Faremax: Travel Forums

so has anyone driven across the US/Mexico border lately?  it took us 2 hrs to get back last time, and would definately be a deterrant to me for travel there again in the near future.  thoughts?

I've hot a question. What exactly do they require at the border? Do they require just an ID and Birth Certificate or do they require more since 9/11?

US citizens just need 1 valid id -a drivers license, a SS card, etc.

As I understand it from friends who live on the border and go back and forth all the time, it takes increasingly more time clearing customs at the border.  Long waits, more people pulled aside ..especially Eruopeans for some reason.  They spent four hours the other day because an English friend was with them.  She got quite an interrogation.

GermaineMichele:

US citizens just need 1 valid id -a drivers license, a SS card, etc.

That is until January 1, 2008.  After that Passport will be required to enter both Mexico and Canada

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It's funny how it always takes so much more time to do something the legal way.

I have also heard it is taking much more time to cross.  Of course, cars are always stopped randomly and searched or interrogated.

As a Canadian, I had more trouble driving across the US/Canadian border than across the US/Mexican border for some reason. All I needed when we drove into Mexico was my birth certificate, and there was no line at all. Going into the US, we were pulled over and the trunk and all of our luggage wa searched. I have no idea why. They found nothing and we were sent on our way, but it took over an hour.

The last time I made the crossing at Niagara, the security was really really strict.  But, it wasn't too long after a lot of scares about six years ago.  I was driving my Grand Cherokee so it was easy for them to see in the back, but I had to wake up my old sleeping dog for them too.  Didn't know til then that an aged Springer could look suspicious lol.

If you try to drive through the southern borders [say, traveling to Central America] you can run into lots of bureaucracy and expectations of bribes.

It's been many years since I drove through the California/Mexico border, but we always had issues anyhow because my boyfriend at the time was of Mexican ancestory and they always treated him like he was trying to skip the country or something when the poot guy was born in L.A.

LyricB:

It's been many years since I drove through the California/Mexico border, but we always had issues anyhow because my boyfriend at the time was of Mexican ancestory and they always treated him like he was trying to skip the country or something when the poot guy was born in L.A.

My husband and his brothers have this problem coming back into the U.S. all the time.  They are all half Mexican. To compound the trouble, one looks white and the other two have dark skin. They get everything from strange looks to being detained and searched.

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I drove back over the border after the holidays.  Took us six hours to get back in, and my entire family is natural born citizens- I'm fourth generation.  They searched the car three times, checked and rechecked our passports and then spoke with all the kids.  Ten times more tedious than an air port arrival. 

It's been years since I've driven into the US from Ontario. I think I'm less inclined to go over for a few hours and shop or look around now than I was a few years ago, because of the time it could take.

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