Do you Need a Passport to Go to Cabo

While just a hop, skip, and jump or a two and a half hour flight from Los Angeles to the Cabo San Lucas airport, you are still leaving one country to enter another—even if it feels like you’re just around the corner from the place you call home.

There are requirements for travel to Mexico by air, land, or sea. So, do you need a passport to go to Cabo? The long and the short of it is yes. If you are not a Mexican resident, then you need a passport to travel to Mexico.

As with all things, some specifics make a difference. Flights to Cabo San Lucas are the easiest for most people, but some like to sail to the tip of Baja California and others like to drive. Do they need a passport to Cabo, too? 

Passport to Cabo

All flights to Cabo San Lucas or anywhere else entering Mexico from another country require a valid passport and for some countries a travel visa. If you are a citizen or hold a current residency card for Canada, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Peru, the United States of America, the United Kingdom or any of the countries comprising the Schengen Area, then you do not require a Mexican visa.

You do need a travel passport that is valid for the length of your stay, and if you are a U.S. citizen, it is recommended and at times enforced, that your passport have a minimum of six months left before expiration. 

Requirements for Travel to Mexico 

Now, you have the answer to a travel passport, but what about other paperwork to enter the Cabo San Lucas airport? For those who don’t need a visa, you will need to fill in the Multiple Migratory Form (FMM) which will be given to you via the airline you choose. There will also be forms for customs to inquire about the reason for your travel and what you may be bringing into the country.

It is always smart to check the latest advisories around COVID and any required testing or vaccine documents as well. 

Cabo San Lucas Airport

While not huge, the Cabo San Lucas airport offers both national and international flights, and it is a safe and open place to travel in and out of. If you are already in the country and catching a flight to Cabo San Lucas from a national airport, you are still required to have a valid passport to travel.

Although some airports may only ask for a current photo ID, this is not standard procedure and cannot be guaranteed. There is also rumor that you can travel into Mexico with only your birth certificate. While this may have been the case for those traveling by land many years ago, it is no longer a passable requirement for travel to Mexico. 

If you are entering the country as a resident from elsewhere, you need a valid travel passport.