That Mexican vacation is all booked and it is only one month to go until nothing but sun, surf, bikinis, and margaritas. Everything is planned, everything is taken care of, unless, wait…do I need a US passport application to Cancun? This question is not as simple as it seems, and although the answer is almost certainly yes, there are a few different factors to consider.

Since Cancun is not a part of the United States, one can safely assume that they would need a pass port to travel there. However, while this will usually be the case, there can be exceptions. It is perfectly understandable how some people are very confused by the whole process because these laws were not even in place about a year ago.

Everything changed in regards to travel in June of 2009. The United States went from requiring nothing more than a driver’s license or birth certificate to cross back in from border countries to requiring passport documentation. This is a significant change and one that many people are still not fully aware of.

Anyone traveling to Cancun will most definitely need a passport. Since the new passport laws cover sea travel, logic dictates that anyone on a cruise to Cancun would also need a passport. However, there is one exception in the sea travel clause.

Travelers on cruises to certain international destinations are not required to carry passports provided that the cruise is deemed “closed loop.” A closed loop cruise is any cruise that starts and finishes in the same port or same port country. However, it is important to note that these closed loop exemptions only apply to cruises that begin and end in the United States, and only on cruises that visit certain international countries.

Countries that are accepted into this exception are such location as: Bermuda, The Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico and some Caribbean Island locations. Because all areas are not fully accepted, it is always good to check with either the State Department or the travel agent to make sure that the destination does or does not require a passport for re-entry.

Homeland Security is often cited as the reason passports are now necessary for travel to border countries. Although it can be an inconvenience, it is better to have safe borders and a minor hassle than porous borders and an easy pass. Since passports are always necessary for international flight, and always have been, anyone flying to Cancun likely will not notice a change. American citizens flying to and from Mexico are generally not subjected to a lot of scrutiny.

In all honesty, while it may not be necessary to have a passport to Cancun, it is still a safe play to get one before any trip happens. A U.S. passport application is the be all and end all of documentation of citizenship and on the off chance that difficulties were encountered coming back into the United States or entering Cancun, the passport is like Willie Wonka’s Golden Ticket.