Crossing the border into Mexico
Crossing the border at a busy time.
If you haven’t crossed the border into Mexico before, it can be intimidating. As a native of the Pacific Northwest, I only cross into Mexico a couple of times a year. Even with many years of visiting the Orphanage, I still have a sense of excitement as I near the border. It always surprises me how different everything looks and feels as I enter Tijuana.
This post is the second in a series about driving in Mexico. The first article, Driving in Mexico, part I, dealt with the hows and whys of getting Mexico automobile insurance. In this post we’ll discuss what to expect as you cross the border. The San Ysidro crossing is about 20 miles south of downtown San Diego. According to Tijuana.com it is “the world’s busiest port of entry “. You can get to the crossing by heading south on either I-5 or I-805. Bajabound.com describes what to expect as you cross the border:
If you don’t need to declare anything, you may cross in any lane that says “Nothing to Declare ~ Nada que Declarar.” But this doesn’t mean that you won’t be questioned or searched by customs officials. When you cross, you will see a traffic light with a red light and a green light. A red means you have been selected for secondary inspection and a green means continue on your way unless an official tells you otherwise. If you are selected for secondary inspection, you must pull over into the customs facility. The main facility is to the right, however sometimes you can get your vehicle checked on the left as well. Here, they will conduct for the most part, a quick search unless they find something that should have been declared. Usually they check the trunk and take a glance inside the vehicle.
Adventure Mexico Insurance also has a great step-by-step description of what to expect when crossing the border.
Besides the San Ysidro crossing, you can cross at Otay Mesa or Tecate. Otay Mesa is 5 miles east of San Ysidro, and is primarily for commercial crossings. Tecate is a town 40 miles east. (See Border Crossing diagram at Baja California Information Pages.) These crossings are smaller and more out of the way. However, they may be handy if you expect heavy traffic at San Ysidro, either crossing into Mexico, or crossing back into the United States. Please note the hours of the stations and their phone numbers below.
- San Ysidro Station: (619) 639-7100 (open 24 hours)
- Otay Mesa Station: (619) 661-3249 (6AM-10PM)
- Tecate Station: (619) 478-5545 (6AM-Midnight)
Once you’ve crossed the border, it is only a little over an hour to the Orphanage. You’re almost there! In the next part of this series, we’ll talk about toll roads and toll booths and later, some Mexican rules of the road. Hasta luego!