My husband has me worried about getting kidnapped in Tijuana crossing the border. Seriously.

I tried to look some things up online, which gave advice to not dress in expensive clothes or wear expensive jewelry, and be aware of your surroundings.

For those of you who have already made the trip, how did you FEEL crossing the border?

I will not have my passport in time for surgery. I don't know if I should push my surgery back or if I should just go for it with BC and drivers license.

I won't have mine in time either. I asked alma at Ready4Achange if that would be ok and she said yes. She said as long as I have birth certificate, drivers license and confirmation that I applied for my passport then I wouldn't have any problems so I'm going without one. Good luck on whatever you decide

I won't have mine in time either. I asked alma at Ready4Achange if that would be ok and she said yes. She said as long as I have birth certificate' date=' drivers license and confirmation that I applied for my passport then I wouldn't have any problems so I'm going without one. Good luck on whatever you decide[/quote']

Well that puts my mind at ease. I will just get a birth certificate and go with that. When I went to get a passport I needed a birth certificate and I only had a birth card. They would not accept that. They've closed the vital records office near me down so by the time I get a birth certificate it will be too close to surgery for a passport.

Crossing into Mexico - no big deal. You get out of the van with your luggage' date=' walk in to have it scanned and walk out. No lines, no big deal.

Coming back to the USA - totally different story. Lines can be hours long to wait. Luckily I was in a wheel chair and we got to go to the front of the line, no wait. Ask you why you were in Mexico, make smart comments about your appearance and your "need" to go to Mexico, scan your bags, let you thru. Then, we had to wait about 40 minutes for the van driver to get through the huge line. US Border patrol are aholes and act like you are a drug mule or something.

But, I was on pain meds and didn't care about anything other than the time it took.[/quote']

We didn't have to do any of that... It was really a breeze for me.

I fel completely safe! I had the same worries but it really was a breeze. Now going back into the US was worse! the border patrol guy was an ass and made me feel as if I was doing something wrong. After my surgery and I was better we felt safe enough to take a cab to the mall. It was really pretty. Not one time did I feel threatened.

Thank you all for your comments! They really help me to know what to expect.

MsVetRN, why is it scarier crossing back into the US? I will have a driver from the surgery center driving me to and from the San Diego airport.

You have got to be kidding!! What are you worried about then? Do you not live in the U.S.? Tijuana is not a war zone.....................

We didn't have to do any of that... It was really a breeze for me.

I did not have to get out of the car in either direction. Coming back your coordinator should give you a medical pass and you should be able to sail right through no waiting. Make sure that you get/ask for one.

You have got to be kidding!! What are you worried about then? Do you not live in the U.S.? Tijuana is not a war zone.....................

People have a fear of the unknown, which is a natural response. She also has a right to voice those concerns without having to feel inadequate. It may not be a war zone, but sometimes we only know what we see and what we see comes from the media... Does the cartels ring a bell???

How did ypu get a wheelchair

I won't have mine in time either. I asked alma at Ready4Achange if that would be ok and she said yes. She said as long as I have birth certificate' date=' drivers license and confirmation that I applied for my passport then I wouldn't have any problems so I'm going without one. Good luck on whatever you decide[/quote']

My mom and I didn't have ours either and we had no problems getting back into the US.

Well that puts my mind at ease. I will just get a birth certificate and go with that. When I went to get a passport I needed a birth certificate and I only had a birth card. They would not accept that. They've closed the vital records office near me down so by the time I get a birth certificate it will be too close to surgery for a passport.

So weird... almost the same thing is my issue. I went today to get my passport and they said I need an "original" birth certificate not a copied one. I'm going with my ID, my copied birth certificate and a utility bill. What's your date... the 26th? Mine is the 25th.. I hope to see you there.

So weird... almost the same thing is my issue. I went today to get my passport and they said I need an "original" birth certificate not a copied one. I'm going with my ID, my copied birth certificate and a utility bill. What's your date... the 26th? Mine is the 25th.. I hope to see you there.

TThey dont care one thing about a UTILITY BILL. lol. You can have a "copy" of a birth certificate but it has to be a CERTIFIED copy-not a Xerox copy of the original- which has to bee obtained from the city where you were born. NOT a Notorized copy...that can only happen if you have the original, anyway, so why would you need it, right? But, who knows...you might get home with the COPY ...

So weird... almost the same thing is my issue. I went today to get my passport and they said I need an "original" birth certificate not a copied one. I'm going with my ID' date=' my copied birth certificate and a utility bill. What's your date... the 26th? Mine is the 25th.. I hope to see you there.[/quote']

Well the birth card is supposed to be official. I got it from the office is vital records. They said it was not good enough. So now I have to travel to a vital records office and try to get an actual certificate. It's crazy. I will make sure my husband gets a new one also. Don't want any drama when the time comes. I'm on the 26 at Mi hospital with Dr Fernando Garcia. I'm still up in the air about if my hubby is coming along. Nevertheless I'm ready to go!

Do they ask for birth certificate and ID ? Alma told me that I would be fine without passport. I am just a little nervous and trying to decide whether to get card or not. Plus I feel obligated to pay for my friends to

Do they ask for birth certificate and ID ? alma told me that I would be fine without passport. I am just a little nervous and trying to decide whether to get card or not. Plus I feel obligated to pay for my friends to

I just had to give them my birth certificate and DL.