Expert Q&A

	By James Feldman (a.k.a. Doctor Travel) Certified Facilitator

I will be traveling to Mexico soon with a newborn baby. I am not so much concerned about the flight, but what happens once we land and travel by cab, rent car, etc. What do I need to know? What should I take? How can I make sure my baby is safe? Also, do babies need a passport, or will just a birth certificate do?

Your question had two parts.

I will address the passport issue first. Check with the U.S. government or the Mexican Tourism Board to confirm whether or not your baby requires a passport. The rules continue to change as enforcement escalates under the WHT.

Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the proposed implementation timeline has two phases:

• Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

• As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.

The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the United States and do not need to present a passport. U.S. territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Travel Documents for U.S. Citizens Under WHTI
Under the proposed implementation plan, the following documents will be acceptable to fulfill document requirements:

• U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda, and may also use a U.S. passport when traveling via sea and land borders (including ferry crossings).

• The Passport Card (also referred to as the PASS Card): This limited-use passport in card format is currently under development and will be available for use for travel only via land or sea (including ferries) between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. Similar in size to a credit card, it will fit easily into a wallet.

DOS and DHS also anticipate that the following documents will continue to be acceptable for their current travel uses under WHTI: SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST and the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document. As proposed, members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders will continue to be exempt from the passport requirement.

Regarding safety for your trip you did not indicate where in Mexico you will be traveling. However, from the standpoint of any travel I would suggest that you do have someone arrange your transfers from a recognized limo or transfer service. If you merely take a taxi waiting outside of an airport – in any city, in any country including the U.S. – you have no idea who is driving, their safety record or affiliations. Safety in any country or city requires a proactive decision as to what level of risk you are willing to accept. I have had great experiences in Los Cabos, Cancun, etc. When I travel to outlying areas I do arrange for a car service that has been approved by the local convention and visitor's bureau. Remember there is as much danger in New York, San Francisco or Chicago by getting into a taxi as a major city in Mexico. Don't take unnecessary risks if you are concerned.

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