FOr entry into Mexico with a passport - does the passport have to be valid for a certain number of months after the date of entry?
 

For entry into many countries, it is necessary to have a passport that will be valid for a certain period of time after the date of entry (sometimes 6 months, sometimes 1 year). I am planning a trip to Mexico for the first week of August. My US passport expires mid-December, so I would have about 4 months of validity in my passport. Will this be enough for Mexico? I have two months to renew my passport, but it takes 6 weeks and I don't want to be fretting a week before the trip if it does not arrive on time.

P.S. - I do NOT have a copy of my birth certificate, much less with a raised seal.

Well, you have several options:

I think the standard for most countries is 6 months. I would therefore renew your passport now just to be safe. You have to put your date of departure on your passport - they DO look at this and will make sure you get it in time.

You can always pay the $60 fee for expedited service if you are nervous about this. It takes about 2 weeks.

3rd - according to websites I looked at, the entry can be either a passport or a valid voter registration card and driver's license. So, bring your passport, and if they don't accept it because of the experation date, use your voter registration card and driver's license.

Hope this helps. Have fun!
Karen

If you are a US citizen, a voter's registration card will get you nowhere. If you do not have a passport, you MUST have a certified copy of your birth certificate with raised seal and a valid gov't. issued ID, i.e. drivers license. I believe the 2 month until your departure is enough time to renew your passport. I would take that route.

Go to the following website and then to travel and living abroad and it should tell you what you need to know. I check it every time I go out of the country.

http://www.state.gov

Personally I'd just renew a passport. Two months should be plenty of time or pay for 'expedited service' if you are worried.

I do not think a voters registration card is a valid form of ID.

Check with your airlines, along with government rules. It's the airline that is or isn't going to let you on the plane to leave home in the first place.

I followed Peg's link and found this for Mexico:

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: The Government of Mexico requires that all U.S. citizens present proof of citizenship and photo identification for entry into Mexico. A U.S. passport is recommended, but other U.S. citizenship documents such as a certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate, a Naturalization Certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Citizenship are acceptable. U.S. citizens boarding flights to Mexico should be prepared to present one of these documents as proof of U.S. citizenship, along with photo identification. Driver's permits, voter registration cards, affidavits and similar documents are not sufficient to prove citizenship for readmission into the United States.

I stand corrected. Karen

You guys are right, I'm just going to renew my passport. I have to do it relatively soon anyways!