Need to go from Europe to the US but not wanting to go through all the security crap they set up after the uncovering of the socalled “terrorist plot” last week? Annoyed by the 90 day limit on the visa waiver program and that you have to have a ticket all the way back to Europe for within that time period?
Well, here is the trick…

Right now, I am sitting in Douglas, AZ on the parking lot outside the visitors center (after succesfully having tanked socialist energy at the solid youth camp and seen the family in Zealand, DK for five days) and I managed to fly over here on August 11th (the day after the terrorist thing hit the news and security was hightened) with no additional security checks whatsoever. Also, my plane ticket is open to be used within the next six month, and I didn’t have to bother about getting a visa.

So hos did I do that? Quite easy: Instead of flying to Tucson, AZ as I had done for my previous two visits, I flew to Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico nand took the bus from there to Agua Prieta, Sonora just on the other side of the border from Douglas. The transatlantic part of the trip was a flight from Amsterdam to Mexico city, and although we flew over Greenland, Canada, USA, Mexico (which means that we must have had a lot more fuel left on board when we were over US territory than any flight to JFK or Forth Worth would have needed) none of the liquid restrictions applied to us. The only thing the pilot mentioned before taking off was that one is not allowed to “form groups” (outside the toilets?) on a flight going through US air space. That had however no practical implications whatsoever. When landing, I then got the Mexican visa/tourist card stamped — and you do not need to show any kind of return ticket for that.

After the bus ride up to the border, one only has to show them a passport (and no return ticket to anywhere) in order to receive the I-94 form for 6USD (there are special rules specifically applying to land borders). Also the I-94 is only valid for 90 days, but since you do not have to show any return ticket, you can simply return the I-94, go back into Mexico (Mexico has no entrance control), and then re-enter the US and acquire another I-94 for 6USD!

Fiurst I was planning on seeing whether it would be possible to enter the US complitely without any I-94, but I failed at that attempt, and I believe this way of doing it is revolutionary enoguh for now anyways…