Going to P.Vallarta next month. What are the requirements to go as far as getting past customs?I know you dont necesarally need a passport but Drivers License and Birth certificate?What about for a minor who has a different last name than the parent she is with?

I think you're really talking about "getting past immigration". My opinion only: apply for passports (more leeway to travel elsewhere) but you can get into Mexico with a certified copy of your birth certificate (driver's licence to accompany that) and can't tell you about a minor with a different last name.

Another thing you need to know, if the minor child is just going with one parent and not the other, you need a letter (notorized) from the minor's other parent acknowledging the trip out of the country.

Thanks- not enough time for passports but the other stuff they have.( rest of my family as i have a passport.) I thought that might be the case for the notorized letter from the parent.

If you do not have a passport I would recommend that you have all paper work that traces how the last name on your birth certificate got to be your current last name. After the recent events in Spain you can bet that everything will be on high alert again.
GET A PASSPORT (trust me)if you want to travel outside the USA
Dan

It has been several years, but my husband and I used to travel to Mexico with visas and certified copies of our birth certificates. I can't add to the excellent advise you received above about traveling with a minor.

You can get a passport in three working days. We did this for an adult and a minor three weeks ago for a trip to Japan. The extra cost (beyond the normal government fee) is $166 for the service, and $30 for fedex. The URL is http://www.americanpassport.com/

I'm about as relaxed as travelers get, but it's not a bad idea to carry a passport when you are outside your home country. There might be other tickets in and out of other countries, but things don't always go as smoothly as you plan and a passport is your only sure ticket through the gates of the newly reinforced US embassies.

I highly recommend taking a passport for any international travel these days. Way too much red tape otherwise.

Driver's license and government issued photo ID plus birth cerificate with raised seal is minimum requirement. As above notarized letter of permission in English and spanish if taking minor child who is not your own. As above passport is best. If you are just going to a resort area, it probably won't be much of an issue, however

you need to have a notarized letter of consent from the other parent.. Or if you choose to get a passport,you also must have the other parent sign a form for the passport.. It is a must! Also if you choose to only get the letter of consent, I suggest to get a State ID just like a drivers license.. You then have every thing..You can also check out the state dept. web site for down loadable forms for passports,and consent forms...If you cannot locate the other parent for some reason you will have help on this site to get a passport without the other parent.. Hope this helps???