Tourist Visa ---

Hi Deebee,

The airline flight attendants will provide you with the tourist card form and the declarations form to fill out.

You will have time to fill them out while you are in flight.

Forms will be collected by Mexican Immigration personnel once you arrive in Mexico City.

If you have questions on how to fill the form out, other passengers or flight personnel can assist you.

Hope this helps!
Melanie

The air attendants will pass them out before you land. Very simple to fill out.

Have a  readily available pen, black or dark blue, on the plane. It becomes awkward if you don't have one.

Same question when crossing border by auto?

Welcome to ex-pat Mexico Mamamia.

It's similar to by plane without a flight attendant. The difference is you will likely get your car screened and you will have to park the car and go into talk with someone in immigration.

travellight wrote:

Welcome to ex-pat Mexico Mamamia.

It's similar to by plane without a flight attendant. The difference is you will likely get your car screened and you will have to park the car and go into talk with someone in immigration.

I thought it was interesting that I drove south across the San Ysidro border crossing from San Diego to Tijuana on the 21st of August and our car wasn't stopped at all.

I know that my friend has a Sentri pass, but I'm pretty sure that's only recorded by U.S. authorities when you are traveling north?

So I've been in Rosarito for about a week without anyone seeing my passport coming in.

I found that interesting because when I walk across the border, there is now a Mexican immigration building complete with immigration officers sitting in their glass cubicles and they want to see identification and they issue you a temporary tourist pass, for which they charge a little money, I can't remember how much.

Last time I went that route it was 2018.

But I just thought it was funny that I had to go through an interview to walk across the border, but driving across the border nobody stopped us.

And yes the vehicle has California plates.

Hi deebee, I believe the answer to your question is no.
I hope you enjoy Mexico!
Kirk

Ah yes, Ocean.
T.J. has always been different from most of the other borders.

travellight wrote:

Ah yes, Ocean.
T.J. has always been different from most of the other borders.

What's the name of the zone that extends out from there down into Baja, within which travelers are often allowed to go unrestricted, but if you travel beyond that area deeper into Mexico, you are then subject to more restrictive laws?

I'm probably not phrasing that correctly, but perhaps you understand what I'm attempting to say?

Are you willing to clarify my gibberish?

error

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

travellight wrote:

Ah yes, Ocean.
T.J. has always been different from most of the other borders.

What's the name of the zone that extends out from there down into Baja, within which travelers are often allowed to go unrestricted, but if you travel beyond that area deeper into Mexico, you are then subject to more restrictive laws?

I'm probably not phrasing that correctly, but perhaps you understand what I'm attempting to say?

Are you willing to clarify my gibberish?

Why yes, there is a more or less casual less restrictive  zone or Zonas  Turisticas . Thought of as a free zone That incorporates the most northern border part of Mexico where  you can drive your U.S. car free of import fees. By the time you reach Hermosillo you had better have the import sticker on your windshield. There is said to be another free zone on the tourist strip in Quentana Roo ( Cancun tourist driven) No one has provided me with an explanation of how you could reach that place by car. Given that an import sticker would be required to drive there. You are also more likely to be stopped especially in a non Mexican car after you leave the Zone.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

travellight wrote:

Welcome to ex-pat Mexico Mamamia.

It's similar to by plane without a flight attendant. The difference is you will likely get your car screened and you will have to park the car and go into talk with someone in immigration.

I thought it was interesting that I drove south across the San Ysidro border crossing from San Diego to Tijuana on the 21st of August and our car wasn't stopped at all.

I know that my friend has a Sentri pass, but I'm pretty sure that's only recorded by U.S. authorities when you are traveling north?

So I've been in Rosarito for about a week without anyone seeing my passport coming in.

I found that interesting because when I walk across the border, there is now a Mexican immigration building complete with immigration officers sitting in their glass cubicles and they want to see identification and they issue you a temporary tourist pass, for which they charge a little money, I can't remember how much.

Last time I went that route it was 2018.

But I just thought it was funny that I had to go through an interview to walk across the border, but driving across the border nobody stopped us.

And yes the vehicle has California plates.

Yesterday I returned to Tijuana from a trip to the San Diego VA hospital for routine care.

This time I crossed the border in a Mexicoach bus, from San Ysidro at the terminus of the San Diego trolley line.

That was $10 US

The bus approached the border in the far right lane and stopped at the immigration checkpoint.

Everyone on the bus had to exit and walk through the immigration checkpoint.

Those who were not Mexican citizens had to stop and fill out an immigration form.

Best to have your own pen ready.

Fine point would be best because the spaces on the form are small.

Then the immigration officer charged me $592 Mexican pesos and I was given the 6-month tourist visa, good for multiple entries, which is nice because I probably need to go back and forth to San Diego a few times over the next couple months.

It has been noted elsewhere but US citizens must have a passport.

Your driver's license or your passport card or your birth certificate is not sufficient.

Apparently those who arrive in Mexico by sea (such as on cruise ships) can use the passport card.

It's also worth noting that if you take one of these buses waiting at the trolley terminus, they in turn are waiting for arrivals by bus from Los Angeles.

After everyone boards and you cross the border, the first stop for the bus is at the international airport.

I was the only person continuing on to the central bus station in Tijuana.

Because it was a Friday afternoon, the main roads were parking lots, so I had a pretty interesting trip from the airport to the bus station along back roads and up and down hills and unimproved streets.

Just another adventure.

My driver picked me up at the bus station and now I'm back chilling in Rosarito Sur.

Passport cards are accepted by Mexican immigration. You do not need a US book passport at land crossing only at Mexican international airports when arriving on an international flight.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

travellight wrote:

Welcome to ex-pat Mexico Mamamia.

It's similar to by plane without a flight attendant. The difference is you will likely get your car screened and you will have to park the car and go into talk with someone in immigration.

I thought it was interesting that I drove south across the San Ysidro border crossing from San Diego to Tijuana on the 21st of August and our car wasn't stopped at all.

I know that my friend has a Sentri pass, but I'm pretty sure that's only recorded by U.S. authorities when you are traveling north?

So I've been in Rosarito for about a week without anyone seeing my passport coming in.

I found that interesting because when I walk across the border, there is now a Mexican immigration building complete with immigration officers sitting in their glass cubicles and they want to see identification and they issue you a temporary tourist pass, for which they charge a little money, I can't remember how much.

Last time I went that route it was 2018.

But I just thought it was funny that I had to go through an interview to walk across the border, but driving across the border nobody stopped us.

And yes the vehicle has California plates.

Yesterday I returned to Tijuana from a trip to the San Diego VA hospital for routine care.

This time I crossed the border in a Mexicoach bus, from San Ysidro at the terminus of the San Diego trolley line.

That was $10 US

The bus approached the border in the far right lane and stopped at the immigration checkpoint.

Everyone on the bus had to exit and walk through the immigration checkpoint.

Those who were not Mexican citizens had to stop and fill out an immigration form.

Best to have your own pen ready.

Fine point would be best because the spaces on the form are small.

Then the immigration officer charged me $592 Mexican pesos and I was given the 6-month tourist visa, good for multiple entries, which is nice because I probably need to go back and forth to San Diego a few times over the next couple months.

It has been noted elsewhere but US citizens must have a passport.

Your driver's license or your passport card or your birth certificate is not sufficient.

Apparently those who arrive in Mexico by sea (such as on cruise ships) can use the passport card.

It's also worth noting that if you take one of these buses waiting at the trolley terminus, they in turn are waiting for arrivals by bus from Los Angeles.

After everyone boards and you cross the border, the first stop for the bus is at the international airport.

I was the only person continuing on to the central bus station in Tijuana.

Because it was a Friday afternoon, the main roads were parking lots, so I had a pretty interesting trip from the airport to the bus station along back roads and up and down hills and unimproved streets.

Just another adventure.

My driver picked me up at the bus station and now I'm back chilling in Rosarito Sur.

alleycat1 wrote:

Passport cards are accepted by Mexican immigration. You do not need a US book passport at land crossing only at Mexican international airports when arriving on an international flight.

So let's see:

You are simply saying that, without any foundation given for your remark.

I just passed through Mexican immigration at San Ysidro within the past 48 hours and can attest to the current rules there.

Whatever.

I have wondered the same thing about Quintana Roo.  A car would have to be shipped in by ferry or cargo ship direct to Quintana Roo.  government seems to operate with logic driven solely by tourist dollars.  Witness, during the Covid crises: Remain open to tourists.  Tourist could use the beaches but not the locals.  Changed its time zone to US eastern, when all the states surrounding Quintana Roo  are on central time. This was done, with faulty logic, to accommodate more?!?! daylight hours. (No matter how you slice and dice it there is only  x amount of hours  of light per day

Hello- An easy question... I am a US citizen and I will be flying into Mexico City in a couple of weeks. Do I need to specifically ask the immigration officer for a 180 day tourist visa, or is this automatic? Thanks! Dennis~

- @deebee123