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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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Obtaining Tourist Cards
I know this subject has been beat to death and I tried to do a search but too many threads come up.
Question: When obtaining your tourist cards crossing in through TJ... what are the hours of operation to do this? We'd like to cross early and get
them there and head on down.
If not, how hard is it to obtain these tourist cards passing through Ensenada?
Are there better alternatives?
Thanks,
Bob H
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BajaNomad
Super Administrator
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Bob,
I believe it's 24/7 at the San Ysidro crossing - not sure if the bank is also 24 hours or if you have to pay at a later time.
Misplaced my 'certified' original of my birth cert - and only had a xerox copy of it, but was granted a FM-T (thank goodness!) Saturday at SY (@
noon?).
At 28th Par yesterday - inspector asked about agricultural items, but did not ask/check our FM-T's. FYI.
Ensenada's always been a pain for me whenever I've tried to use that location to obtain a tourist card... it's been a few years now however since it's
generally pretty easy at SY. Don't know about Otay or Tecate.
-
Doug
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
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Woooosh
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At San Ysidro just pull into the declaration area and the offices are on the right. You have to go to a few different windows to pay and go back and
forth- but it's a one stop 24/7 shop.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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roundtuit
Senior Nomad
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FMTs
Ensanada, Guerro Negero, and Santa Rosalia "ARE"
subject to fines for not obtaining at the border.
Never learned from a book-Only from mistakes, mine and yours
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Bajahowodd
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I always want to obey the laws of foreign countries, as I would expect foreigners to do the same here. However, it has been at least six years since
anyone has asked to see my tourist card. Used to be an absolute traveling North at the State line. But recently, just get waived through.
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roundtuit
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If there is someone at the state line you will be asked to show. Excluding the spray for bugs guy
Never learned from a book-Only from mistakes, mine and yours
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Mexray
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Bob...
...I've never had a problem doing the FM-T 'dance' at the TJ border...I've always done it in the wee hours of the morning when things are not very
busy, to say the least!
To avoid the Red/Green light routine, and the 'look' into the back of the truck, in the declaration area, I like to go through with the regular
traffic, then pull off to the Right just after the declaration area and park near where the taxis hang out...I then walk back up to the declaration
area to get our FM-T's...the bank window has always been open when I've stopped there.
Also, they've never bothered me about signing my wife's name on the form along with mine...Pat stays back with the car to keep the taxi drivers
entertained...
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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Bajahowodd
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Never ever have been asked Southbound. Just the fake spray. Northbound, been waived on by a guy in a chair by the shack for years.
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David K
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Doug, your bigger issue will be returning without proper proof of citizenship! Good luck, and you may be invited into Secondary to swear you are an
American.
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BajaNomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Doug, your bigger issue will be returning without proper proof of citizenship! Good luck, and you may be invited into Secondary to swear you are an
American. |
I know I have
dark hair and dark complexion.... but that one I'm not too worried about.
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
Affordable Domain Name Registration/Management & cPanel Web Hosting:
https://www.regionalinternet.com |
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David K
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Not your Mediterranean features... your lack of birth cert. (a xerox copy is no bueno).
You will be fine... Ferna will put you up while Michelle gets to go home!
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Mexray
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Many, many moons ago...
...I flew from Northern Calif down to Calexico in a Cessena 172 with three buddies...one was a Greek who owned a small restaurant in the SF Bay Area.
We partied all weekend in Mexicali...give me a break here, it was the early 60's, and Mexicali was a happen' place for a young lad, like myself...
Anyway...when we hired a cab to take us back to the Calexico airstrip, we got stopped at the border when the agent looked into the cab and discovered
our Greek friend clothed in his newly bought serape and huge sombrero!
We had about a 10 minute wait while our buddy tried to explain that the guy on his Drivers License was really him...I think the agent was really
puttin' him on, as no self respecting Mexican trying to 'run' the border would be caught dead in that garb!
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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Thank you everyone for all the great advice and information.
We are headed down to Mulege to visit some friends who just moved there last year. Love that area.
Bob H
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David K
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Bob, drive safe....
Elizabeth and I will be in L.A. Bay area this weekend following Lou's turkey party tomorrow in San Felipe!
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Bob H
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Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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Hi David. We never exceed 55 mph in the cabover, never. And always slow down around blind curves. We are just going to mosey our way down with an
overnight in Catavina over and back.
Leaving January 21st.
Have fun in Baja this weekend you two.
Bob H
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Bajahowodd
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Doug doesn't have a passport?
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sancho
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Has anyone had trouble getting the
180 day tourist card? Have read
Mex Imm is, on occasion , reluctant
to give 180 days?
thanks for your time
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Bajahowodd
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Never had a problem. Never been questioned or turned down. I do have one beef, however. When I occasionally fly down, the airline hands out the cards,
as the fee is included with the fare. But they always confiscate the card when boarding for a return. I usually need to obtain about two a year for
land travel. But even if I have a card, I have to pay the airline additionally, and then surrender it like a week later. The only time I was able to
hold onto my card was when flying from Cancun through DF and changing planes on Aeromexico.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64493
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| Quote: | Originally posted by sancho
Has anyone had trouble getting the
180 day tourist card? Have read
Mex Imm is, on occasion , reluctant
to give 180 days?
thanks for your time |
They used to fill out the card, and unless you remember to ask for the 180 day limit, they would put down 90 days... Once, I insisted that he change
it because the $20 fee is the same no matter how many days... so I wanted all 180! He complied, but said the altered figure may 'void' the FM-T!
Last times I have filled out the day section myself, and put down 180 days... no questions asked..
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64493
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Never had a problem. Never been questioned or turned down. I do have one beef, however. When I occasionally fly down, the airline hands out the cards,
as the fee is included with the fare. But they always confiscate the card when boarding for a return. I usually need to obtain about two a year for
land travel. But even if I have a card, I have to pay the airline additionally, and then surrender it like a week later. The only time I was able to
hold onto my card was when flying from Cancun through DF and changing planes on Aeromexico. |
Land travel FM-T rules are different than air travel... I guess they figure if you can afford to fly, then an extra $20, each time is not a problem?
[Edited on 12-30-2008 by David K]
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