Forget about the good old days when U.S. travelers to the Mexico border could just flash their driver’s license to get back into the United States. As of June 1 – this Monday- tourists to Mexico will need to start bringing their passports ( or other travel documents) to Mexico when they cross by land at places like the San Ysidro border.
The alternative to the passport include:
A passport card
A SENTRI card, A NEXUS card, or a FAST card
A driver’s license with radio-technology that is apparently not available in California.
****UPDATE: Go to this blog post for what happens if you forget your passport: https://acrosstheborder.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/answer-to-question-about-passport-requirements-at-the-border/ ****
I have been away from the border lately and forgot this date was coming up. I was glad to learn that I don’t have to drag around my passport on my border trips since I have a SENTRI card (I get to use the “faster” border lanes since I’m pre-screened and considered low-risk for bringing illegal substances into the United States) so I should be fine. I had no idea, or had forgotten, what a NEXUS or FAST card are so I did a search and found that NEXUS appears to be the Canada-traveller version of the SENTRI program and FAST is a pre-screened program for commercial border-crossers.
Go here to read more in a story written by reporter Leslie Berestein of The San Diego Union-Tribune
Go here to read to get the latest information from the U.S. government.
Across the border 