Passport Expiring
 

Will be traveling to Mexico (CUN) next week and just looked at my passport. I thought it expired July 2017 but it actually expires at the end of Feb 2017.

It is not likely nor easy for me to get to a passport office to renew it this week though I can if I really have to - my boss won't be happy.

Everything I have read online from the state department as well as the mexican counselate does not indicate we will not be able to enter because there are less than 180 left of validity on it. I even checked the Timatic website via UA.

We are now considering changing our plans and just going somewhere else.

Thoughts?

This is the UK take on it Mary

Passport validity
Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay in Mexico.

Not sure of the US though

https://travel.state.gov/content/pas...ry/mexico.html

I would call the Mexican Embassy

Another view

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/mexico/passport-visa

Thank you. That is the sense I'm getting from everything I've read.

I will call the embassy on Monday to make sure.

TIMATIC is critical because it requires all of the variables which you do not specify, e.g., are you a USN, a US resident, what exact date do you exit CUN and what exact day does the passport expire?

Your first barrier is being permitted to board your flight and TIMATIC is what the air carrier relies on, not other websites. It is always a good thing to print out a screen shot of your specific situation.

It is worth noting that there is a "Conditional" warning for your likely situation, requiring a machine-readable passport. Don't know when your current passport was issued, but just want to make sure that yours is.

US citizen, and the passport was issued in 2007.

In the end, we decided to cancel and go elsewhere. We'll save this for another time.

I can tell you we're going to get our pictures taken for new passports.... today....

Thank you.

Got my first US passport in 2 days by using expedited service through the post office. There was a fee, but not so much as to pay someone else to go stand in line. My city doesn't have a passport office. I vaguely remember it was $150 extra and had to include FedEx envelop for the return.

My passport expires in July '17 and because of all the the others needing to get theirs renewed next year, think I'll do it in the next few weeks, to avoid the rush. I don't live near a border, but also plan to get a passport card since my DL isn't realID compliant and won't be for years.

Don't forget that new photo requirements are in effect for US passports as of Nov 1. No glasses allowed.

I doubt the US issues passports to residents since there is something about being a US citizen in there.

The US also issues valid US passports to some US residents who are not US citizens.

US citizen resident in the US. The specific dates of the passport expiration and even of the trip only matter in relation to one another for such person.

Just an FYI ...

My wife forgot about her passport, and we had a flight to Europe and 5 days to get a passport....

Contacted my congressman's office, they called back that afternoon, told her to set an appointment even if it was months from now- then she faxed some forms to allow them to speak to the PP office on her behalf- the next day we had an appointment at the SFO office and the passport that late afternoon.

The function at your congressman or senators office should be 'constituent services'...

I need to resurrect this thread for some advice. Mods if there is a better place, please redirect.

First let me start with, I know that better planning helps avoid the following problem. With that said, I'm turning to this helpful community to see if anyone has information that I don't.

I just received a frantic phone call from my s-i-l. She, my brother and kids are scheduled to head from Oregon to Mexico on Saturday. Last week she pulled out their passports and discovered hers was set to expire in July. She called the airline who told her they wouldn't let her board and that she needed a new passport. No mention of timatic by the airline. She didn't hang-up and call again, or call me, until today.

She found an expeditor, sent off the application the next day. Then they called her saying there was a problem with what she filled out, so she fixed it and sent it again. She was told they were using the Houston office, who shut down early the other day. She was called today by the expeditor that the State Dept is holding her passport because of some issue with the photo, but didn't have any details. The expeditor claimed the State Department emailed her, but she doesn't have any message from them. The expeditor doesn't know how long it will take to get fixed.

Is there any way to get into Mexico w/out the passport. She has - birth certificate, marriage license, color copy of her passport and US driver's license? She is a US citizen.

Do you have any suggestions so she can salvage her trip? Or at least leave with my brother & the kids, who she said would go on Saturday w/out her, if necessary?

That's unfortunate news.

There's no recourse I can think of these days.

"As January 8th 2007 all US and Canadian citizens will need a passport for their Mexico visit; if a USA resident, your resident (so-called "Green Card" in US) card and passport will be required. (A drivers license and birth certificate are no longer valid forms of identification for a visit to Mexico when travelling by air.) If you arrive at your departure airport without a current valid passport with at least 6 months remaining from your date of entry, to match the 180 day maximum period your FMM is normally valid for, your airline may deny boarding. (Those arriving by ground may use a birth certificate with raised seal of authentication AND photo identification), but if by air passport only.)"

The sticky thread "Requirements for visiting Mexico as a tourist (FMM, "tourist card", visa, etc.)" has links to TIMATIC, etc. that reinforce the above.

The onjy option I can think of is to fly to San Diego, cross the border by land using the normal San Ysidro or Otay Mesa crossing (better: taxi or transport to the CBX bridge at Otay Mesa (link), where crossing by land she'd be allowed if she has her ODL and a raised seal / embossed birth certificate. She could then fly to her original destination in Mexico domestically via Aeroméxico, Interjet, etc.

A bit elaborate and still slightly risky, so it might be more practical to postpone her departure flight until the new passport is in her hands. (There'd likely be a change fee, but this might be best - though it's harder to do without knowing when USDOS will release her passport).

Thanks JDiver. That's what I was afraid of.

Interestingly enough when I plugged her date of travel and passport expiration into the SkyTeam timatic page, it comes back that she can travel. Of course she doesn't have the passport in her possession now so it isn't worth mentioning.

I will take the suggestion above about calling her congressperson to see if they can shake it free.

This sounds to me like SIL used an incompetent passport service agency and paid them a lot of money for not providing timely service.

There's no problem in applying for a passport or passport renewal directly. These passport service agencies at best just delay the process a bit as you're first submitting documents to them which they then (hopefully) submit to the government. The service they should be providing is checking for compliance with all rules, including the photo, although I've noticed recently that some of them do this for an extra fee, as part of some VIP service that seems like handholding.

IIRC it's still possible to enter and leave Mexico by land without a passport. Depending on your destination within Mexico, this could be an option. However, do not assume that you can take domestic flights within Mexico without a passport. Crossing by land and then flying on a new domestic ticket might not work, so that this option might require you to drive (or take a long distance bus) within Mexico.

Thanks MSPeconomist.

Unfortunately she needs to fly where they are going.

Next hurdle will be working with the airline to change her flight.