A Pass Port To Cancun Is Usually A Safe Bet When Vacationing
That Mexican vacation is all booked and it is only one month to go until nothing but sun, surf, bikinis, and margaritas. Everything is planned, everything is taken care of, unless, wait...do I need a USA passport application to Cancun? This question is not as simple as it seems, and although the answer is almost certainly yes, there are a few different factors to consider.
The obvious answer is that since Cancun is in Mexico, and since Mexico is not in the U.S, then yes a U.S. passport would be necessary for a Cancun vacation. However, it was not until very recently that passports were necessary for travel to border countries, and even now they are not universally necessary. The type of travel dictates whether or not a passport is required.
Everything changed in regards to travel in June of 2009. The United States went from requiring nothing more than a driver's license or birth certificate to cross back in from border countries to requiring passport documentation. This is a significant change and one that many people are still not fully aware of.
Anyone traveling to Cancun will most definitely need a passport. Since the new passport laws cover sea travel, logic dictates that anyone on a cruise to Cancun would also need a passport. However, there is one exception in the sea travel clause.
Travelers on cruises to certain international destinations are not required to carry passports provided that the cruise is deemed "closed loop." A closed loop cruise is any cruise that starts and finishes in the same port or same port country. However, it is important to note that these closed loop exemptions only apply to cruises that begin and end in the United States, and only on cruises that visit certain international countries.
Approved international countries include: Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, the Virgin Islands, and select Caribbean Islands. That being the case, a passport is not necessary for a closed loop cruise to Cancun. However, a closed loop cruise to South America would necessitate a passport.
Homeland Security is often cited as the reason passports are now necessary for travel to border countries. Although it can be an inconvenience, it is better to have safe borders and a minor hassle than porous borders and an easy pass. Since passports are always necessary for international flight, and always have been, anyone flying to Cancun likely will not notice a change. American citizens flying to and from Mexico are generally not subjected to a lot of scrutiny.
