Infinite8

Hi,

I'm looking to make a bike trip from either Costa Rica or Columbia, to Ecuador. I'm curious as to any experiences other members have had making this voyage. Do you have to stop and show a passport, or can you travel freely between the countries without having to stop? Thanks for any insights.

flangehead

I know a passport (and in some cases a visa) is required between Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil for US citizens. I would be surprised if that wasn’t also the case for other South American countries.

Pop N Wood

Post 9/11 a passport is needed for most everything. Absolutely needed to get on an airplane, something to consider if you get injured and need to fly back.

Iride01 

Just ride on through. If they want something, they'll stop you and ask.

flangehead

Las cárceles no son tan bonitas allá.

gringomojado

Las balas tampoco!

Steve B.

How would you get back in the States after foreign travel without a passport ?. So you will need to carry it along.

veganbikes

I mean if you want to go somewhere that is not the U.S. than yes a passport is needed but if you cycle their in your imagination you can go anywhere without a passport. Me I would probably just be in a natural hot spring with mi amor eating chocolate covered strawberries and drinking the finest scotch highballs as the sun sets.

Bill in VA

Re-entry to the US without a passport is a nightmare of red tape and has penalties. Depending on the country you are visiting or transiting, you may also require a visa and/or transit visa. For anything like that you need a passport. Checking into any hotel requires one and not having one calls attention to you that can be costly and/or dangerous.

Bald Paul

"Passport, por favor."

Iride01 

Do we need to check and see if the OP is in a prison down there? I'd hate to think they didn't realize I was joking. <grin>

SkinGriz

I’d bring the passport.

Pre 9/11 I got stationed in Germany.

Before that I’d never been farther than TJ/Mexicali. I didn’t realize that a German customs guy was going to check my orders, so I put them in the checked duffle bag to not lose them. Whoops!

Got to German customs, explained what I did to the guy. He was frustrated but his good judgment told him “Not a terrorist or drug trafficker, just a naive kid.” and he waived me through after glancing around for coworkers that would rat him out.

Different world.

msu2001la

A lot of people seem to be mis-reading the OP's question. I don't think they are questioning if they need a passport, I think they are asking if Central/South America is like the EU, where once you're inside the EU you can travel freely between countries without stopping at passport control checkpoints.

The answer is definitely yes, you will need to show a passport to legally enter any of these countries. It is not like the EU where once you enter France you can ride a bike to Spain or Italy and never show anyone a passport.

Would any US airline even let you board a departing international flight without a valid passport?

skidder

Pre-9/11 you used to be able to go from the USA to Costa Rica with only a valid driver's license issued by a state here in the USA; plenty of surfers went there for holiday that way. Going to any other neighboring country in Central America you'd needed a passport to cross the international border if you were a USA citizen. Also, depending on what country you're a citizen of (Costa Rica?)check with the countries you're planning to visit to see if you need to get a visa in advance before trying to enter that country. AND, make sure you have any required vaccinations before visiting a foriegn country dow there. Lots of countries either require vaccination for certain diseases before entering, and some (like the USA) require it before you can re-enter the USA; example - I went to Ecuador and Peru in the early 1990s and I needed to get a Yellow Fever vaccination to be able to come back INTO the USA. Regardless, its just easier to bring a passport as all border officials know what they look like.

FWIW: If the OP is a citizen of Costa Rica you'd have to check with the country you're planning to visit. I know a lot of neighboring countries in South America used to allow cross-boarder travel with just an ID card; Argentina used to allow it with Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay, and vis-versa, when I used to travel down there. And the USA used to allow it with Canadians, too. 9/11 changed everything involved in international travel.

Iride01 

The OP ask this back in March of 2021. I think y'all are a little late helping them. Perhaps maybe a noob in 2032 will revive this thread and tell us the comments here saved them.

icemilkcoffee 

The correct word is visa. ie. , preapproval to travel to a foreign country. Each country's embassy will tell you what their visa requirements are.

70sSanO

Only 1 post. Maybe the OP went without a passport.

John

indyfabz

Fascinated by how people find old, “niche” threads like these.

unterhausen

I have an explanation, bumped by a spammer, y'all are slacking.

Probably was going to post links to a site about fake passports once he got enough posts. I'll bet passport was his search term.