The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative outlines what documents you will need when traveling to different areas of the Western Hemisphere. Depending on how you enter Tijuana will dictate what type of ID requirements you will have to meet before you are allowed to enter the country.
The passport is valid document for all methods of entering Tijuana. Some methods of entry will also allow people to use a passport card, which is an "enhanced driver's license" that provides enough documentation to allow people back into the United States. However, a passport card may not let you into Mexico through all means of transportation. The passport card is only available to U.S. citizens; it is currently not available to permanent residents of the United States.
If you are an American flying into Tijuana, but not from a flight that departed from the United States, you will be required to have your U.S. national passport, or another valid travel document, before you will be allowed to enter Mexico. Other valid travel documents are your green card or your I-155 stamp inside your passport that allow permanent residents to enter the United States.
Americans on a cruise ship that travels through Mexico must also have a valid national passport or other travel document. This policy also applies to short cruises as well as ferry rides. The only exception to this regulation is if you are traveling on a "closed- loop" cruise. A closed- loop cruise is a cruise that begins at a port in the United States then concludes at the same port in the United States. When traveling by sea, the Mexican government will also accept a passport card as an acceptable form of documentation to enter the country.
If you are entering Mexico through any land travel, such as car, bus or train, you will be required to have a passport or a passport card with you.
For more information, you can contact the Embassy of Mexico in the United States. The embassy is located at 1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC, 20006. You can also contact the embassy by phone at 202-736-1600.
