has there been a change in policy pertaining to where and when you secure a tourist permit for an extended visit to BCS? For the past four years I have crossed the border at Tecate , driven to Guerro Negro, filled out the form at the boundary between BCN and BCS, taken to the bank and paid approx 200 pesos I heard a rumor that if you don't secure a permit when you cross the border there will be a fine administed when you apply in Guerro Negro. Can anyone clarify or comment? Thanks

There is a post station right beofre you enter Baja sur @ Guerro Negro. I had a passport and that seemed fine, but my husband had nothing, no passport or tourist card and all he had to do was pay the guy $5 and off we went. They also make you pay a few bucks for something that l am sure is just water that they spray on your tires.

My 2 cents worth .... I would not like to be in Baja anywhere without proper papers. Getting out of a Mexican jail or having to pay bribes is not fun.

Also getting back into the States could be an issue if you don't follow the rules. Passports are going to be the rule soon I think.

Department of State to Introduce Passport Card

To meet the documentary requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the Department of State, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), today announced and submitted for public comment a federal rule proposing the development of a card-format passport for international travel by U.S. citizens through land and sea ports of entry between the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

The limited-use passport card will be adjudicated to the same standards as a traditional passport book. The rule published today proposes a wallet-sized card that would cost $10 for children and $20 for adults, plus a $25 execution fee.

Read the full notice below;
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/74083.htm



http://mexico.usembassy.gov/mexico/index.html

U.S. Allies Begin Issuing High-Tech Passports for Travelers

Thursday, October 26, 2006

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,225220,00.html?sPag...ons/homelandsecurity

NEW YORK — Countries that have historically friendly relations with the United States on Thursday will begin issuing passports to residents traveling abroad complete with facial-recognition software and digital chips.

The U.S. State Department is already issuing so-called e-Passports to some American travelers as part of the U.S. government's effort to make travel documents more secure in a post-Sept. 11 world.

http://www.foxnews.com/images/233700/0_22_epassports_photo.jpg

In addition to geting your tourist permit at the border, you can also get it at Ensenada. It will cost you an additional 47 pesos for a fine for not getting it at the border and 60 pesos for a form that documents you not getting your permit at the border. This fine and form procedure has been in place for about a month. I asked the migracion officer at Guerrero Negro about the fine and he said that it is imposed by the migracion officer in Ensenada. It is not imposed at Guerrero Negro and you can get it there for the same costs as at the border, but as others have pointed out if you are beyond Maneadero Punta Banda area without a tourist permit you are illegal and could have problems if stopped and checked for proper papers.