UPDATE: Never mind! The passports arrived this morning, so we're all set! What a relief.

My parents are sweetly accompanying me for my surgery in Tijuana next week and are concerned their new passports will not arrive in time. They applied to have their passports expedited and were assured they would receive them by August 13, but found out yesterday that there is a backlog of passports being processed so it's no longer certain that they will come before we need to leave for Mexico. They don't even have their expired passports because those had to be submitted with the application for the renewed ones.

I've been assured by my coordinator that they'd be fine with just their birth certificate and drivers license, but others have said that it's still a risk.

They might have a neighbor check their mail after we've left and then take a photo of their new passports to send to them (if they arrive while we're there) so at least the passport number would be visible and could be verified at Customs. I don't know if that would be sufficient.

Does anyone have any recent experiences crossing the border back into the United States without a passport? I've read some older threads on here where people have explained that they encountered little difficulty reentering with just their driver's license, but not any ones from this summer.

Edited August 12, 201510 yr by Clementine Sky

Do you live anywhere near any of the passport offices? I was fortunate enough to live near Buffalo and go get a Passport card made somewhat last-minute. But there aren't that many offices in the US so the nearest one could be hundreds of miles away from your parents, which doesn't help at all.

PS: It's awesome they are coming with you and I truly hope it all works out! It certainly sucks to be dealing with this extra stress on top of the anxiety you are likely feeling about your surgery. Hang in there!

Mexico requires passports for all American Citizens traveling into their country

http://mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/eacs_sheet.html

Travelling back from Mexico to the states is different too depending on how you travel

Entry to the US by land or sea: Regardless of your final destination in Mexico, all U.S. citizens age 16 or over must present either a U.S. passport book or card to re-enter the U.S. by land or sea. Minors under the age of 16 may enter the U.S. via the land border with a certified birth certificate, consular report of birth abroad, citizenship certificate, or naturalization certificate.

Entry to the US by air: All citizens, regardless of age, entering the U.S. by air must present a U.S. passport book. A passport card is not acceptable for entry to the US by air

I hope the passports come soon.

I actually had to get my passport card to ENTER Mexico when I went for my sleeve. I already had an enhanced New York State drivers license that allows for land entry into the US (used it previously to reenter the US from Mexico and have used it LOTS of times to reenter the US from Canada). However, since the last time I'd been to Mexico, they changed their laws to require a US Passport or Passport Card for entry INTO Mexico.

I was informed of that change in Mexican law by my patient coordinator for my sleeve surgery. She said the Mexican border agents absolutely would not accept my enhanced driver's license. So I scrambled to get a Passport Card at the last minute (thus my trip to the Buffalo Passport office). Then after all of that, when I actually crossed the Mexican border, they didn't ask me for *any* ID at all!

Edit - they have their passports now. I don't want to take up space on here with a problem that I'm happy has now been resolved, so I'm editing out this post.

Edited August 13, 201510 yr by Clementine Sky

I really hope it all works out for you. I guess worst case is that they aren't allowed to cross back into the US smoothly and then they have to deal with the US embassy or something?

My parents' passports arrived this morning!!!!! Whew. Hallelujah.

My parents' passports arrived this morning!!!!! Whew. Hallelujah.

Oh thank goodness! One less thing to stress about!