Driving To Mexico From San Diego: Tijuana Border Crossings

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Are you looking for the best information about driving to Mexico from San Diego? Sounds good to me. Besides living in Mexico since 2009, I grew up in San Diego and still spend a ton of time in Tijuana and San Ysidro. 

The goal of this article is to share decades’ worth of experience driving into Mexico from San Diego, having a great time, and getting back into the United States as efficiently as possible. 

You can read all of my articles about Tijuana here:

• Is Tijuana Safe?
• Things to do in Tijuana
• Best Tacos in Tijuana
• Tijuana Beaches
• Cross Border Xpress (CBX) to the Tijuana Airport

In addition to the legal requirements, crossing the Mexican border requires a change in the way that U.S. citizens think and drive. The driving culture in Tijuana is different from that in the United States. You need to learn how to merge efficiently and you don’t want to go around honking at people in Tijuana like you might in Downtown San Diego.

I often tell people that the borderline and the traffic in Tijuana is what prepared me to drive in Mexico City.

The first thing that I always tell friends crossing the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time is to always buy Mexican auto insurance.

Not only is it mandated by Mexican law, but it is the easiest way to keep yourself out of a Mexican jail in case there is a fender bender. I was a customer of Baja Bound for years before buying a Mexican-plated vehicle. 

Baja Bound Mexican auto insurance is the best option that I found. Fortunately, I never had to use my Mexican auto insurance. While researching Baja Bound in the expat forums I found plenty of people who did use their Baja Bound insurance and highly recommend their services. 

In addition to insurance and documentation, we are going to dive into rental car companies, choosing the best border crossing, and tips for driving in Mexico. 

An Overview of Driving to Mexico from San Diego

There are a lot of factors to consider when driving to Mexico from San Diego, but traffic is the most important. Both crossing into Mexico and crossing back into the United States, there are long border lines.

Nowadays, there is an hour-long line to enter Mexico at San Ysidro most days in the afternoon and a horrendous traffic jam on Friday afternoons when commuters and tourists wish to enter Mexico.

I remember telling a friend on a summer afternoon that I was going to drive down to K38 to go surfing. He looked at his watch and said, “It’s Friday afternoon at 4 PM; no, you’re not.” Traffic can spoil your plans going in both directions if you are not careful.

On a recent trip to Valle de Guadalupe, we crossed the border at Tecate 5 minutes before they closed at 10 PM. Missing that timeline could add hours and a miserable nighttime drive to your border-crossing experience.

I highly recommend planning your border crossings to avoid peak traffic. My buddy got stuck in a seven-hour line once when crossing back to San Diego on a Sunday after spring break. Four-hour lines are common on Sundays and holiday weekends.

Plan around the traffic.

Geography of the San Diego/Tijuana Border Region

San Diego and Tijuana are a highly integrated economic region with a unique culture rooted on both sides of the border.

In 2024, I worked as a teacher in the trans-border community around San Ysidro. I have come to the conclusion that San Diego and Tijuana comprise one metropolitan region, much like Guadalajara comprises Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, and Tonalá. It just happens that San Diego and Tijuana happen to be in different countries.

Tijuana is the largest municipality in Mexico (not metro region). Mexico City is a federal entity that functions more like a state than a city. Tijuana has a significantly larger population than Iztapalapa, the largest delegation in Mexico City. Traffic is insane during daylight hours. 

While traffic is a major concern for those commuting around rush hour, there are good freeways and decent public transportation options.

If you don’t want to drive into Mexico, there is plenty of parking on the US side with pedestrian infrastructure to walk across the border and take a taxi on the Mexico side.

For those who do not drive, the San Diego Trolley runs from the San Ysidro Border to Downtown San Diego, La Jolla, El Cajon, and Santee. The San Diego trolley costs $2.50 per trip or $6.00 for the day, which is a great deal. The only drawback is the time. It takes an hour and a half to get to La Jolla and two hours to reach Santee.

San Diego Freeways to Mexico

The San Diego freeways that lead to the border are the 5, the 805, the 905, and the 125. The 94 and 188 to Tecate are not freeways but windy country roads not meant to be driven at a high rate of speed.

The 5 and the 805 move from North to South County San Diego, merging together 1/2 mile from the San Ysidro Border.

Tourists who require FMM Tourist Cards should take the right lanes of the 805 for easy access to the INM immigration office at the San Ysidro Crossing. The 5 freeway turns into the left lanes, and it is very difficult to cut across 10 lanes of traffic to access the immigration parking lot.

The 905 runs east to west along the border connecting the Otay Mesa truck border crossing to the 805 and the 5 freeways. CBX is off the 905 at Britannia Blvd.

The 125 is a toll freeway (payable in cash and on the South Bay Expressway website) that leads from the Otay Mesa Border Crossing north to Spring Valley, La Mesa, and El Cajon.

Moving about the border region is complicated, but I am here to share everything that I have learned over the last decades.

San Diego County Border Crossings

San Diego County has three major ports of entry for vehicle traffic, each with its own pros and cons. Additionally, travelers may choose to cross in Mexicali or Nogales if their road trip destination is in Mainland Mexico. 

The three main border crossings in San Diego County are:

• El Chaparral (AKA San Ysidro Border Crossing)
• Otay Mesa 
• Tecate

I often cross into Mexico at one crossing and return to the United States at a different crossing, depending on the border wait times. After checking the CBP wait times website, I will drive to the Otay Mesa Ready Lane if the San Ysidro line is really long.

Check the wait times on the Customs and Border Protections Border Wait Times website. They are usually accurate.

There are no border crossings in Playas de Tijuana or East of Tecate until you reach Calexico in Imperial County.

Crossing Back Into San Diego From Mexico

Crossing back into the United States from Tijuana is the most challenging part of driving to Mexico from San Diego. The border lines can be brutal in Tijuana, and choosing the wrong line can cost you hours of wait time or, in the worst-case scenario, a US$5,000 fine for using the SENTRI lane without authorization.

Finding the end of the borderline is something that Google Maps is not able to do yet. If you look at Google Maps, you will notice that each of the crossing lanes is marked at the beginning of the line, not the end of the time.

I do not recommend attempting to cut the borderline because there are Tijuana transit police ticketing for that, and it tends to anger the locals.

Make it a point to study the different borderlines and make a plan before getting in traffic. It is nearly impossible to do this while driving.

There are four different borderlines depending on the documents that you possess.

• General (All Traffic) Lane
• Ready Lane
• SENTRI Lane
• Fast Lane (Medical Lane)

General Traffic or All Traffic Lanes

The General Traffic lanes may be used by all travelers authorized to enter the United States, no matter what valid crossing documents they possess.

This is often called the international borderline because non-US citizens oftentimes do not have RFID-enabled Ready Lane documents that US citizens have.

The General (All Traffic) borderline usually has the longest wait times. There are two approaches, one from the west and one from the east, that merge together over the Tijuana River.

Many travelers coming from the coastal toll road and Playas de Tijuana use the general traffic lane because it is easy to enter from that direction.

When entering the borderline from Downtown Tijuana, make sure you are left of the second cement divider. The middle lane, with cement dividers on each side, is for Fast Lane/Medical Lane users only. You must be one lane to the left of the Fast Lane/Medical Lane.

Additionally, all travelers can access the San Ysidro border crossing from the east along Paseo de los Heroes. This borderline is complicated at rush hour because it extends down Paseo de los Heroes and then turns at the first Glorieta.

Officially, the Ready Lane is for travelers who possess crossing documents with an RFID chip. When they are a couple of cars back from the crossing gate, they wave their crossing documents at an RFID chip reader so that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can start processing their crossing.

There are Ready Lanes at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa but not at Tecate.

Crossing documents must have the PASS System logo on the back of the crossing document. The most common crossing documents are passport cards, US visa cards, US green cards, and SENTRI cards. Check the full list of identification documents that qualify on the US Customs and Border Patrol Website.

In practice, any US citizen using a US passport is allowed to cross at the Ready Lanes. On multiple occasions, I have brought groups of U.S. citizens with U.S. passport books through the San Ysidro Ready Lanes.

The Ready Lane is the two left lanes of Av. Alfonso Bustamante Labistida (AKA Highway 2), which parallels the Tijuana River on the north side. The line moves fast but is really long. Do not try to cut the line in the Zona Ría District because the Tijuana Transit Police ticket drivers for doing so.

Recently, I have been stopping for tacos at El Nuevo Poblano before getting in the line. They have a bathroom, great tacos, and are around the corner from Av. Alfonso Bustamante Labistida.

The Ready Lane moves faster than the All Traffic Lane, but there is still a significant wait most of the day.

SENTRI/Global Entry Lane

SENTRI is the creme de la creme of crossing documents. It has a tedious pre-approval process that can take over a year to get an interview, but it is well worth the effort.

There are SENTRI lanes in San Ysidro and Otay Mesa but not in Tecate.

Check the CBP webpage for details about who can use the SENTRI lanes in Tijuana. There are additional Trusted Traveler Program members that may use the lanes, but they need to register their vehicles with CBP prior to crossing.

The SENTRI lane wait times are insignificant compared to the other borderlines. If you plan on crossing the border on a regular basis, you need to get going on your SENTRI application now.

DO NOT use the SENTRI Lane if you do not have the correct documents, or you are risking a hefty fine. Once you get up to the gate, there is no way to turn around or reverse out of there.

Fast Lane (AKA Medical Lane)

There is a tourism initiative that a number of businesses in Mexico participate in to allow travelers to cut the line on a one-time basis.

The idea is that patients seeking medical treatment don’t want to wait in a long borderline after having a medical procedure. There is a checkpoint on the Paseo de los Heroes borderline that allows travelers with the Fast Pass to cut the line.

Check the list of businesses that are a part of the program.

🛣️ San Ysidro Border Crossing to Mexico

Garita El Chaparral, often referred to as the San Ysidro border crossing, is the main Tijuana border crossing and one of the busiest land border crossings in the world. It is very easy to access the coastal toll roads to Rosarito Beach and Ensenada to go surfing in Baja California.

The San Ysidro pedestrian crossing is connected to the blue line of the San Diego Trolley, which goes all over the county. 

Crossing into Mexico at San Ysidro is usually easy in the morning and congested in the afternoon. Long lines can be expected crossing into the United States at San Ysidro 24/7. 

Right after the 5 and 805 freeways merge together, there is a sharp right-hand turn. It is best to take the 805 freeway if you need to get an FMM tourist card. It can be difficult to merge from the left lanes of the 5 to the Immigration parking lot.

The Mexican Immigration Institute office parking is at the base of the flag on the far right lane of traffic. I’m telling you, approach from the right-hand lane of the 5 freeway is you need an FMM tourist card.

If you get flagged for a revision pull into the parking bay, roll down your windows, and follow the official’s instructions.

Getting back to the United States, there are multiple borderlines, but I will get into all of those options in the next section.

Check the San Ysidro Border Wait Times

🛣️ Otay Mesa Border Crossing

Otay Mesa is mainly a commercial truck crossing on the east side of Tijuana. It is very close to the Tijuana International Airport. I used to use this crossing a lot coming and going from the Tijuana Airport before the Cross Border Xpress bridge was completed. 

The Otay Mesa Border Crossing is the end of 905 freeway.

There are two gates heading south into Mexico and around 15 gates northbound into the United States.

There is a small parking lot directly after crossing into Mexico off the right lane of traffic where it says, “Self-declaration low value imports.” If you can find parking there, you can walk back to the immigration office to get an FMM.

I prefer San Ysidro to get the FMM because the parking lot is bigger.

Check the Otay Mesa Border Wait Times

Going back into the U.S., the Ready Lane entrance is on the Tecate-Tijuana highway and Av. Alejandro Van Humboldt. This is my absolute favorite crossing to get back into San Diego. It is significantly shorter than the San Ysidro Ready Lane.

🛣️ Tecate Border Crossing (6 a.m. to 10 p.m.)

Tecate is a much smaller border crossing than San Ysidro or Otay Mesa. Just a few years ago, Tecate was the secret border-crossing town.

It is important to remember that the Tecate border crossing is only open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. We left Valle de Guadalupe late and made it to Tecate at 8:45 p.m., which was just in time.

The Tecate border line runs east from the crossing gate along the border fence. The best way to find the end of the line is to drive down Calle Culiacan after the Walmart.

Tecate is a great place to cross the border if your final destination is the popular tourist destination of Valle de Guadalupe. I highly recommend leaving Valle de Gudalupe during the day.

Driving at night from Valle de Guadalupe to Tecate was not an enjoyable experience. Even on the U.S. side of the border, the 94 into Jamul is windy and dark. Drive with precaution.

Check the Tecate Border Wait Times

🛣️ Mexicali Border Crossing

Mexicali is a great border crossing for those heading south in the State of Baja California. Highway 5 leads to San Felipe on the Gulf side of the peninsula. It is usually faster to cross in Mexicali and take Highway 5 if you are heading to Baja California Sur. 

Just watch out for cops in Mexicali. They have a reputation for pulling over travelers for questionable offenses.

🛣️ Nogales Border Crossing

Nogales is the best border crossing for travelers looking to move quickly from San Diego to mainland Mexico.

Interstate 8 from San Diego is much faster than Highway 2 from Tijuana. Additionally, there are some small towns in Sonora along Highway 2 that have some security problems, like Caborca.

Highway 2 is a trafficking corridor that multinational criminal organizations frequently fight over. It is not a good idea to drive the 2 at night. Nogales is a much better place to cross because of safety. 

Documents Required to Drive to Mexico from San Diego

Much like the United States, Mexico requires drivers to carry certain documentation in order to operate a motor vehicle. Additionally, crossing an international border requires separate documentation. 

There are documents required to drive in both countries and documents required to cross into each country.

It is important to know that Mexico does not stop you at the border and show you where to park and get your FMM tourist card. Most travelers driving to Mexico from San Diego will never show their FMM tourist cards to a Mexican National Immigration Institute officer but it is still the law and you should stop and get it.

Bring your passport. I know lots of people who have crossed the border recently without a passport. The US can’t turn away US citizens, but it can take a long time to verify who someone claims to be without identification, in which time they may be detained. And anyways, without a passport, you can’t get an FMM tourist card from the Mexican government, making your stay illegal.

1. Valid Passport (passport book or passport card)
2. FMM Tourist Card (Forma Migratoria Múltiple obtained at the Mexican border)
3. Valid Driver’s License (if you will be operating a motor vehicle)
4. Vehicle Registration (no expired registration stickers)
5. Mexico Auto Insurance
6. Temporary Vehicle Import Permit (Only if leaving the free zone)
7. Vehicle Title (only needed to retrieve impounded vehicles)

✅ Valid Passport Book or Passport Card

Do I need a passport to travel to Mexico? Yes, all foreigners, regardless of their nationality, are required to present a valid and non-expired passport or travel document when entering Mexico.

Keep in mind that U.S. citizens can not be denied entry into the United States for not carrying a passport. However, it can take a really long time for border patrol to validate someone’s identity without proper ID during which time they will be detained. 

U.S. citizen children under the age of 16 may arrive by land presenting a birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Naturalization Certificate to the U.S. Border Patrol when entering the United States. 

Mexico does not require that passports be valid for six months past the border crossing date. Passports must be valid for the entire length of stay in Mexico. If your passport is only valid for another five months but you are only driving to Mexico for the weekend, there is no problem. 

A passport is required to obtain a Mexican FMM tourist card. The tourist card is rarely asked for, and many people skip this step. I highly recommend stopping and getting an FMM tourist card to be considered legal. It’s like the Mexican car insurance policy; you don’t need it until you really need it.

✅ FMM Tourist Card (Forma Migratoria Múltiple)

Since 2015, all foreigners need an FMM (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) tourist card or a tourist visa.

There is often confusion between a FMM tourist card and a temporary resident visa. The tourist card is usually obtained at the border when crossing. The resident visa is obtained at a consulate before crossing or regularized at an INM office after crossing.

Nobody is going to stop you at the border when driving into Mexico and ask for your papers and tell you where to go. It is your responsibility to stop at the immigration office at the border (Instituto Nacional de Migracion INM) and get your card. 

An FMM tourist card is free for visits of less than 7 days and costs $575 pesos (~$35 US dollars) for visits of up to six months. 

If you do not have an FMM tourist card or a tourist visa you are in the country illegally and subject to deportation. There are immigration checkpoints all over the country and plenty of stories of U.S. citizens being detained and deported. It is not a pleasant experience. 

Additionally, cheap auto insurance is often invalid for people in the country illegally. 

There is a preauthorization form that you can pay for online, but you still have to stop at Mexican immigration to get a stamp in your passport proving that you actually crossed the border on a specific date. 

The consensus in the expat forums is that it is better to apply for the FMM in person at the border on the day you are crossing because the system is not set up to make changes after the fact. An error will require the traveler to pay for the FMM a second time. 

✅ Valid Driver’s License

Driver’s licenses from all 50 U.S. states plus territories like Puerto Rico and Guam are legally accepted in Mexico. In fact, driver’s licenses that are written in a Latin-based alphabet (English, Spanish, French) are all valid as well. Driver’s licenses that are written in a different alphabet (Mandarin, Arabic, or Greek) will require an International Driving Permit. 

Remember, in Mexico, the date is not written like it is in the United States. In Mexico, the date is written DAY/MONTH/YEAR, so police officers and rental car agencies may confuse the expiration dates that are written in the U.S.-style of MONTH/DAY/YEAR. 

✅ Valid Vehicle Registration Document

Vehicle registration must be up to date while driving in Mexico. Expired registration is grounds for impound.

Registration is not asked for when crossing the border, but Mexican police regularly pull over vehicles with expired registration stickers. I know this from first-hand experience.

Getting a car out of impound is an expensive and time-consuming process. Do not let your registration expire while in Mexico, and do not cross the border with expired registration tags.

✅ Mexico Automobile Insurance

Nobody wants to spend the weekend in a Mexican jail. Buying Mexican car insurance is the difference between making it back to work on Monday and having to call in because you are stuck in a TJ jail cell.

It doesn’t require a bad accident either to be put under arrest. A minor fender bender with no insurance, which wasn’t even your fault, is all that it takes to land in hot water. 

Drivers are legally obligated to have third-party liability insurance from a Mexican company to drive in Mexico. 

U.S. auto insurance is not accepted in Mexico. Under certain circumstances, U.S. auto insurance companies may sell an upgrade that includes Mexican auto insurance from a Mexican partner company, but this is not common.

Baja Bound is an agency that sells policies written by Chubb and HDI for foreign vehicles. These are two of the best Mexican insurance underwriters in the business. Even though I have a Mexican-plated vehicle, I still use Baja Bound when I take my family’s cars down to TJ to get detailed. I have already bought two policies this year.

There are liability-only and full-coverage options. You can buy a policy for one day or up to one year. The year-long policy is the best deal. 

Check them out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by all of the extras that are included in a full-coverage policy. 

Temporary Vehicle Import Permit (TIP)

You only need to get a temporary vehicle importation permit if you will be traveling outside of the free zone.

Border zones (20 km from the border), the entire Baja Peninsula, Quintana Roo, and part of Sonora DO NOT require a TIP. If you will be traveling to mainland Mexico, you need to get a permit to import your vehicle temporarily. This includes a deposit and a promise to remove the vehicle before the permit expires. 

If you are just driving down to Tijuana or Los Cabos on vacation, there is no need to get a TIP. 

Vehicle Title

Under most circumstances, drivers will not need their vehicle title. If, for some reason, your vehicle is impounded by the Mexican authorities (expired registration, uninsured accident, or driving under the influence), you will need the title to retrieve it from the impound lot. It may take several days to retrieve a vehicle from the impound.

There are some circumstances where a title may be needed to get a TIP, but it is not that common. 

Driving Across the San Ysidro Border at Garita El Chaparral

Driving across the border into Mexico is actually pretty easy. You just need to remember to stop and get your FMM at the Mexican immigration office. 

San Ysidro is easily accessible from both the 5 and 805 freeways. Driving south on both freeways, you will see signs for “Last US Exit” and “Guns Illegal In Mexico”. 

Crossing at San Ysidro, there is a sharp right turn and a lot of speed bumps. The first guard booths are unmanned, just make sure to drive slowly. Then, there will be a sharp left-hand turn, and the lanes spread into about 20 gates. 

If you need to stop and get an FMM tourist card, you will make your way to the far right-hand side of traffic. Look for the huge flag and the signs that say “Auto Declaración.” You can park there and walk into the immigration office (Instituto Nacional de Migración or INM). 

Nothing to Declare vs Self-Declaration​

Travelers entering Mexico and passing through the “Nothing to Declare” lines are subject to a red light or green light random search. Even if you stop at the self-declaration customs office or the immigration office, you will drive through the red light/green light gates.

It has been a long time since I have gotten the red light and been sent to the secondary inspection area. They are not searching many vehicles that cross. In the few instances that I have been searched, the officers have always been professional. 

Even if you get a green light, it is possible that the officials will want to talk to you. Follow the instructions that the officials give you and don’t drive fast. Be respectful and stop at the crosswalks. 

Remember, guns, ammo, and marijuana are illegal in Mexico. Do NOT bring them. 

If you are moving to Mexico or have huge quantities of alcohol, you will need to declare those items and pay a small import fee. The self-declaration customs office is on the far right side, below the flag. You can’t miss the flag. 

Driving A Rental Car To Mexico From San Diego

Can I take a rental car to Mexico? Yes, you can, but that will cost you extra because you need to buy a special insurance policy.

Not every rental car is eligible, and you need to clear this with the rental car agency before you drive across the border.

Car rentals are usually not allowed out of the free zone. If you want to drive to Puerto Vallarta it would be best to rent a car in Mexico. 

Driving to Mexico: Common Destinations and Best Border Crossings

One of the reasons that El Chaparral is such a great place to cross is because you can quickly get to the toll road, Downtown Tijuana, and Zone Río. 

If you are heading to Playas de Tijuana, Rosarito, or Ensenada, you want to be in the right lanes and take the first exit. There has been a lot of traffic in the past few years. In addition to Tijuana’s consistent population growth, there is a construction project to build a second story toll road bridge from the border to Playas de Tijuana.

Right now, the traffic is horrible, but when they finish, it will save a lot of time if you want to pay the toll.

I usually cross at Otay if I’m going to the airport.

I crossed at Tecate recently and will be using that border crossing for my future Valle de Guadalupe trips.

Oftentimes, I will use a different crossing to enter and to exit Mexico depending gon the traffic. Check the Border Wait times websites to see if you can save some time by driving across town. Spending 30 minutes to drive across town might save you 2 hours of waiting in line.

Driving To Mexico From San Diego: FAQ

These are the most commonly asked questions about driving to Mexico from San Diego.

Is Tijuana Safe?

No, Tijuana is not safe but driving is safer than walking. You need to take some basic precautions when visiting Tijuana, but it is easy to stay out of trouble.

Make it a point to avoid honking at people in Tijuana. You never know who is in the other vehicle and what they are up to.

I often compare Tijuana to the safest places to visit in Mexico. There are some major differences. The border region often has security problems. Make sure to plan ahead.

Do I need a passport to drive to Mexico from San Diego?

Legally, yes, but in practice, many people cross without a passport. Most of the time, there are no consequences. If you get in trouble, the consequences could be devastating.

Getting into a minor accident without Mexican auto insurance and without a passport (which also means no FMM) will most likely lead to jail.

Just get a passport. This shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

When is the best time to cross into the U.S. to avoid border traffic?

I like to cross back into the U.S. late at night to avoid long border lines. I plan a late dinner and prefer to get in line after 10 p.m. which often times, reduces the border wait by a significant amount.

Sundays and weekends are always challenging days to cross into the U.S.

Avoid the afternoon rush hour going into Mexico. There are a lot of people who commute, and the wait to get into Tijuana at San Ysidro can be more than an hour on weekday afternoons.

Check the Border Wait Times website for up-to-date information about wait times.

What can I bring back from Mexico?

Have a look at the Customs and Border Protections page on prohibited and restricted items. This is a very complicated question.

I was surprised to learn that pork is not allowed to cross, whether it is cooked or raw. You can bring 1 liter of liquor without having to pay a tax. You can bring more if you declare it and pay a small tax. Most fresh vegetables and fruits are prohibited. There are limits on raw fish depending if you caught it or if you bought it.

If in doubt, declare it. If you are caught with a prohibited item and you did not declare it, you are eligible for a fine and possible jail. Declaring it, you will probably just lose the item but not face a fine.

How far is Mexico from San Diego?

Tijuana is only 15 miles from Downtown San Diego. If you avoid rush hour traffic, it is very fast to drive from Downtown San Diego to Mexico.

Do people speak English in Tijuana?

Because it is a border community, many people in Tijuana and Tecate speak good English. According to a recent survey, around 30% of the general population of Baja California speaks English at a high level.

Is there a time difference between San Diego and Tijuana?

No, there is no time difference between California and Baja California. Daylight savings time runs from Sun, Mar 9, 2025, until Sun, Nov 2, 2025.

What are the closest hotels to the border?

The Hotel Pueblo Amigo and the Quartz Hotel are located just a thousand feet from the border in and around the New City Medical Plaza.

Do I need a Visa to drive to Mexico from San Diego?

No, a visa is not required. There is always some confusion regarding the FMM tourist card, which is available at the border, and a resident visa, which is available at a Mexican consulate.

U.S. tourists do not require a visa, but they do require an FMM tourist card. Stop at the Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM) office at the border to fill out the required paperwork. It should take just a few minutes.

Do I need auto insurance to drive to Mexico from San Diego?

Yes, you need to purchase Mexican auto insurance to legally drive in Mexico. Most of the time, you will never need your Mexican car insurance, but many of the good policies come with roadside assistance.

Final Thoughts On Driving to Mexico From San Diego

It is really easy to drive to Mexico from San Diego. The most important things to remember are to get insurance before you leave and to stop and get an FMM tourist card at the border. These are non-negotiable. The United States has made immigration a huge topic in Mexico, and the same rulesthat apply to Central American migrants apply to North American tourists. 

If it is possible, try to avoid the Friday afternoon rush hour. Traffic is crazy from the San Diego Airport all the way down to the border. If you must travel on a Friday afternoon, make sure to get an early start. The best time to cross into Mexico from San Diego is early in the day. 

I used to walk across the border all the time. Once I bought a yearly insurance policy, I never looked back. Driving across the border is way more comfortable than walking. I bet you will agree with me. Slow down, drive safe, and have a great time.