You've probably been reading about the change in the law about Passport requirements for entering the U.S.    Nothing is signed yet, but the proposed change is quite likely and you should be prepared.  I'm sending this email so you'll know what to expect.

All travelers will have to present a Passport to enter or re-enter the United States as of these dates:

·        January 8, 2007 - Requirement applied to all air travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

·        June 1, 2009- This could change.  Requirement extended to all land border and sea crossings as well as air travel.

You can get a Passport at the Consular Agency in Ixtapa.   It will take three to six weeks to arrive.  It costs $97 dollars for a new or first passport, $67 for a renewal of an existing Passport (unless it was issued more than 15 yrs ago in which case it's a new one.)    You can pay in pesos, dollars or credit card, but no personal checks.

You need to prove two things, Citizenship and Identification.   The first, Citizenship, requires that you present one of the following:

·        Previous Passport (not mutilated, altered or damaged)

·        Birth Certificate issued by the City, County or State (not hospital)   A certified birth certificate has a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrars signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office, which must be within 1 year of your birth

·        Consular Report of Birth

·        Naturalization Certificate

·        Certificate of Citizenship

To prove your Identification, the following will work:

·        Previous Passport (not mutilated, altered or damaged)

·        Naturalization Certificate

·        Current and Valid:      

o        Driver's License

o        Government ID - City, State or Federal

o        Military ID - military and dependents

There are more details to be found at the following web page http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html,    if you have questions about the requirements for a passport.  They offer alternatives if you don't have exactly what appears in this email.

And there is additional information about the new passport law at http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html.