Maybe Going To Baja - Passport Needed??

WindLogik · Since 09 Feb 2009 95 Posts Hood River

I just looked at my passport and it expired a month ago. Do you need a passport to go to Baja? How long does it typically take to get the passport renewed?

Thanks

Scriffler · Since 03 Jul 2005 581 Posts LYLE Addicted

Don't think you need it with valid state Id. That said, if anything goes wrong you should have your passport to visit the embassy if needed. Pretty sure a passport would expedite the process.

jasonq · Since 12 Jan 2009 246 Posts hood river Stoked

pretty darn sure you need a passport to go/return from mexico and canada now:

airline won't even let you on the flight without a passport.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html

Since March 1, 2010, .... Regardless of the destination in Mexico; however, all U.S. citizens age 16 or older must present a valid U.S. passport book or passport card to re-enter the U.S. by land. A passport book is required to return to the United States via an international flight.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.html
2 to 3 weeks to get an expedited passport.

razor192 · Since 29 Dec 2011 5 Posts Kook

I know to get into Canada you need a passport or "enhanced state ID".. I believe the same is true of MX....

Nak · Sun Jan 15, 12 4:54 pm

Yes, you need a passport. If you already have a airline ticket you'll be able to expedite the process. If you're willing to drive to Seattle, you can knock a lot of time off. If it hasn't changed, you can make an appointment with the Passport Agency in Seattle, drive up and get it in one day. You'll want to make a morning appointment and get there early. Plan on waiting a few hours after your interview before you get the Passport. Go get some clam chowder while you wait.

Jackal · Since 17 Dec 2005 147 Posts WS Stoked

Here's a great link for questions that have a range of answers from easy to complex. A lot quicker than using a forum.

http://keithbrown.com/how-do-you-google-something-on-google/

WindLogik · Since 09 Feb 2009 95 Posts Hood River

Thanks Jackal. I appreciate your link. Funny thing... I "googled" this topic before posting and found quite a lot of conflicting information. I figured that since half of the users on the forum go to Baja, I could get some specific info on how to do this quickly. Sorry if I inconvenienced you. Keep being awesome Laughing

Thanks Nak, that may be what I end up doing.

Talbot1 · Since 22 Apr 2011 27 Posts USA

Yes you need a passport for Mexico. If you want to renew it at a passport office (Seattle, San Francisco, etc) you can make an appointment within two weeks of your travel date. You MUST bring your airline ticket or other proof that you are traveling within two weeks. If driving hotel reservations might work.

I travel for work, so I had my employer write me a letter. When I was waiting for my appointment, I did see a person trying to renew a passport without a travel date get denied. So make sure you have the proper docs.

If you make your appointment early 8-9ish your passport is ready by 11 am. Any later it is done by 3 pm. The cost is total $170. $110 plus $60 expedite fee.

Here is the site- travel.state.gov/passport/renew/renew_833.html
Look at the bottom of the page under: Need a U.S. Passport Immediately?
for the info.

Have fun! Laughing

Nak · Sun Jan 15, 12 7:04 pm

Yeah, what Talbot1 said! Very Happy

I wanted to clarify, make your appointment for the very first thing in the morning, and get there early for your appointment. There will be a whole group of people with the same appointment time you have, first come first served. You'll be able to leave after your interview and come back to get your passport. Rarely, but it does happen, they'll have another question for you when you come back for your passport. That's why you want to get in early, so if there is a problem you have time to take care of it that day. Not as big a deal if you live close to Seattle, a really big deal if you're driving up from PDX or the Hood.

HoodRat · Since 30 Mar 2008 199 Posts Stoked

just hide in the trunk

Bettyboarder · Sun Jan 15, 12 11:12 pm

We just went to mult county in pdx....bring a new passport photo, your old passport & like $130. Takes about 10 days to get it.

kiteboard117 · Since 02 Mar 2005 450 Posts PDX McLovin

I went through this process 6 months ago, one detail you should know: even with the rush service in Seattle they cant print you the passport same day anymore. Only the main passport office somewhere on the east coast can print passports now. If you buy a pre-paid air mailer and bring it in you can knock 4 days off. I have even heard of people putting an air mailer inside of an air mailer so you can get it in ~4 business days.
The other thing is the appointments are quite hard to get in Seattle. If you can, make one as far ahead of time as possible. Since your passport has already expired it might make sense to make an appointment in Seattle, then try at a local PO. Since the print requests can be sent from any office which issues passports it may be that there is no advantage to driving all the way to Seattle, that is what happened in my case (I was told this after arranging everything in Seattle). But then they have some complex guidelines about what you can do where, so its worth checking... Yay bureaucracy Crying or Very sad

best of luck!

Talbot1 · Since 22 Apr 2011 27 Posts USA

Its easy to get an appointment in Seattle. And they do print them there the same day!

Not sure what happened to 117 but I used the Seattle office in Aug. Had a friend do it in Dec. We both scheduled appointments a week out. All the times were available, filled out the form, waited in line for a few minutes, then came back about 3 and picked them up fresh off the printer.

DrewB · Since 16 Aug 2006 384 Posts PDX Obsessed

I just went through this same thing a few weeks ago.
I didn't read the whole thread so excuse me if this was covered already.

There are some 3rd party companies out there that will do the leg work for you.
The cost is an additional $100 to $300 (in addition to the $170 for the Fed) and they basically go to the passport office for you and do the expedited process.
The whole thing made me really nervious because you are basically sending them your old passport and enough info to ruin your life (SS#, credit card #, etc.).
Before sending it all, I called their office a few times and it sounded pretty legit.

They had my new passport back to me inside of 5 business days and it saved me a trip to Seattle which was worth the money.
Here is a link to the site that I used: https://uspassportonline.com/?gclid=CKvk8dWl1a0CFcobQgodo2jCKQ

This may also be common knowledge, but it was news to me when it came up last month:
Every country is different, but you need a certain amount of time left on your passport beyond your return date to get admittance to your travel country.
In my case, my old passport expired 2 days after my planned return.
I'm just glad that I caught it a few weeks ago and not today.

Baja bound on Wednesday Very Happy