For those planning to enter and exit Mexico in 2008

I have copied and pasted this information from the consulate site.  We have some reason to believe that teams of youth, under the age of 18, and under adult supervision might only need a certified birth certificate and not the U.S. passport.  We have tried to get verification on that and will make note of it on the webpage when we have that information. 

-- Children entering the United States by air will still be required to show passports, but the federal government will relax those rules for children traveling via land or sea, a top Bush administration official said yesterday.

Children will be exempt from new rules that will require travelers to show passports when entering the country at land or sea border checkpoints, a move the White House described as aimed toward helping families and school groups.

Children ages 16 through 18 traveling with school, religious, cultural, or athletic groups and under adult supervision will also be allowed to travel with only their birth certificates.  (Must be in the company of adults with passports and have notarized permission slips, if parents are not in company of child)

AIR TRAVEL

Implemented on January 23, 2007, ALL PERSONS traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean region are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.

LAND AND SEA TRAVEL
The following summarizes information available on the Department of Homeland Security’s website.

• JANUARY 31, 2008
  U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present either a WHTI-compliant document, or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, plus proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. DHS also proposes to begin alternative procedures for U.S. and Canadian children at that time.
  
   
• SUMMER 2008
  At a later date, to be determined, the departments will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI. The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have either a U.S. passport; a U.S. passport card; a trusted traveler card such as NEXUS, FAST, or SENTRI; a valid Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business; or a valid U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders.
  
  The implementation date will be determined based on a number of factors, including the progress of actions undertaken by the Department of Homeland Security to implement the WHTI requirements and the availability of WHTI compliant documents on both sides of the border. DHS and DOS expect the date of full WHTI implementation to be in the summer of 2008. The precise implementation date will be formally announced with at least 60 days notice.

Discussion: Passport Information - Updated 1-10-2008

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