supercuidado
Newbie
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Registered: 2-3-2010
Location: San Diego, CA
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FMM card question
Hi all. I'm planning for trip into Baja Sur in a few weeks and would like to buy my FMM card online beforehand. I'm crossing into Tijuana and can't
seem to find Tijuana or San Ysidro on the drop-down menu here: https://www.inm.gob.mx/fmme/publico/en/solicitud.html
Does it go by another name?
Thanks for any help
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John Harper
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I think you still have to stop at the border to have the online FMM stamped. You might as well just wait and do it all at once a the border.
John
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bajaguy
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Tijuana has two crossings. Otay and El Chaparrel. El Chaparrel is San Ysidro at the end of the I-5 Freeway on the US side.
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supercuidado
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Quote: Originally posted by John Harper  | I think you still have to stop at the border to have the online FMM stamped. You might as well just wait and do it all at once a the border.
John |
Yeah I should've been clearer, I've done that before and it's a bit more of a rigamarole (back & forth to bank, I think it's supposed to be an
anti-corruption measure to prevent money changing hands w gov officials). Trying to streamline.
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supercuidado
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| Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy | Tijuana has two crossings. Otay and El Chaparrel. El Chaparrel is San Ysidro at the end of the I-5 Freeway on the US side.
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Thanks bajaguy!
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AKgringo
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My last FMM was issued at the Mexicali (west) office a coup;e of years ago. I gave the agent my passport, he filled out the form, I paid him and he
stamped the FMM. It couldn't have gone any smoother!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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BajaMama
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I belong to a travel club specializing in Baja - Vagabundos del Mar in Nor Cal. The fee is $35/year but to me worth the expense - they will issue
your FMMs, fishing licenses and auto insurance. Super easy. Yes they charge a service charge, but it is very convenient. As always you have to stop
at border and get FMM stamped. You also have to submit the date and port of entry into Mexico.
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Bajazly
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So if you miss your day, do you have to do the whole 8 minute process at the border all over again, and pay again?
I don't understand adding the stress of having to cross on a certain day and place, weeks or months in advance of crossing, to save 2 minutes of
filling out a form.
Believing is religion - Knowing is science
Harald Pietschmann
"Get off the beaten path and memories, friends and new techniques are developed"
Bajazly, August 2019
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danaeb
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If you don't know the exact date you will be entering, fill your FMM form out at the INM office.
Experience enables you to recognize a mistake every time you repeat it.
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Bajazly
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Right, but 9 of my friends were heading down the day after Xmas for a trip we had planned for months, they were delayed a day in Oakland and didn't
leave till Friday, unforeseen issues the day before, and going over the Tehachapis, the road was closed for some hours that night. They made it into
SF about 3:30 in the morning after diverting to SF because the Grapevine was closed.
Right there 3 separate issues the day of or before they were supposed to leave that prevented them from crossing on a specific day and a specific port
of entry.
Believing is religion - Knowing is science
Harald Pietschmann
"Get off the beaten path and memories, friends and new techniques are developed"
Bajazly, August 2019
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Alm
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| Quote: Originally posted by BajaMama | | I belong to a travel club specializing in Baja - Vagabundos del Mar in Nor Cal. The fee is $35/year but to me worth the expense - they will issue
your FMMs, fishing licenses and auto insurance. |
Maybe it's only worth the expense if one needs both FMM and fishing license for those particular dates. Otherwise, it costs $25 on INM website.
Auto insurance is a separate pain with separate online forms to fill, I see no advantage here.
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Alm
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| Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy | Tijuana has two crossings. Otay and El Chaparrel. El Chaparrel is San Ysidro at the end of the I-5 Freeway on the US side.
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Minor addition:
There are in fact 3 crossings:
Otay and 2 "El Chaparrals" - one for cars and pedestrians at the end of I5, and another one for pedestrians only, near the trolley station. 2 "El
Chaps" are spaced ~3/4 mile from one another, they are 2 separate INM and customs buildings. When you type "El Chaparral" it will work for either one.
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supercuidado
Newbie
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Location: San Diego, CA
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Thanks all!
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Mr. Bills
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I know superciudado wants to cross in Tijuana, but my positive experience crossing at Tecate in December has made it my preferred port of entry. It
is an alternative worth considering depending upon one's destination in Baja and one's intended route.
No line for the FMM at about 9:30 am on a Sunday. Some of us had obtained FMMs in advance and only needed to have them stamped. However those of us
who did all of the paperwork at the border were finished with the process in about the same time. Exact change in pesos made it easy.
Our return to the US through Tecate a month later was just as easy. We crossed at about noon on a Saturday - 15 minutes total from the end of the
vehicle line through US customs.
Five days earlier part of our group had returned through Mexicali - it took them over two hours to cross at about 6pm on a Tuesday. I don't even
want to think about how long it would have taken at Tijuana.
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