The Gull
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Posts: 2223
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: Rancho Descanso, BCN
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No SENTRI renewal appointments - Confiscated SENTRI pass
Anyone with an expired SENTRI card (read the back of the card) can no longer get an appointment for a renewal. It will have to wait for an on-line
renewal service which is predicted to begin in late AUG or early SEPT.
Enforcement on delinquent cards has been non-existent as the SENTRI staff and the San Ysidro border staff both said there are people with expired
cards from last year, who are still crossing.
As of June 22, 2006, the border people will confiscate any old style transponder (plastic box affixed to your windshield behind your rear view
mirror). 8,000 SENTRI passes were used yesterday at San Ysidro and 10 transponders were confiscated.
They got me last night. No problem. I went to the SENTRI pass office at OTAY and in 15 minutes, no cost, I had a new window sticker style of
transponder in my lower left area of my windshield. The OTAY SENTRI office is open 6 am to 10 pm 7 days per week. Mondays and any day before 4 pm is
a zoo. After that you can breeze through.
Crossing with expired cards or older model transponders can and have resulted in the car being denied entry at the SENTRI gate with the person having
to take the car back into Mexico and waiting in the non-SENTRI line, only to then be sent to secondary. If after being sent there, the person tries
to cross with the card, without the transponder, they are removed from the system for a violation. People with multiple cars with old style
transponders cannot cross with each car after ONE transponder has been confiscated. People attempting to do that will be sent back into Mexico to
wait in the normal lines, then to secondary and then removed from the program.
All of the above facts came from my experience yesterday and from conversations with HLS personnel.
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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I have a card that expired in July, but I had already scheduled a renewal appointment for September 1, and they told me that all I needed to do until
then was tell the guards that I have a scheduled renewal appointment.
Do you know if this means that I still will need to go in before then to replace the old transponder? I crossed at San Ysidro using that old
transponder on July 5 with no problems.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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fandango
Senior Nomad
Posts: 549
Registered: 1-30-2006
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would you tell me where you access the sentri lanes in san ysidro? can any other non sentri cars get in that lane and then get out before crossing the
border? do you ever have a long wait in that line?
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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The access to SENTRI from the highway is to turn right off the highway before the last light, take Benito Juarez east to the end and the Avenida Paseo
De Los Heroes ramp, proceed to Avenida Independencia and turn left, and then left again on either Paseo De Tijuana (preferable) or Avenida Padre Kino
(traffic sometimes blocks the SENTRI access).
There is no access from the SENTRI lanes to the regular lanes. The only escape from the SENTRI lanes once you're in line is to take the last right
that peels off just before the bus ticket vendors and head back east into TJ. If you miss that turn off, you have to try to back up against the bus
and SENTRI traffic to get back to it (not recommended for the faint of heart).
My longest wait in the SENTRI lane was about 15 minutes, due to rush hour traffic. I've also been sent to secondary by random computer selection a
couple of times, but those waits weren't more than 5 minutes or so.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Frank
Senior Nomad
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Registered: 6-5-2005
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Is it time to leave yet?
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DONT get into that Sentri lane without a Sentri Pass. Its a $5000.00 fine or you can go back to Mexico. Watch the road signs closely. {Yeah I got to
find out first hand what happens}
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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Wow, do they give you a choice between crossing for $5,000 and going back to Mexico? Hmmm, let me think about that for a second. Yeah officer, I
think I'll go back to Mexico.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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The Gull
Super Nomad
Posts: 2223
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: Rancho Descanso, BCN
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Mood: High
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DanO
I have a card that expired in July, but I had already scheduled a renewal appointment for September 1, and they told me that all I needed to do until
then was tell the guards that I have a scheduled renewal appointment.
Do you know if this means that I still will need to go in before then to replace the old transponder? I crossed at San Ysidro using that old
transponder on July 5 with no problems. |
Your days of crossing are numbered. I would go to the SENTRI place and surrender the old transponder. I am doing that for my other car. They will
give you fast service.
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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fandango
Senior Nomad
Posts: 549
Registered: 1-30-2006
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danO;
thanks for the detailed directions.
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