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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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GETTING FMM TOURIST CARDS at Tijuana: EASY!
Well amigos, today we began preparing for our big Baja vacation, beginning in a few days!
1) Got Pesos at Costco, Chula Vista at 1:45 pm Sunday (exit I-5 at Palomar, go east to Broadway, go north to entrance just past Costco gasoline
station (just one signal north on Broadway). No commission money exchange for members located inside store. Today the rate was 12.905 to the dollar.
That teller window closed for 30 min. at 2 pm.
2) Drive to last U.S. exit in San Ysidro, and go left over bridge to $6 parking at motel, next to Jack in the Box, just north of border, northbound.
3) Walk over bridge to southbound pedestrian entrance for Mexico. Just inside Mexico is an INM building, not yet open... continue just ahead to
elevated offices on the left, up a couple stair steps. The first office is the INM office, open door walk in.
4) With happy smiles and practicing Spanish, greet the nice (lady) official. Presented our passports, told her we were going as far south as Cabo San
Lucas and going by automobile. Also asked if she would make the FMM valid for 180 days (just in case we are really enjoying ourselves). She filled out
the FMMs and stamped them.
5) Was pleasantly surprised when she informed us that INM now can accept the fee/tax... No more searching for an open bank. The fee/tax was 290 pesos
or $24 US (either currency was acceptable). That exchange rate is 12.08 pesos per dollar. We used our recently purchased pesos.
6) The whole experience was nice, quick and friendly. She even asked me the correct way to say 'Have a good trip' after we exchanged some weather
terminology.
THE NEW INM HOURS (Tijuana/San Ysidro): OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 6 am to 10 pm.
We walked on and the first taco stand we came to had us enjoying a wonderful taste treat and Mexican Coca Cola!
From the taco cafe we walked over the bridge to the northbound pedestrian walk, and there was some kind of LONG line... However, it moved fairly fast
and we were back in the USA and to our nearby parked car in a reasonable while.
The Costco stop, walk into Mexico, FMM tourist cards (which are much smaller than the FM-Ts they replaced, just a 1/4" taller than a passport and the
same width), some tacos for lunch, border wait walking north... all took 2 hours.
Here is what the FMM looks like, front and back:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Until today, I wasn't positive that we could do this trip... Now we are sure, and only need to pack the Tacoma and head south. My wonderful wife
really deserves a nice time off from work, so I am going to do my best to show here a good time and relax the way only a Baja vacation can. We look
forward to seeing some of our Nomad friends on our trip and we will share it with you when we return.
[Edited on 7-9-2012 by David K]
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BornFisher
Super Nomad
Posts: 2107
Registered: 1-11-2005
Location: K-38 Santa Martha/Encinitas
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David-- I`m really wondering what advantage there is in getting your docs in advance of your trip. Is there a reason you just don`t pick them up when
you make the trip? BTW I crossed today (Sun) and it was even more of a mess than usual!! And it was messy!!
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5901
Registered: 7-18-2011
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Go get Baja David K! Report back.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BornFisher
David-- I`m really wondering what advantage there is in getting your docs in advance of your trip. Is there a reason you just don`t pick them up when
you make the trip? BTW I crossed today (Sun) and it was even more of a mess than usual!! And it was messy!! |
I think you answered your question: "I crossed today (Sun) and it was even more of a mess than usual!! And it was messy!!"
I never have done this before... always got them on our way south. However, with the mess there in Mexican Secondary, where we always parked in the
past, we wanted to have everything done. That so on the day of the trip... NO WORRIES (is INM going to be open, is the bank teller going to be open,
etc.???)
We had the day to do it, we live in San Diego County, and it all worked great. Now we can cross at Tecate or anywhere, anytime that border is open
without worrying about being able to get the FMM before we reached Baja CA Sur or where-ever the 'Border Zone' actually ends (Maneadero/San Felipe
typically) now.
Start Baja Angel's vacation totally relaxed and ready to go!
Where we go each night, we are not sure... Basically where ever we want, as the Tacoma will take us there in comfort with 4WD, AC, and XM Satellite
Radio  When we get to our camp site, we will enjoy the warm, tropical air...
under our shade. 
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willardguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6451
Registered: 9-19-2009
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can you get these fmm's anywhere south of border towns?
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Nomads have reported that you can get them at the Baja Sur border on Hwy. 1 (Guerrero Negro)...
HOWEVER, you could be well south of the 'Border Zone' (where by-law, you are supposed to not go beyond without an FMM) when you get there (Guerrero
Negro). ALSO, if you cross into Baja Sur at the other roads across the state border, then what?
Anyway, it was easy to do it at the border... and have it all done.
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Mulegena
Super Nomad
Posts: 2412
Registered: 11-7-2006
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Enjoy your summer vacation, David K and Baja Angel.
Remember its already hot down here but as you know the water is wonderful in the bay and nights cool down fast for some good camping.
Have fun and hope to see you.
Keep in touch.
"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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tripledigitken
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4848
Registered: 9-27-2006
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David,
We usually get our FMM's before our trip too. Living in San Diego it's easy to do, and it's an excuse to have lunch in TJ.
The reason we started doing this is one vacation the office was closed on a Sat. morning around 6:30 a.m. We went on our way without them, but it was
on our minds throughout the trip.
Have a great time.
Ken
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msteve1014
Senior Nomad
Posts: 947
Registered: 12-2-2006
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We came through Friday at 6 am. No mess at that time. INM was open, and easy, as was customs. We had items to declare, no problem.
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Bajaboy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4375
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mexico
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Yep, we're started getting ours in advance, too. Good to know they now accept payment now as well. Just an fyi, we actually were asked for our FMMs
in GN in June. We'll see if they ask next week upon our return north.
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Frank
Senior Nomad
Posts: 861
Registered: 6-5-2005
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Is it time to leave yet?
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Did they say anything about returning the FMM when you come back?
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ncampion
Super Nomad
Posts: 1238
Registered: 4-15-2006
Location: Loreto
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Mood: Retired and Loving it
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Frank
Did they say anything about returning the FMM when you come back? |
I was curious about that also, I thought you had to surrender the FMM when returning, or is it now a "multiple entry" permit.
PS: DK, hope to see you later in the month.
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6346
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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It is now a multiple entry permit, and you send them back to the TJ office with about two weeks left on the expiration date (mail is slow).
If you regularly cross in Tecate, drop them off personally at the INM office.
When we flew to Cabo two weeks ago, the b-tch at INM office would not accept our FMMs which do not expire until November of this year, and had us fill
out new ones good for only 30 days...plus...they took away our 180 days FMM's!!
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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tripledigitken
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4848
Registered: 9-27-2006
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Here is the address to mail them before they expire:
INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE MIGRACION
PUENTE PUERTA S/N
COLONIA FEDERAL
TIJUANA, B.C. MEXICO C.P. 22310
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Good Morning!
I enlarged and showed my FMM above, where you can see it says to surrender them when you leave Mexico. However, who at INM could guess that a
'tourist' would take more than one 'vacation' in a 6 month period?
When we were saying our goodbyes to the INM official, I told her we were beginning our trip in 6 days and had her point the way for us to walk back to
the USA. Obviously, that constitutes a second trip into Mexico, at least. She didn't say there was anything wrong with that.
We will keep these FMMs until they are about to expire, then mail them in (if I don't forget to) to the address provided by Discover Baja Travel Club
some time ago... or a newer address if one becomes known... Here is from that post (Dec. 2009):
Return Tourist permits before they expire to any Mexican Immigration office OR send by mail to:
Instituto Nacional de Migracion
Puente Puerta S/N
Colonia Federal
Tijuana, B.C. Mexico C.P. 22310
(postage is 79 cents from U.S.)
If you fail to have you tourist permit validated when you enter Mexico (using a pre-paid FM-T) or fail to return them before they expire you could be
fined up to $220 dollars for each permit.
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BornFisher
Super Nomad
Posts: 2107
Registered: 1-11-2005
Location: K-38 Santa Martha/Encinitas
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| Quote: | [i
When we flew to Cabo two weeks ago, the b-tch at INM office would not accept our FMMs which do not expire until November of this year, and had us fill
out new ones good for only 30 days...plus...they took away our 180 days FMM's!! |
Did you fly out of TJ? I flew down 2 weeks ago out of TJ, and the guy said my visa (dated Feb. 20, 2012) was fine. And no I didn`t give it up and may
use it again before it expires.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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I forgot to mention that our passports were also stamped (first time for us when getting tourist cards).
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jahImpala3
Junior Nomad
Posts: 80
Registered: 12-6-2007
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Thanks DK
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Mood: Inquisitive
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Has it really gotten so bad at the San Ysidro crossing that a drive from Oceanside and back, including walking across the border and back, is EASIER
and LESS TIME CONSUMING than just getting them at the border?
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msteve1014
Senior Nomad
Posts: 947
Registered: 12-2-2006
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Not if you go early. I have never been there after 7am, so I do not know about that. I leave home at 3am.
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