything changed in regards to travel in June of 2009. The United States went from requiring nothing more than a driver’s license or birth certificate to cross back in from border countries to requiring passport documentation. This is a significant change and one that many people are still not fully aware of.

Anyone traveling to Cancun will most definitely need a passport. Since the new passport laws cover sea travel, logic dictates that anyone on a cruise to Cancun would also need a passport. However, there is one exception in the sea travel clause.

Travelers on cruises to certain international destinations are not required to carry passports provided that the cruise is deemed “closed loop.” A closed loop cruise is any cruise that starts and finishes in the same port or same port country. However, it is important to note that these closed loop exemptions only apply to cruises that begin and end in the United States, and only on cruises that visit certain international countries.

Approved international countries include: Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, the Virgin Islands, and select Caribbean Islands. That being the case, a passport is not necessary for a closed loop cruise to Cancun. However, a closed loop cruise to South America would necessitate a passport.

Citizens have been screaming at Homeland Security from day one about these new rules, but they are in place to protect everyone. Cancun has always been a location that US citizens could pretty much travel to and from without any hassle. In all honesty, the hassles will remain minimal; there are just some extra security measures in place to make the borders more secure.

Having said all of that, it is still always better to have too much documentation than not enough. Obtaining a United States passport application to Cancun will give assurances that there will be no problems. In you do not want to get a regular passport, a passport card can be used instead. Regardless, anyone planning to travel would do wise to obtain a US passport sooner or later to avoid the long waits or extra fees that will have to be paid to get one on short notice.

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