Crossing the United States-Mexico Border By Land (2024)

• Get a Passport

• Renew or Replace a Passport

• Get My Passport Fast

• Prepare to Apply

• Passport Help

• Legal Matters

• Apply for your First Adult Passport

• Apply for a Child Under 16

• Apply as a 16 or 17 Year Old

• Get My Application Status

• Get a Passport Card

• Respond to a Letter or Email

Use your U.S. passport card to save time crossing the U.S.-Mexico land border. You can use the passport card at U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Ready Lanes.

How to use Ready Lanes with a U.S. passport card:

1. Go to a lane that has the Ready Lane logo,
2. Keep your passport card in hand,
3. Display the passport card, and
4. Go to a CBP officer.

You can find a complete list of Ready Lane acceptable documentson CBP's website.

Applying for a Passport Card

• U.S. citizens living in Mexico can apply for their passport at theU.S. embassy or nearest consulate.

• U.S. citizens living in the United States can apply at one of more than 7,000 locationsknown as acceptance facilities. These locationsinclude post offices, libraries, and clerks of court.

Driving to Mexico

You will need a temporary permit if you are driving beyond the border zones in Mexico.Mexico enforces the permits if you are driving 20 kilometers or more from the border. You do not need a permit in the Baja Peninsula.

Banjercito is the government authority that issues vehicle permits. Get a permit online, at the Mexican border, or at certain Mexican consulates in the United States.

• U.S. citizens must present a valid U.S. passport book or card, and an entry permit issued by Instituto Nacional de Migración.

• Enter Mexico with valid proof of automobile registration, even if remaining in the border zone. Entering Mexico with an expired U.S. vehicle registration may lead to the confiscation of the auto by Mexican authorities.