Passport question

bringitbig

Well Known Member
Hey all. Family going down this coming Friday, June 1st. Just realized my 2 sons’ passports are expired by 2.5 months. I forgot passports for minors expire in 5 years vs 10 for adults.

So how much crap am I gonna catch when coming back? I guess I can play dumb when the agent says they’re expired and I be like “what? The passports are good for 10 years”.

Any advice?
 

brokenwave

Well Known Member
Last week I went though at Lukeville and the agent told me I need to get my passport renewed, it was expired. He then said I could still use it.
For kids we crossed 2 years ago with our daughters passports expired by 5 months and they never said a thing about it..
For minors under 16 a copy of their birth certificate is valid at any US border traveling by car. Per the US travel website.
So don't sweat it. But take a copy or their BC just to ease your mind
 

bringitbig

Well Known Member
Boys are 16 and 18. I’m not sweating it. We’ve been down for many years, the boys’ passport records are surely on file. And I’m only a couple months out from expiration.
 

bringitbig

Well Known Member
Just a follow up to my original post. Came through Monday morning around 10:45. 20 minute wait. I did however experience the fastest ever processing, (in 31 years of going down). Drove to the agents booth, rolled down both drivers windows so she could see in. She said nothing to me. No, “what am I declaring”? “Are we U.S. citizens, etc”? NOTHING!!

I handed her our 4 passports, (2 are expired a couple months), and she swiped them so fast in her scanner and handed them back to me and said something. Not sure what it was, but I got the message saying be on our way, which we did. Zero agents at secondary as well, and only 4 lanes open. No dogs at the border or the 2 stops after you get out.
 

brokenwave

Well Known Member
I went thru 2 weeks ago and was told my passport needed to be updated (it was expired by 40 days). He stated that it was still valid and i could keep using it.
Is the expiration date just for making you get a new one with an current photo?
 

JimMcG

Well Known Member
I went thru 2 weeks ago and was told my passport needed to be updated (it was expired by 40 days). He stated that it was still valid and i could keep using it.
Is the expiration date just for making you get a new one with an current photo?
For the purpose of returning to the US from Mexico, an expired US passport is still definitive proof of US citizenship but would not be valid for travel to other countries which require a valid passport.
 
Top