Travel to Mexico Free Zone After 2/1/08?

They said on the news that to come back across the border after 2/1/08 everyone will need a passport or birth certificate in addition to a drivers' license or picture id (I assume the last cuz not everyone has a DL).

Does this apply to going to Free Zone places like Palomas for dental work, etc.?

And if you take a birth certificate does it have to be the original or can it be a copy? Can you get some kind of certified copy so as to keep the original safe in a deposit box?

Around November is the last time I was there, and I only needed a DL to come back over, and they didn't even look at it. :O I guess I'm gringa enough and my face was swollen enough that they just knew I was neither an illegal nor a smuggler. hehe

To my knowledge, you can NOT copy your birth certificate and it pass. If you look on your BC it states that. I actually noticed it the other day just because I had nothing else to read.. LOL
Anyways... I'm Mexican American but my dad is from Mexico so he's (just) Mexican & he was telling me that a BC isn't enough anymore.... no matter what color you are. My cousins are white as snow, blue eyes and blond hair.. it's weird.. I'm not as dark as my avatar pic but almost & I have to take so many ID it's crazy... LOL which just makes me laugh cause I can speak Spanish pretty good too.. but no for long.. I can fool people but not for long.. cause my American accent comes out sooner or later especially when I can't remember a word and I'm all "uhh.. uhhh.. como se dice" LOL

Anyways.. to be on the safe side.. take your original Birch Certificate.... you can always get a new one if something happens to that one... I've gotten PLENTY cause I'm always loosing stuff.. haha