BajaNomad - Tourist Cards at new El Chaparral crossing

Tourist Cards at new El Chaparral crossing

BajaGeoff - 1-30-2013 at 05:41 PM

Hey Nomads,

There have been a lot of people wondering about where you can get your FMM (tourist card) at the new El Chaparral crossing in Tijuana. We stopped in there today to poke our heads around and ask questions. The new facility is huge, immaculate and really impressive. Everyone we talked to was very helpful and nice.

As you pull up to the border entry where the green light / red light entry lanes are, the giant building on your right houses both the immigration office as well as two banks (Banjercito and Bancomer). The immigration agent told us the facility is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Parking is available on the opposite side of the secondary inspection stations - about 100 yards past the green light / red light entry lanes.

We wanted to take pictures to help make the experience even easier, but the agents on site would not allow us to. We are putting a page together with additional information and I will post that here when it is complete.

¡Viva Baja!

David K - 1-30-2013 at 05:59 PM

The banks in the facility (or at least a teller for accepting the FMM fee) is also open 24/7...???

That was once the case at the original border, then about a year ago the bank teller and IMN desk stoped being there 24/7.

Thanks Geoff!

fandango - 1-30-2013 at 06:10 PM

Yes, you can get a visa and pay for it at the el chaparral border crossing 24 hours a day.

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 1-30-2013 at 07:55 PM

great !

thank you for the info.

how does one walk across, is it still the old way at the end of the freeway where i used to just turn right and go into one of the parking lots and then walk to the bridge to mexico ?

i hope this isn't a thread hijack.

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

Pacifico - 1-31-2013 at 09:33 AM

I used the new facilities last week and they were very helpful! One of the agents even walked me to the immigration office which was at least 100 yards away. Then, the immigration officer even suggested the free (1week) FMM....I was impressed by their helpfulness.

durrelllrobert - 1-31-2013 at 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pacifico
I used the new facilities last week and they were very helpful! One of the agents even walked me to the immigration office which was at least 100 yards away. Then, the immigration officer even suggested the free (1week) FMM....I was impressed by their helpfulness.

I crossed Sunday with all the mail for the folks in Punta Banda. That included 12 boxes and of course I got the red light.

At the first secondary station they opened every box and rifiled thru them.

Then they sent me to the nect "Inspection" station where they took everything out of every box, looked at it and put it back.

Then I got sent to the parking area at the exit that you mentioned and a group of 4 people went thru the boxes again to figure out how much duty was owed.

They took my ID so I couldn't escape and a female took the duty list and escorted me to INM (which sure as hell felt like a lot more thean 100 yards with my bad hips) where we stood in line until the people ahead of us were cleared. She handed the INM guy here slip and he wrote out a new one for me to take to the bank at the far end of the building where I stood in line again.

I paid the duty (500 pesos) and got a receipt and went back to INM and stood in line again waiting for it to get stamped.

Then the long walk back to my truck where i had to wait about 15 more minutes before someone came to check the receipt and give me back my ID so I could leave. I was there for 1.5 hours altogether.

J.P. - 1-31-2013 at 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert

Quote:

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. :lol:

sancho - 1-31-2013 at 11:18 AM

Known to some, not known to some, is that Mex
had always had a policy of not letting photos be
taken of Govt Bldg's, have read of people being
threatened with confiscation of their cameras.
There is no pedestrain crossing at the Chapparral,
correct?

elgatoloco - 1-31-2013 at 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sancho

There is no pedestrain crossing at the Chapparral,
correct?

Correct. Southbound pedestrian crossing is just EAST of Northbound pedestrian crossing.

OZeRV - 8-5-2015 at 06:27 AM

We are currently in Chula Vista driving southbound today on Aussie passports in our RV registered to our LLC in Montana. Is there a need (and opportunity) to get our Australia passports and vehicle paperwork cleared by USA immigration BEFORE we cross into Mexico at El Chaparral crossing? After crossing we will need to buy FMMs. Would it be better to drive to Tecate for this procedure due partly to our unfamiliarity or is it all straight forward?

bajagrouper - 8-5-2015 at 06:35 AM

I went through this crossing last oct., I did not go through the red/ green light until after the FMM was purchased, stay to the far right lanes and there is a huge parking lot right next to the building and not 100 yards away.......

SFandH - 8-5-2015 at 07:05 AM

With all these good reports about the excellent customer service the Mexican authorities are offering, it sounds like they should offer grumpy American border guards training classes.

[Edited on 8-5-2015 by SFandH]

mojo_norte - 8-5-2015 at 07:24 AM

Is there ample / easy parking to get an FMM with a towing rig - after crossing? - ie is it possible to do all the inspection / duty and get an FMM all in one go ? This is not possible at Tecate with a large rig.

SFandH - 8-5-2015 at 07:30 AM

Yes, you can do that at San Ysidro but don't cross during the weekday afternoon rush hour, lots of commuter traffic. Stay to the right as you enter and leave the inspection area and get on the road marked Playas de Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada. It's easy, large new signs pointing the way.

mojo_norte - 8-5-2015 at 07:34 AM

I found this link...

http://www.bajabound.com/before/driving/directions/elchaparr...

yellowklr - 8-5-2015 at 07:48 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mojo_norte

Is there ample / easy parking to get an FMM with a towing rig - after crossing? - ie is it possible to do all the inspection / duty and get an FMM all in one go ? This is not possible at Tecate with a large rig.

yes do it with a 25ft boat all the time

MMc - 8-5-2015 at 07:48 AM

OZeRV, it pretty straight forward.There is no out bound U S check point. You could drive up to ether of the US Immigration stations before you cross and double check, I would. Why trust us when you can be sure.

Getting to Otay and SY from the US side is really easy. The mexico side is a straight forward also.

Pick your crossing and google maps will point the way.

OZeRV - 8-6-2015 at 02:23 PM

Quote: Originally posted by OZeRV

We are currently in Chula Vista driving southbound today on Aussie passports in our RV registered to our LLC in Montana. Is there a need (and opportunity) to get our Australia passports and vehicle paperwork cleared by USA immigration BEFORE we cross into Mexico at El Chaparral crossing? After crossing we will need to buy FMMs. Would it be better to drive to Tecate for this procedure due partly to our unfamiliarity or is it all straight forward?

Nothing could be easier at El Chaparral - we stayed in the right lane, and as requested parked immediately outside the immigration office, paid for our FMM at the bank, back into the immigration office to be issued with the FMM and have our passports stamped. They then X-Rayed our rig and we were on our way.