That Mexican vacation is all booked and it is only one month to go until nothing but sun, surf, bikinis, and margaritas. Everything is planned, everything is taken care of, unless, wait…do I need a passport to Cancun? This question is not as simple as it seems, and although the answer is almost certainly yes, there are a few different factors to consider.

Since Cancun is not a part of the United States, one can safely assume that they would need a passport to travel there. However, while this will usually be the case, there can be exceptions. It is perfectly understandable how some people are very confused by the whole process because these laws were not even in place about a year ago.

New passport laws that were put into place in June 2009 have made things a bit confusing for many people. Prior to that date, a passport was not always necessary when traveling to US border countries. Up until that point, as long as a traveler had a valid driver’s license, they could pretty much head to countries such as Mexico and Canada at will.

Anyone traveling to Cancun will most definitely need a passport. Since the new passport laws cover sea travel, logic dictates that anyone on a cruise to Cancun would also need a passport. However, there is one exception in the sea travel clause.

The one loophole in the new passport laws are related to trips categorized as “closed loop” voyages. This is a cruise ship trip that starts in a US port and ends up in a US port. Because the traveler is not technically leaving the ship, meaning one-way travel, they can get away with only having a driver’s license on their trip. However, there are restrictions involved in the actual destinations of these cruises.

Approved international countries include: Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, the Virgin Islands, and select Caribbean Islands. That being the case, a passport is not necessary for a closed loop cruise to Cancun. However, a closed loop cruise to South America would necessitate a passport.

Homeland Security is often cited as the reason passports are now necessary for travel to border countries. Although it can be an inconvenience, it is better to have safe borders and a minor hassle than porous borders and an easy pass. Since passports are always necessary for international flight, and always have been, anyone flying to Cancun likely will not notice a change. American citizens flying to and from Mexico are generally not subjected to a lot of scrutiny.

Having said all of that, it is still always better to have too much documentation than not enough. Obtaining a American passport application to Cancun will give assurances that there will be no problems. In you do not want to get a regular passport, a passport card can be used instead. Regardless, anyone planning to travel would do wise to obtain a United States passport sooner or later to avoid the long waits or extra fees that will have to be paid to get one on short notice.

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