bajabyjetski.com
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Tecate crossing
I am planning to drive to Cabo from Arizona...this will be our 7th road trip. I was born in La Paz, wife has Mexican parents and a 3 yr old son born
in the Us as the wife. I would not stop to get the turist visas if it just were us, but we are taking 2 more "gringo" families with us and i do not
want their first Baja experience to go sour, so we will stop in Tecate to get them.
The question is, has anybody crossed the border in Tecate on a saturday morning/early afternoon? Can we get the visas on a saturday? Any info on this
would be greatly appreciated. I have done this before with other guests and we did it in Ensenada, but it took about 45 minutes of waiting because the
person at the counter wanted us to go back to Tecate, which I knew was wrong, but that did not keep them from making us wait.
We are driving all the way to San Quintin from Phoenix, about 500+ miles on our first leg of the trip, so avoiding any unnecessary delays is the
primary goal.
Thanks!
As I sat there staring at the peaceful Sea of Cortez, I realized what I already knew. A place more beautiful I will never know. The Baja, a place that
overwhelms my senses with beauty; a place that cradles my soul.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajabyjetski.com
I have done this before with other guests and we did it in Ensenada, but it took about 45 minutes of waiting because the person at the counter wanted
us to go back to Tecate, which I knew was wrong, but that did not keep them from making us wait.
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It's a shame that Ensenada has developed this reputation of inhospitable nonsense from that one Imn office. I do, however, believe they are making
efforts to "clean up their act" and are trying to be more service oriented and helpful.
That said.....their tiny office is inadequate for the volume of customers they serve on a daily basis and everything there involves the waiting game.
Someone [more reliable than I] will be along shortly to help you with your questions. It takes a little while for Nomads to clear away the Pacifico
empties around the computer.
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DavidE
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Yeah it was great. Arrived in Ensenada because INM was closed in Tecate. Migra told me
"No podemos. No hay -tourist cards-"
So I ask him "What do you do for the tripulacion de yates?" (yacht crews)
He glared and then went to a desk drawer and ripped out a tourist card. (1984)
I see almost thirty years later things have not changed.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
So I ask him "What do you do for the tripulacion de yates?" (yacht crews)
He glared and then went to a desk drawer and ripped out a tourist card. (1984)
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You have stumbled upon a well guarded secret, David. I ran into a guy in INM who walked in and out in five minutes with an FMM. I asked him how he
got such good, fast service, and he told me he does it all the time....says he's on a boat in the harbor.
"Sí Señor......aquí tiene. Buen viaje y gracias."
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
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Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
Yeah it was great. Arrived in Ensenada because INM was closed in Tecate. Migra told me
"No podemos. No hay -tourist cards-"
So I ask him "What do you do for the tripulacion de yates?" (yacht crews)
He glared and then went to a desk drawer and ripped out a tourist card. (1984)
I see almost thirty years later things have not changed. |
Actually, things have changed at the Ensenada INM office.
The little guy with the Hitler complex (and moustache) is gone, and the counter staff are very helpful........The office is still small, but at least
you get friendly smiles and assistance without feeling you are imposing on someone.
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Sandlefoot
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Can you get your FMM in Ensenada again like you used to be able to do? For the last few years everyone is saying "at the border". I used to travel
to Ensenada to get mine and it was a little easier because of the parking at the border, but I guess that has changed also. Just another question!!!
Happy Trails
Mike
" Don't find fault, find a remedy; anyone can complain." Henry Ford
If you are not living on the edge...you are taking up to much space!
Just because it may not be a good idea does not mean it will not be fun!!!
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Sandlefoot
Can you get your FMM in Ensenada again like you used to be able to do? For the last few years everyone is saying "at the border". I used to travel
to Ensenada to get mine and it was a little easier because of the parking at the border, but I guess that has changed also. Just another question!!!
Happy Trails
Mike |
Good question at that.
I'm not sure what the regulation is on the never-seen books, but there may be something that says, "if you're going south, you have to get your visa
at the port of entry."
That may explain why Ensenada has been so nasty about the issue.
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Petey
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Just wondering if anyone can answer the OP's question about if & when the INM office (and little white bank kiosk if my memory serves) is open
currently on Saturday. I'm driving south tomorrow morning and I much prefer the wine route drive, but we do need FMMs for sure, since we'll be flying
back from Los Cabos.
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David K
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If you don't get a recent answer... a safer bet would be to go after 9 am. I asked the officers for their hours and payment desk at Tecate INM, but
that was a year ago, and things do not stay the same in Mexico.
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redmesa
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We waited 2 hours and he finally gave us an FMM , this was 2008. It is just much better to get your visa at the border.
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Petey
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
If you don't get a recent answer... a safer bet would be to go after 9 am. I asked the officers for their hours and payment desk at Tecate INM, but
that was a year ago, and things do not stay the same in Mexico. |
Definitely open though, you think? I asked them there about 8 months ago, and I'm pretty sure they told me the payment kiosk & INM office were
open the same hours -but even then I thought that was TGTBT.
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EnsenadaDr
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Mood: Move on. It is just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book- just turn the page
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Tecate is a charming border town, but with that comes limited services and a border crossing that closes at 11 pm. I will be going through Tecate
this weekend, and I was planning on going tomorrow, but it has been so darn hot I think I will pass and go either Sunday or Monday and enjoy the
controlled temperatures where I am. You can still enjoy the vino route through Tecate to Ensenada and go to INM in Ensenada but I thought closed on
weekends. I don't know about tourist visas though. I will find out this weekend out Tecate aband post my findings.
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Bajaboy
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My sister just got her FMM in Ensenada a few weeks ago with no issues.
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redhilltown
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Hmmmm...maybe I am missing something here but I thought the main question was can he get the visas in Tecate on a Saturday? We did it about a month
ago...no problem. Just go through the border (unless waived over for secondary) and then go past down the hill and make the first right...then
another right...and then another right to come back to the border crossing...there is a street right there past the border on the right but it is one
way. There will be red cones but a guy will come out and move them for you. Park and go back up to the border and you will see the immigration
office. Was very easy and they were quite polite...one week/seven day free visa...or the 180 one but I am not sure of the payment procedure now...you
used to have to walk down the street to the bank and then walk back up...even with that I'd take it over TJ any day. Bring a few pens and your
paperwork/passports.
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vandy
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Last second response!
I do that drive all the time, from PHX to SanQ.
I almost always go on weekends so there are no construction crews (not much of an issue now).
In Tecate:
If the border crossing is open, the guy with the FMMs is open.
His office is on the right just behind the little inspection area for secondary.
Up the stairs, into the building and to the right.
If the bank office (on the same side, 75 feet towards the US) is closed, you will get a piece of paper that you're supposed to get stamped at a bank
before you leave Mexico.
Ask which bank; I don't remember.
I cross the border, drive down the hill, take a right and a right and look for parking. I
never had anybody move any cones for me, but store owners are very friendly and will let me park in their "yellow zone" if I have to.
Walking up to the bank is a little weird, as you almost walk back to the US without using the correct entry, through the Mexican pedestrian checkpoint
the wrong way.
BTW, FWIW and IMHO, a more informative "SUBJECT HEADING" might have elicited more responses...I almost skipped over it.
Ahhh, San Quintin in August sure beats Phoenix, where we are in the middle of the monsoon...just like Cabo!
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Petey
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Thanks! Saturday visa availability is the OP (and my) question. Leaving in about a half hour, & still leaning toward Tecate over San Ysidro.
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durrelllrobert
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Mood: thriving in Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
Actually, things have changed at the Ensenada INM office.
The little guy with the Hitler complex (and moustache) is gone, and the counter staff are very helpful........The office is still small, but at least
you get friendly smiles and assistance without feeling you are imposing on someone. |
They need parking more than a bigger office
Bob Durrell
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by durrelllrobert
They need parking more than a bigger office
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Inadequate [by today's needs] parking is a tradition from the old days when everyone [and, much fewer of them] didn't go everywhere in their own car.
There are older, major hospitals here with little to no parking. The street was their parking lot.
Todays inconvenience became the expected norm.
You can also see the differences in customer service. It used to be an anomaly.
Times...they are a'changin.
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