Do you need a passport to go to mexico if you have your resident card?

Question

I was just curious about it. I'm planning to go soon and I only have my resident card.

Answer 1

The law is about to change.  Right now a passport is not needed.  But come Jan 31, you will need a passport.  Even US citizens.  And you better double check that 31st date.  I would hate for you to get here and not be able to go back.  Call the US Customs and Border Patrol.  If you talk nice to them the usually are very willing to answer your questions.

Answer 2

Your use of the term “Resident card” is a little confusing.  If you are referring to a “Permanent residence card”, commonly called a green card, it would indicate that you are not a US citizen.  If that is the case you cannot get a US passport as they are only issued to US citizens.  The residence card should be all you will need to leave, and re-enter The United States.  You might want to check with The US Department of State on that.

All Mexican citizens are required to have a Mexican passport to enter or leave México however.  If you are a Mexican citizen and you do not have a Mexican Passport, you may go to a Mexican Consulate in The US and get a “Tarjeta de Matricular” that will get you into the country.  Those cards expire in one year.  My wife had to do that about ten years ago after she had lost her Mexican passport.  

After you are in México you will need to get a Mexican passport to leave the country again.  If you had a Mexican passport and you lost it, report the loss to the Mexican police after you are here.  If you are applying for a new passport, and you had a Mexican passport previously, if you don’t have the old one to turn in, or a police report about the loss, they will never issue you another one.

My wife had an awful time getting a replacement Mexican passport.  Even though she had reported the loss to a Mexican Consulate in The US, they insisted that nothing but a police report was sufficient here, and she was told that she would never be issued another Mexican passport without one.  Her old passport had been left on the counter at the airport in Guadalajara.  The police department in Anchorage, Alaska would certainly not be interested in a document lost in another country, so that is why she reported the loss to the Alaska branch office of the Seattle Consulate.

She finally went to a couple of different delegations in México City until she found one that would issue her another passport.  If you have an expired Mexican passport, guard it carefully, you will need it to get a renewal in México, and you may still need to get a Tarjeta de Matricular to enter México.  

I hope this is not too confusing, but it is not simple for a non-US citizen.

Rex

Answer 3

not till next year. if you fly or take a cruse you need them, but if you drive or just walk across you do not need one. a lot of times they don't even ask to see anything.