south to ensenada from TJ crossing San Ysidro

a. We crossed the border on Thursday, early afternoon. Nothing new to add. After our SUV was inspected we drove to an uncovered parking area and were escorted to the offices which are on the right side of the inspection area. First stop is the "bank" where you fill out the FMM. They take US$ or pesos, enter data from the passport and print out two pages. Next go to the office where they keep one page and stamp the FMM. Very efficient - easier and quicker than the old border crossing.

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Monday, Nov. 5 -- We crossed into Mexico this morning at 10:30 am. Bottom line, quick and easy, and issuing FMM visas for tourists and holders of FM3 and FM2s. At the border at the end of Calif. I-5, we made a sharp right turn to the west, then after 0.2 miles a sharp left into some 20 or so entry lanes. I entered a center one and was directed a short distance ahead into one of many covered inspection stations. A young lady asked for our passports and car registration. She checked the passport name against the car registration name, and the registration VIN # against the number on the metal plate on the dash. Then she asked me to unlock the hood so she could inspect underneath. When I heard the rear hatch go up, I got out and found another agent looking in our luggage. When I explained we owned a home near LaPaz and would stay there for 6 months, the inspection ended. (The hood was never lifted and 50 miles later I noticed it bouncing up an down a centimeter or so and stopped to secure it.) Next we were directed ahead to an uncovered parking area. From there it was a short walk back to the immigration offices. We filled in FMMs, paid the tourist fee of $29 at a teller window a few steps down a large hallway, and then took the receipts back to the first office to get our visas stamped PAID. Our traveling partners took the far right lane for "declaraciones" and parked by a blue fence next to the immigration offices. After paying FMM fees they circled back to the entry lanes, went through a brief inspection and joined us in the parking area. That was faster and better for trailers and large RVs. The exit from the parking area is to the right. Get in the right lane and take the ramp up and over the river bed and back north to the highway along the border to the toll road. The toll for cars this year is 30 pesos. Even though offices were being painted and it was obvious many people were new to the job, entry to Mexico was quick and easy and immigration people were friendly and helpful. I'm writing from El Rosario. The road was in excellent condition, gas plentiful, and very little traffic. It was great to be on the Baja highway traveling 50-60 mph instead of fighting 8 lanes of cars going 80 mph on I-5. Tom Spradley

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I talked to Doug M. who was with Tom S. as they were crossing the new El Chaparral border crossing this morning. Below is his report about how the crossing works.

The new El Chaparral border crossing into Tijuana opened Thursday Nov. 1 2012 and is much easier to navigate and to take care of your FMM visa and bank fee than the old crossing. and 200 customs inspectors. To access the new border crossing from Hwy. 5 you will be directed to take a very sharp cubing 5 lane that curves from Hwy. 5 right at the border near the old crossing. This road heads west for 0.2 miles parallel to the border inside of Mexico. Then it makes a left into the new border crossing which you can see in the bottom photo below.

1. As you approach the new crossing look for a sign saying "Declaración" and park. Bring with you 1. $24.50 UDS or pesos. 2. Car registration, 3. Driver License. 4. Passport
2. Enter the building and walk pass the sign for saying Banco". Ahead you will see "Inmigración"
3. There fill out the FMM visa form. Take the completed form to the Banco and pay your $24.50 UDS or pesos.
4. Return to the "Inmigración" to get your form stamped.
5. Return to you car and leave. Doug reports that as of Nov. 4 there were no signs of the old green light red light inspection stop.
6. Leaving the crossing take the "A Playas de Tijuana, Rosarito Y Ensenada turn off over the dry river bed. This will merge with the old route running parallel to the border and on to Hwy 1D toll road to Ensenada.


Mike Godsey

Need Plan B - No FMM At Chaparral Until 11/5/12



Well based on the latest from Baja Bound - that the immigration office at the new El Chaparral north to south crossing will not open until November 5th, I guess it is time to come up with “plan B”, since the old crossing with the immigration office and bank is now closed most of the time, and my wife and I are planning on crossing for our trip to Asuncion this Sunday November 4th.

We have never crossed at Otay Mesa or Tecate – I have seen some posts about getting the FMM in Tecate, and my main question regarding that option is – is the bank in Tecate that is nearest the immigration office going to be open on Sunday to allow us to have our FMM validated (we plan to cross about mid-day Sunday)?

I have seen no prior Baja Nomad posts about getting the FMM at Otay Mesa – is it convenient and straight forward there (do you park in secondary as with the now closed San Ysidro crossing, is the immigration office close by and easy to find, and again is there a bank open on Sunday nearby, etc)? Then the other concern with this option is how easy or difficult is it to get from Otay Mesa through Tijuana to the toll road south, etc?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and help deciding on our “plan B”- it is much appreciated.

If they are only using El Chaparral, the Immigration officer I spoke to said to go ahead and cross, then park in the El Chaparral facility. For those who are new to El Chaparral, it is set up differently from Puerto Mexico/San Ysidro. As soon as you cross into Mexico, the El Chaparral facility has parking spots that you drive past. She told me you may park there and then walk to the Puerto Mexico/San Ysidro border crossing. (Ask around how to walk back there, I'm not clear on how to find it exactly.)

TIJUANA — Mexican customs inspectors processed passenger vehicles at the El Chaparral port of entry for the first time on Wednesday morning, seven days before its scheduled formal opening on Nov. 1.

The new lanes are located west of the current southbound access lanes at Puerta Mexico. El Chaparral will triple the southbound inspection capacity of the world’s busiest land border crossing.

At 11 a.m., Mexican customs inspectors stood at the end of Interstate 5 and waved southbound cars toward the new facility -- down a sharp curve at the end of the freeway that leads to Mexico’s five-lane access road running west along the U.S. border fence.

Traffic at the new port was light at the time, and there were more inspectors than vehicles. Some of them waited at the secondary inspection station, carrying small hand-held computers in preparation for searching vehicles that received a red-light warning at the initial stop.

On the way out, new signs pointed the way to different parts of Tijuana.

at the San Ysidro border crossing into Tijuana.

The immigration office, which has been in the same location for the past four years, has apparently been moved. Previously located just inside the pedestrian gate leading from San Ysidro to Tijuana, it is now located down an outside sidewalk just to the south of the old office. When we knocked on the old office door, someone stuck their head out of the adjacent gate, saw our passports, and beckoned us to follow him down the sidewalk.