Persons traveling from Mexico to the United States by air must present a valid passport for entry, and this requirement includes U.S. citizens. Exceptions to this requirement are active duty U.S. military personnel with valid military identification and travel orders, merchant mariners on maritime business with a U.S. merchant mariner document, lawful permanent residents of the United States with a permanent resident card (green card) or other evidence of residence status, and refugees or asylees with a refugee travel document.
Travelers arriving in the United States from Mexico via land or sea routes may use a passport, a U.S. passport card, an enhanced driver's license, or identification provided through the SENTRI or FAST trusted traveler programs. Exceptions noted for air travel also apply to land and sea travel.
The U.S. passport card is valid for travel between the United States and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. It is a wallet-size card containing a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. The chip stores no personal information but links to stored information in a government database. The U.S. passport card costs $55 compared to $135 for a regular U.S. passport, but it is only valid for travel to specified areas and is not valid for air travel.
The enhanced driver's license confirms identity and citizenship and contains an RFID chip. Vermont, Michigan, New York and Washington are the only states currently issuing this document, although it is under consideration in other states. Like the U.S. passport card, it is restricted to use for land and sea travel in specified areas.
The Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) offers expedited entry for regular commuters between the United States and Mexico. Applicants to the program must undergo a thorough background check, fingerprinting and a personal interview. Cleared travelers will receive an RFID-enabled identification card and access to designated commuter lanes at border crossings.
The Free and Secure Trade (FAST) driver program issues RFID-enabled identification cards to commercial truck drivers. Applicants are subject to background check, fingerprinting and interview, much like applicants to the SENTRI program. FAST identification also provides expedited clearance at border crossings.
U.S. or Canadian children under age 16 arriving by land or sea from contiguous territory may present a valid birth certificate, a consular report of birth abroad, a naturalization certificate or a Canadian citizenship card, starting June 1, 2009.
Groups of children under age 19 may travel under the same conditions, provided they are traveling as part of a school, religious, cultural or sports organization and the organization provides a document on its letterhead detailing the name of the group, the name of the adult supervising the group, a list of group members and the signed statement of the supervising adult that consent for legal guardianship during the trip has been obtained for each participating child.
