Military Not Allowed to travel to Mexico ports??

[taylortime05]

My son in law is in the Marines. We are booked on Freedom Eastern Itinerary Jan 5th. We picked Eastern because my daughter said the Marines are not allowed to travel to ports in Mexico. I told my daughter I am pretty confident our ports will get changed.

 

Has anyone heard of this restriction for military personnel?

 

I am really torn because my family does not want me to cancel the cruise. I have less than 2 weeks from final payment. As another thought, I also think prices will drop after final payment.

[Hey Tina]

Rubbish

[bingomamma19]

My son in law is in the Marines. We are booked on Freedom Eastern Itinerary Jan 5th. We picked Eastern because my daughter said the Marines are not allowed to travel to ports in Mexico. I told my daughter I am pretty confident our ports will get changed.

 

Has anyone heard of this restriction for military personnel?

 

I am really torn because my family does not want me to cancel the cruise. I have less than 2 weeks from final payment. As another thought, I also think prices will drop after final payment.

 

I googled it. States there is some caution towards traveling, but looks like mostly crossing the boarder and partying, not cruise related.

[elleluv]

I would suggest that your SIL have a conversation with his 1st Sgt prior to final payment.

 

DH is retired AF and is currently working for them as a civilian. Last I heard, part (but not all) of Mexico was on the prohibited list. Cozumel and Costa Maya actually *may* be all right.

 

As a civilian, DH still needs to report any foreign travel and get "briefed" on potential safety risks in those areas.

[maryjaden]

I agree with elleluv. He needs to get this approved. My husband is in the Air Force. So far we have not had any travel restrictions on the ports we have been to but this can change abruptly. It is also the reason I get insurance that covers cancel for any reason. Given that your itinerary may get changed, I would make sure you have insurance.

[taylortime05]

I agree with elleluv. He needs to get this approved. My husband is in the Air Force. So far we have not had any travel restrictions on the ports we have been to but this can change abruptly. It is also the reason I get insurance that covers cancel for any reason. Given that your itinerary may get changed, I would make sure you have insurance.

 

My concern is right now the ports are still the Eastern Caribbean but we know those will most likely change. If he requests his leave now the itinerary would be the Eastern ports. But if that changes then he would need to report it.

 

I bought insurance last weekend from Allianz Global Assistance thru TripInsuranceStore.com and I have 10 days to cancel. But since I bought it after the hurricanes I am not sure they would cover it if the ports changed and that was the reason for his travel restriction. I will call and ask about it tomorrow.

 

Thanks for your feedback.

[Ourusualbeach]

My concern is right now the ports are still the Eastern Caribbean but we know those will most likely change. If he requests his leave now the itinerary would be the Eastern ports. But if that changes then he would need to report it.

 

I bought insurance last weekend from Allianz Global Assistance thru TripInsuranceStore.com and I have 10 days to cancel. But since I bought it after the hurricanes I am not sure they would cover it if the ports changed and that was the reason for his travel restriction. I will call and ask about it tomorrow.

 

Thanks for your feedback.

 

Just curious but what would the outcome be if they were already on board the ship and the ports changed? It has happened before.

 

Agree with others that he should talk to whomever he needs to, lay out the situation with the possible port changes and let them know what the possible ports could be. Cozumel and Costa Maya would be the only 2 ports in Mexico that they would visit.

[Havingfun2010]

Just curious but what would the outcome be if they were already on board the ship and the ports changed? It has happened before.

 

Then he would not get off the ship, and report it to his chain of command once he returns, of the unplanned incident.

 

Agree with others that he should talk to whomever he needs to, lay out the situation with the possible port changes and let them know what the possible ports could be. Cozumel and Costa Maya would be the only 2 ports in Mexico that they would visit.

 

I'm not an expert on Military rules, but this question needs to be asked by him, to his chain of command. They need permission for all leaves, and at any given time, that permission can be revoked or removed. My son needed permission to visit us, because we were outside 150 mile radius while on a 4 day leave. You won't get the answers you are looking for here.

[spookwife]

My son in law is in the Marines. We are booked on Freedom Eastern Itinerary Jan 5th. We picked Eastern because my daughter said the Marines are not allowed to travel to ports in Mexico. I told my daughter I am pretty confident our ports will get changed.

 

Has anyone heard of this restriction for military personnel?

 

I am really torn because my family does not want me to cancel the cruise. I have less than 2 weeks from final payment. As another thought, I also think prices will drop after final payment.

 

 

yup. DH spent 20 years in and much of Mexico was off limits the last 10 or so years. depending on the level of Clearance your SiL has even a promise to not step off the ship in the port is a no go. YES even popular tourist spots. hell Tiajauana has been off limits to personnel for years and that used to be the it spot for kids stationed at 32nd street and Miramar to head to every weekend so they could drink legally.

 

we try to avoid Mexican port calls even as civilians now as his Clearance level is the same. or if we cannot, we stay on board.

[spookwife]

Rubbish

 

 

wrong. not rubbish at all. service members are being targeted for robbery and worse. the drug cartels are getting bolder in a few areas.

[Dan-P]

There are currently no government employee (including .mil) travel restrictions to the Mexican state of Quintana Roo (which includes Cozumel and Costa Maya). There is a general word of caution, due to some increase in cartel turf wars in these areas, but as of late August with the last State Department update, there are no actual restrictions on government employee travel to that specific area. Several other states in Mexico do have .gov travel prohibitions and restrictions in place though.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html

 

With that said, running it through the chain of command wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

Dan.

[spookwife]

Just curious but what would the outcome be if they were already on board the ship and the ports changed? It has happened before.

 

Agree with others that he should talk to whomever he needs to, lay out the situation with the possible port changes and let them know what the possible ports could be. Cozumel and Costa Maya would be the only 2 ports in Mexico that they would visit.

 

 

really depends on a variety of factors.. his level of Clearance, and his chain of command. obviously, some personal responsibility is at play as well.. he would need to choose to not get off if they pull in to somewhere he knows is off limits. 98% of the time a promise on the leave request to not get off at X ports is sufficient for most COs, as long as the Service member in question has not been in trouble previously for poor decision making.

 

as I stated above, they are targets and you CANNOT mistake a Marine even out of uniform. the haircut gives it away.

[spookwife]

There are currently no government travel restrictions to the Mexican state of Quintana Roo (which includes Cozumel and Costa Maya). There is a general word of caution, due to some increase in cartel turf wars in these areas, but as of late August with the last State Department update, there are no actual restrictions on government employee travel to that specific area. Several other states in Mexico do have .gov travel prohibitions and restrictions in place though.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html

 

Dan.

 

 

while true, the Military and local commands often impose greater restrictions on their people

[dreadpirate3]

My FIL is a civilian military contractor with a high security clearance. He cannot travel to Mexico and keep his clearance.

[BND]

As a Federal Gov employee I have to get all my foreign travel approved and I can be told I can't go somewhere. Since there is currently a travel warning for most of Mexico, this is always a possibility. Currently, I'm waiting on final approval for my b2b cruises. One port is Cozumel. I expect it will be approved, but I can't just go out of the country without getting pre-approval. And, the military is the same way.

 

Anyone saying this isn't true doesn't know what they are talking about.

[fred30]

There are currently no government employee (including .mil) travel restrictions to the Mexican state of Quintana Roo (which includes Cozumel and Costa Maya). There is a general word of caution, due to some increase in cartel turf wars in these areas, but as of late August with the last State Department update, there are no actual restrictions on government employee travel to that specific area. Several other states in Mexico do have .gov travel prohibitions and restrictions in place though.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html

 

With that said, running it through the chain of command wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

Dan.

 

This is for U.S. citizens and Government personnel. The Militarily and some Government personnel have their own set of rules. I would think breaking this one would not be a minor infraction for the Military.

[nelblu]

wrong. not rubbish at all. service members are being targeted for robbery and worse. the drug cartels are getting bolder in a few areas.

 

 

Not to make light of the situation, but just curious, how would they know unless he's in military uniform when he/she steps off the ship. Also, have these robbers/bad guys have hacked the military computers and know where the personnel are at any given time. Robbery happens to all of us at any time even in our neck of the woods. Hey, every time we stepped off the ship in an Italian port on our recent Brilliance cruise , we were constantly reminded of gypsies targeting tourists.

[SRF]

http://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/731515/military-travel-outside-us-may-be-restricted/

 

https://www.fcg.pentagon.mil/fcg.cfm

 

NOTE 1: Non-official travel (leave and pass) to the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Estado de Mexico, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Sonora and Tamaulipas require Country and Theater Clearance approval unless otherwise exempted IAW NORTHCOM Travel guidance

COUNTRY CLEARANCE

 

• Required for:
  
  • DoD-Military:
    
    • Country Clearance is required for all active-duty military personnel (including activated Reserve and National Guard personnel), when traveling to one (1) or more of the restricted States listed in Note 1 above.
      
    • Request Country Clearance via APACS. For information on APACS, see IV.E below.
      
    • For questions concerning Country Clearance requirements or the status of the Country Clearance for a submitted APACS request, contact USDAO Mexico Citywith the APACS request ID number.
      
    • Country Clearance is not required for non-official travel to States not listed in Note 1 above.
      
    • Country Clearance is normally not required if part of a cruise; however, if cruise ship ports in one of the restricted States identified in Note 1 above, and traveler intends to go ashore, then Country clearance is required. The APACS request must specifically state city of port visit.

NOTE 1: ALL DoD personnel entering Mexico for any reason should have in their possession a valid US Passport. The Senior Defense Official (SDO) in Mexico strongly recommends all military members have valid US passports when traveling on personal travel to Mexico. The ability of the US Embassy SDO to assist US military members in returning to the United states, in the case of emergency situations, will be limited until a passport can be issued. This includes the ability to be MEDEVAC’d to the US for emergency care.

• The US and Mexico have not signed a Status of Forces Agreement or other similar arrangement. DoD Personnel who are not assigned or attached to the US Embassy have the same legal status as tourists in Mexico and are subject to all civil and criminal laws. Additionally, DoD personnel traveling to Mexico should be aware that Mexico is a signatory to the treaty creating an International Criminal Court (ICC); therefore, there is a possibility of apprehension, detention, and extradition to a third country of persons who have been indicted by the ICC.
  

 

This took about 60 seconds to research.

[Aquahound]

Let me clear this up, because this topic comes up from time to time, and false info seems to keep getting spread.

 

I work for the military...and have for 24 years now. My people have clearances ranging from the lowest to the highest levels.

 

The only restrictions I've seen are non-official visits to any part of Mexico within 50 miles of the US border, and to a handful of particular Mexican states. Quintano Roo and Campeche are not included in those states.

 

The theater clearance military members need to get are the same as with any foreign travel....which typically isn't required if a cruise passenger. As long as the cruise ship isn't sprouting wheels and driving across land to get to the prohibited areas, the member should have no problem.

 

Edit...Thanks SRF for posting those links.

[fred30]

I would think he needs to get the entire cruise approved for leave since there is a possibility that he would not be able to get back in a timely manor if he where called back.

[maryjaden]

Let me clear this up, because this topic comes up from time to time, and false info seems to keep getting spread.

 

I work for the military...and have for 24 years now. My people have clearances ranging from the lowest to the highest levels.

 

The only restrictions I've seen are non-official visits to any part of Mexico within 50 miles of the US border, and to a handful of particular Mexican states. Quintano Roo and Campeche are not included in those states.

 

The theater clearance military members need to get are the same as with any foreign travel....which typically isn't required if a cruise passenger. As long as the cruise ship isn't sprouting wheels and driving across land to get to the prohibited areas, the member should have no problem.

 

Edit...Thanks SRF for posting those links.

 

I can tell you from experience that it IS typically required if you are in the military. My husband is active duty Air Force. From the time we first started cruising (in the 90's) he has had to have the travel approved each and every time. He also has to have a security briefing for the areas we are visiting. We cannot travel with any military identification. (Although by looking at him you can definitely tell he is in the military...lol).

[BecciBoo]

:')So many different answers....hey y'all sound like a bunch of RCCL agents...LOL

 

Just being funny,.:halo:

[dwayneb236]

I know nothing about any of it but I sure would just ask my commanding officers.

[reallyitsmema]

My FIL is a civilian military contractor with a high security clearance. He cannot travel to Mexico and keep his clearance.

 

He can't travel to Mexico without permission or he will lose his clearance. If he gets the trip approved and follows all the conditions, he should be able to go to the places that the ships travel, like Cozumel for example. Paperwork must be filed at least 4 weeks prior to travel.

[BND]

I just got the email saying my travel was approved. The military in our facility has to go through the same process that I do. Mine was submitted in Aug, but due to the storms and port changes it had to go through the process twice.