Passport Limitations in Mexico?
 

Hi,
My daughter is going to Mexico in February. Her passport expires at the beginning of April. Does anyone now if that's a problem? Does her passport have to be valid for a certain period of time?
Thanks!

We had a similar situation in the summer: the Mexican embassy here in London states that your passport must be valid for 6 months after your date of entry to Mexico.

jeg, where are you from? In the US, passports are not required until 2006. You'd need a birth certificate and drivers license.

Uh-oh, this is what I was afraid of. My daughter and I are from the US. She'll be going in February of 2006, though, so it sounds as if she'll need a passport then. (Do the new requirements go into effect January 1st?)

If you hurry with the application it should be OK. I believe current wait time is ~6 weeks for standard renewal of existing passport.

You might be fine entering for a quick vacation with two months remaining, but that would be up to the airlines your fly and immigration in Mexico. A bit of a gamble IMO.

In August I traveled to Mexico a week before my passport expired and returned to the US one day before it expired. I had no problems entering Mexico or returning to the US. As long as you are returning before the passport expires you should be fine.

You might find out the exact legal requirements by contacting the Mexican government or consulate. I know for Europe, different countries have different requirements (i.e., must have 6 months remaining on valid passport for entry, etc.)

I renewed my passport earlier this year for the same reason. Because there was not enough time to be sure I would get the new passport, I gladly paid the expedite fee and got my new passport in two weeks or less.

Well, I contacted the Mexican Embassy and received a response stating that since we had time to get a new passport, we SHOULD get her a new passport. I don't know if that means we'd have to, but we're going to go ahead and get it. Thanks for your help.

Hi,
I'm not sure passports are required in 2006. I found this posy on the US Department of State website. It looks to me like passports are not required until 2008. Here's the link:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

Yes, you are so right! 2008. Sorry about that.

If you are going to, all the better, but I really cannot believe anyone is going to care. I don't think Mexico is exactly worried about illegal American immigrants trying to overstay their welcome. It's not like it expires during her stay or even within a week. Besides, a passport isn't even required yet according to state dept. I've traveled to European countries with less than 6 months on my passport (I'm American) within the last couple years with no problem (like Spain).