going to tijuana, do i need my passport?

[nation]

I know many people go across with just their driver's license, but i'm indian and am often mistaken for mexican. so, should i bring my passport as a precaution so i don't get hassled?

also, what would happen if my id or passport got stolen? that's mostly why i dont want to take my passport, bc i don't want to risk losing it.

thanks for any advice.

-nation

[Klompy]

While I could be wrong on this, I think how long you intend on staying could be a factor here.

I'm guessing it's for a short time though, and you should be find either way. I guess the real question is why not bring it just in case?

[NozeCandy]

Take your passport. It is about to be required to have one to even go to Canada, and I'm pretty sure Mexico is not far behind.

[J-Lo]

it's the most retarded ish i've ever seen.... so i'm comin back from tijuana via car w/ 3 other guys.... 1 guy is from san antonio, looks mexican, and lost EVERYTHING. The border patrol asks him where his ish is and he goes, "i got drunk and lost everything." Border patrol says fine, he then looks at MY passport, and starts [censored] interogating me

"i see you birth place is pakistan, have u visited a muslim fundamentalist group recently?"

"when was the last time u visited pakistan"

"have u ever gone to/funded a millitant terrorist school?"

They might as well have asked, "should we ship u to guantonimo bay now, or later?"

In conclusion, the border patrols are retarded, they let in anyone who can speak english well, but if u speak well and have an AMERICAN passport, but birthpalce is pakistan you will get grilled.

In conclusion, it's up to you, but at least take copies of everything in mulitple places, i'm a nit like that.

[nation]

i was born in detroit so i don tthink that is a problem....i guess just id in right pocket passport in left pocket?

[1-Lucky-SOB]

DL / ID, should be enough for the border areas. I beleive a passport is only needed to go deeper into the interior.


-1

[JaBlue]

I think you need birth certificate/ID to get into mexico without passport. They are definitely changing it to needing passport soon if it hasn't already changed yet. Just take your passport man.

And don't go to Tijuana. WTF?

[stankpickle]

ya at least go to rosarito its much better

[boptheflop]

I traveled back and forth between Tijuana and southern cal a bunch of times in '05 as an undergrad senior, and I never needed anything more than my drivers license. I am indian, but I speak english fairly well and dressed like any other college guy crossing the border to party, and was fortunate to avoid any of the typical harassment crossing the border, whether that stems from being associated with terrorism or having the skin tone of a mexican.

crossing the border by car might be a completely different situation, but since walking across the border is so easy, I always parked my car in a lot on the US side (take the last exit on the 15 south, go straight through the light, big lot with lights, $10 all night, popular spot) and just walk across the border entrance which is conveniently located at the south end of the parking lot next to one of those Duty Free stores.

going into tijuana on foot is a complete breeze...they usually just glance at your ID quickly and usher you through, but of course coming back into the US is a little trickier, with US agents stationed at counters positioned at the front of lines of people trying to get back to the US. my only troubling time was when a girl in my group was stumbling drunk (which they dont care about) but had lost her license. some security guy near us while we were in line warned us that if she didnt find it, we would all be spending the night in TJ. fortunately another buddy found it buried in her purse. the agents usually pepper you with the standard questions about your activities in TJ and where you live in the US, etc. I wouldn't bring my car or passport into TJ, because you could easily lose both. if you walk across the border, its a 5-7 minute walk into downtown TJ (Avenida Revolución), or you could easily hop a $5-10 cab ride into town, and the cabs will be swarming all over the place as you walk across the border.

TJ is awesome. definitely eat the churros from the guy wheeling a cart around where he makes them fresh, and dive into the 3 for $1 mini-tacos filled with steak or chicken. horchata is always excellent. I've never been sick in multiple times going there and eating a ton, but maybe I've been lucky. if you have cute girl/s (or any girls) in your group, you can easily broker sick deals with all the club workers on the street trying to get the tourists into the club by agreeing to bring you and your buddies inside if they give you some free coronas and/or shots.

sorry this was long, hopefully it helps, have fun -

[boptheflop]

Also, you've probably heard and read about this already, but cops in Tijuana are not on duty because the Mexican government sent its own troops into the area to crack down on drugs and crime, and who subsequently seized the firearms of the Tijuana police force due to allegations that some dirty cops are working with gangs and drug lords. CNN. sounds slightly dangerous. tijuana is dirty, but an awesome time if you aren't looking for some tropical resort and just want a change of scenery for some good food and drunken antics and tijuana "culture" (yeah its a touristy spot, but still very different from any hispanic-dominated area in southern cal), but with all this chaos going on now, maybe rosarito is a better idea.