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Crossing
the Border into Mexico |
If
you have never experienced driving through a border crossing point, this
page will help to give a preview of how to make this a smooth experience.
First of all, you should understand that there a many different types
of border crossings. Some are in fairly remote areas with very light traffic,
while others are extremely busy with thousands of vehicles crossing everyday.
The Tijuana border crossing south of San Diego into Baja is the busiest
of all of the border crossings. Even at the busiest times, crossing south
into Mexico is usually a fairly quick experience that only takes a few
minutes. However, crossing north from Mexico back into the US can take
an hour or more during the busy times (typically on the weekend afternoons
and evenings). See our information page on the Tijuana
border crossing
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The
picture on the left is taken from the US side of the border as you are
approaching the Tijuana border crossing. We will give you a step by step
preview of how to handle this border crossing:
Before you get to the border, you should have already determined whether
you are going to declare any items with Mexican Customs, or if you need
to process any paperwork at the border. If you are unsure, please read
our page about Mexican
Customs. |
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If
you do not plan on declaring any items at the border crossing (most
casual tourists do not), then you should stay in the left lanes
where the signs say 'Nothing to Declare'. These lanes allow you
to pass over the border without having to stop and get out of your
vehicle.
If you do need to declare items or file immigration papers at the
border offices, you should go to the far right lane for 'Declarations'.
There is a large parking area just across the border for you to
pull into on the right where all of the declarations procedures
can be handled. NOTE: If you have an RV, you should pull into the
declarations lane because customs usually wants to inspect most
RV's and motorhomes.
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As
you come to the actual crossing point in the "No Declarations"
lane, you will see traffic lights for each lane. As you approach
the light, you must come to a stop. The light will then turn green
or red. If the light turns green, then you can proceed to continue
driving on into Mexico. If the light turns red, this means the border
patrol officials want you to pull over to the declarations parking
lot. If the light turns red, the border patrol officials will wave
you in the direction of the declarations parking lot. Stay cool,
and just drive slowly to where they direct you.
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Most border officials speak English, so communication should not be a
problem. You will probably be asked to get out of your vehicle so they
can do a quick inspection. This is usually a quick and painless procedure,
and you will then be allowed to drive on through into Mexico.
As long as you are driving a typical personal vehicle such as a car, SUV,
pickup truck, 9 out of 10 times your light will turn green and you will
not have to pull over.
Now that you have crossed into Mexico, we highly recommend that you drive
very slowly and cautiously while you look for your road signs and get
your bearings. Don't worry if people honk at you because you are driving
slow. Just take it nice and slow and enjoy your trip! |
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Se habla Español