Passports??
Is a passport required to visit Progresso Mx?or is there a cheaper way to legally visit for just a few hours? I have been there several times;just wondering if I have to renew my PP to visit one time
Forum Discussion
33 Replies
- As always on these forums, there are those who may be right or wrong, but never in doubt. American citizens cross in and out of Nuevo Progresso every day without passports. That is what the OP asked about.
Having said that, why bother? The cost of a Passport card is low and they are easy to get. If you are traveling in the Western Hemisphere( Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America):
Air Travel: All U.S. citizens departing from or entering the United States from within the Western Hemisphere by air are required to present a valid passport or a NEXUS card (if utilizing a NEXUS kiosk when departing from a designated Canadian airport). Merchant Mariner Document (for U.S. citizens on official maritime business.) U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders: Children are also required to present their own passport when traveling by air.
Land or Sea Travel: U.S. citizens entering the United States by land or sea are required to present a valid WHTI-compliant document, which include:
- U.S. Passports
- U.S. Passport Cards
- Enhanced Driver's Licenses
- Enhanced Tribal Card (ETC)
More...- Thanks for all the info;you guys are the best
TomG2 wrote:
What confusion? People come and go every day at the Nuevo Progreso crossing with and without passports.
Do I have one? Yes. Do all my friends? No.
Not confusing at all, unless you want it to be.
The confusion is because people have been successfully indoctrinated to believe that travel documents are required when a US citizen enters the USA. Further, many probably have never taken the time to verify exactly what the law says. If a person was to write CBP, ICE, DHS, their Senator, their Representative, or even the President, the answer that is always written back starts with the same statement: "As a US Citizen, you can not be denied entry to the United States at any US port of entry even if you have no identification. You may have a delay as your identity and admissibility is verified."
Another part of the law states that your identify and admissibility can not be delayed. Once your identity and admissibility has been verified (barring any legitimate legal holds), you must be granted entry without any further delay. They should not be making a US citizen wait as punishment for not having their documents.
On average it takes less than five minutes for verification of a person's identity and advisability once at the counter providing information. Now I don't make it a habit of not having my documents but I'm not overly worried as it's not a big deal if I forgot it.navegator wrote:
I think I know were the confusion is att.
What confusion? People come and go every day at the Nuevo Progreso crossing with and without passports.
Do I have one? Yes. Do all my friends? No.
Not confusing at all, unless you want it to be.- I think I know were the confusion is att.
There are inland check points from CBP and they simply ask if you are a Citizen and some folks get all bent out of shape at this, there are a number of these check points arround the County of San Diego and the easiest thing to do is roll the window down and when asked just answer "yes sir" or "mam" and off you go.
Crossing an Intetnational border is a totally different story, at the POE the Immigration and Customs agents are tasked with the security on the entiere nation, it used to be more relaxed and most persons were honest, and yes profiling was used, (little secret "it still works") today there are a lot bigger threats by very nasty persons and nations, so if today they require a document at the border, it is easier to have one.
At the inland check points no you do not need a passport, it now becomes a Constitutional right of freedom of passage, at the border you are entering the country, not travelling though it, so freedom of passage can be restricted and documentation requiered, we live in a very different world after 9-11.
navegator - The OP asked about a specific crossing,
"Is a passport requiered to visit Progreso MX"
The specific answer is
"yes!"
Some gringos stick out from the crowd like a sore thumb, no matter were they travell to, you can spot them a mile away, maybe the immigration agents are old hands at the job and can spot them and do not bother anymore, it does take time to veryfy someones story, I would not attempt that in todays scaremongering attitude and so many new agents with little experience.
We would be interested in hearing from those that still cross with no papers, any one with good English can walk up to the border and say they are US Citizens and actually have a reasonable story, I doubt that is going to happen today, we used to go down to Tijuana and not have any documents other than the drivers license, not once did they ask for documents, that all changed after 9-11 things got tougher.
So folks let us know the outcome of some border crossings with out documents.
navegator - The OP asked about a specific crossing, "Is a passport required to visit Progresso Mx?"
The answer is no. There will be about twenty of us Singles crossing into and back from Nuevo Progreso, MX today. A couple of them will not have passports or passport cards and they will only delay the rest of us a few minutes.
I have very little experience with other crossings, but that was not the question. - For those of you gringos that think that because you are a United States Citizens you are automatically alawed to enter back from Mexico, you will be stoped and checked very thorough and that can take several hours, unless you are in AFIS that will stil be time consuming, those days are gone, after 9-11 everything changed, do have one of the following documents a passport, bith certificate, border crossing card or the new drivers license otherwise be prepared for a rather uncomfortable questioning by CBP, guaranteed coutesy of Homeland Security!
navegator CardinalRule wrote:
I've seen that attitude, at least 3 times, at the Andrade crossing from Mexico into the US. US Citizen- "Hi I'm a citizen. CBP- "Prove it." Citizen- "You have to let me in" CBP- "No problem just prove you're a citizen and you can come in."Lenny K wrote:
I had a friend like that figuring he didn't have to tell the CBP anything.
As a US citizen there is no requirement under the law that you present anything to prove your citizenship when entering the USA. You don't need a passport, passport card, drivers license, birth certificate, library card or a picture of you standing in front of an american flag. All you need is to be a US citizen. That doesn't mean you just waltz on in. You still have to provide sufficient information that they can use to verify your citizenship.
If a CPB officer tells me I have to prove my citizenship, they will be on the short end of a successful complaint and they will get discipline. Been there, done that! They can ask me for personal information that is necessary for them to do their own checks on my citizenship.
Of course by not having ID it causes a delay as they verify your identity and status. Although it only takes a couple minutes, you can expect them to have you sitting in screening for a time just to make your life miserable so you bring ID next time.
