February 20, 2010
A U S Passport To Cancun Is Usually A Safe Bet When Vacationing
That time off is so badly needed, but nothing could possibly be worst than making travel plans and not realizing that a passport to Cancun is needed until it is too late. People are getting all kinds of bad information about this right now and not being prepared can be the difference in having a great trip or getting to the airport and being forced to turn right back around.
Since Cancun is not a part of the United States, one can safely assume that they would need a passport to travel there. However, while this will usually be the case, there can be exceptions. It is perfectly understandable how some people are very confused by the whole process because these laws were not even in place about a year ago.
New passport laws that were put into place in June 2009 have made things a bit confusing for many people. Prior to that date, a passport was not always necessary when traveling to US border countries. Up until that point, as long as a traveler had a valid driver’s license, they could pretty much head to countries such as Mexico and Canada at will.
Anyone who is considering traveling to Cancun for a trip will definitely need a passport. But hold on, this is where the exception comes in at. The rules are adjusted for people that are taking cruises. It is because of this very exception that much of the confusion about needing a passport started in the first place.
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.
Countries that are accepted into this exception are such location as: Bermuda, The Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico and some Caribbean Island locations. Because all areas are not fully accepted, it is always good to check with either the State Department or the travel agent to make sure that the destination does or does not require a passport for re-entry.
Citizens have been screaming at Homeland Security from day one about these new rules, but they are in place to protect everyone. Cancun has always been a location that US citizens could pretty much travel to and from without any hassle. In all honesty, the hassles will remain minimal; there are just some extra security measures in place to make the borders more secure.
In all honesty, while it may not be necessary to have a passport to Cancun, it is still a safe play to get one before any trip happens. A U.S. passport application is the be all and end all of documentation of citizenship and on the off chance that difficulties were encountered coming back into the United States or entering Cancun, the U.S. passport is like Willie Wonka’s Golden Ticket.
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