[QUOTE=Jaguar300ZX;7455416]If you plan to stay in Tijuana for 3-Days (exactly 72-hours -or more) You will need a valid US Passport Book (-not just the Pasport I'd Card).
A valid US Passport is required for all US citizens, regardless of age, in order to cross the Mexico border.
And you will also need to complete a Forma Migratoria Mltiple Card (FMM).
The Forma Migratoria Mltiple (FMM) document is mandatory for most visitors entering Mexico.
The Forma Migratoria Mltiple (FMM) is free of cost, for stays in Mexico of more than 72-hours for up to 7-days limit.
The FMM card can be obtained for free at the port of entry when crossing by land.
To get the FMM card, you will need to present a valid US Passport, and show some proof of your intended departure. (Hotel check-out date or other reservation information).
Be advised that Mexico is in the process of phasing-out paper FMM's and will be replacing them with a stamp in your passport book, so be prepared for either format.
What to do when you exit Mexico.
Be sure to keep your FMM paperwork (or passport stamp) safe & secure, because you will need to present the FMM paperwork (or passport stamp) to border officials when you leave Mexico.[/QUOTE]This post is not entirely inaccurate, but sounds like its just reading off a description from somewhere online vs personal experience or from someone who hasnt been in quite a long time. A few things:
- a passport card is perfectly fine for longer term stays, not sure where you heard this from but its never been true that you needed a passport book for 3 day visits. Even beyond a week the card is good but you will need to pay for the longer term fmm which is for stays of 8-180 days vs the free short term fmm, but the card is perfect valid.
- mexico has been 'phasing out' the fmms for coming on at least 2-3 years now, if anything they've just streamlined the process more (for land crossings, the digital fmm is already in use at many airport locations). Don't sweat the fmm, when crossing by foot since October 2024 they have passport scanning machines (scans both the book and the card) that will fill the fmm for you, they print it out, rip off the bottom and you're on your way in under 2 min. You don't need to fill anything or even say your name, just hand the passport card / book for them to scan.
- for < 8 day visits you don't need to show reservations or proof of stay or anything, they ask where you are going you can just say "tijuana" and that's it, guys get nervous not wanting to say HK and nervously start blabbing about a dentist they are going to and throwing out street names. Relax. Just say "tijuana". They just want to know how deep into mexico you are going, no one cares about your itinerary. For stays longer than that (where you are paying the fmm fee) they _may_ but very very unlikely that they do, maybe just drop a hotel name but I've never ever seen or heard of them asking to see printouts with departure and other details, and that's if they ask anything at all.
The most significant change for guys who haven't been in a year or so is that its much harder to enter mexico without a passport. You can no longer just ask to pay for a long term fmm in lieu of a passport, this is what used to be called 'the bribe' and its gone. Guys also used to walk through the locals line, that's gone, even if you look mexican af they are even checking for passports or mexican ids (ine) on the mexican side as well. If you don't have a passport (get one!) you will need to cross by car or try otay crossing. Every single time I cross I see a whole bunch of guys with no passports lined up against the wall outside the office and they shuttle them off in groups to go back, every time.
