Tijuana is located in Baja California, Mexico. It is less than 20 miles south of San Diego, California. San Ysidro is a community on the US side (San Diego) that borders Tijuana. San Ysidro, CA is the world's busiest land border crossing, where US interstate 5 (known as I-5) crosses into Mexico at Tijuana.

Lines are long and crossing times are very high, especially by car. Therefore, many people prefer to park the car on the US side and cross the border by foot. Pedestrian crossing lines are usually faster.

While scheduling an appointment, you can pick any day between Monday through Thursday. Interview times between 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM usually work the best.

The information mentioned on this web site should be sufficient for your visa stamping trip. If you need professional help, you can contact Mexico Immigration Consultants.

(Disclaimer: We are not associated with them in any way and we don't endorse their services. This link is provided only for informational purposes. As always, you assume all liability when working with them.)

US dollars are accepted at the bank and at most other places. Therefore, you do not have to convert any US dollars into Mexican pesos. However, if you want to pay people in exact pesos instead of rounded dollars, you can get some Mexican pesos, equivalent to $25 to $30.

For those arriving a day in advance of the appointment, there are some motels in San Ysidro, CA. For example, Travelodge is a decent motel with a Burger King restaurant directly across from it. Travelodge is a 5 minute walk from the Greyhound bus station. There is also a Motel 6 near the border.

By Air:
You can travel to Los Angeles, Orange County or San Diego airports in California. You will then need to follow the bus or car instructions below.

Or you can directly arrive at Tijuana International Airport which is located 5 miles east of downtown and right across the street from the fence separating Mexico and the US. Aero Mexico, Aerocalifornia, Mexicana, etc. operate several commercial flights daily. However, not many people travel via air to Tijuana.

By Bus:
Greyhound offers daily service from San Diego to San Ysidro and costs between $5 and $9.

By Trolley:
The San Diego Trolley takes around 45 minutes, costs $2 and operates from downtown San Diego.

By Car:
You can drive all the way to the border and park at one of several pay parking lots on the US side and cross the border on foot. Parking charges really vary from $2 per half-hour to $6-$10 per 24 hours.

If you are going to Mexico in your own car, you will be required to have Mexican auto insurance before crossing the border. Most US insurance policies are not valid there. It may cost around $25 per day to insure your car for travel in Mexico. It is best to park your car on the US side and cross the border by foot as taxis are easily available in Tijuana and the travel distances are not very long.

Plan to be at the border around 2 hours prior to your scheduled appointment.

At the border on the west side of the highway, there is a parking lot and the entrance to cross the border by foot into Mexico. The east side is where the US Customs border post is located and is only for people entering the US.

Car Parking:
Jack in the Box restaurant: Costs $5 per 8 hours. Located at 721 E. San Ysidro Boulevard, San Ysidro, CA 92173. Phone: (619) 428-4679

While driving on I-805 South, take the exit that mentions "Last USA Exit" and drive for 0.3 miles. Turn left on "Camino de la Plaza" and drive for 0.3 miles. Turn right on E. San Ysidro Blvd. and you will immediately see a Jack in the Box. There are numerous parking lots. As soon as you take a right on San Ysidro Blvd., you will see the $8 parking lot. Instead, if you take a left on the first signal light (after you take the right on San Ysidro Blvd.), you will see the $5 parking lot.

Even if you miss the "Last USA Exit", you will get a chance to make a U-turn. In order to make a U-turn, you will have to be on the left side of the freeway and will probably have to take the exit. If you still miss it, you will end up in Mexico in your own car.

From the parking lot, you can walk to the border using the bridge. Just follow the fence (west side of freeway I-5 on a road called 'Camoines Way'). Go through the turnstile. Then, go through another turnstile. You are now in Mexico. Between two turnstiles, there is a tourist information booth, money changers and travel agencies.

Mexican visa is technically required to enter Mexico. However, if you are crossing the border on foot, as there is no one to check while you are entering Mexico, it is not compulsory to do so. You might need a Mexican visa if you are flying by air and arriving at the airport.

Alternatively, you can rent a bicycle for $5 for 5 minutes, pedal right up to the bicycle-only lane and cross the border faster. You can return the bicycle at the US side of the border where the bike rental company has a drop-off point.

As soon as you cross the border, you will see many yellow taxis standing around there. Most of them speak English and know what to do because many of them know you are there for your visa. You tell them that you want to go to Banamex. Banamex is located in a neighborhood called Zona Rio. Taxi drivers are generally helpful. You must fix the price before you ride the taxi. It will cost you $5 to go to Banamex from the border and should only take 2-3 minutes to get there by taxi.

Taxi drivers may drop you outside the bank entrance on the main road called 'Paseo de Los Heroes'. Actually, there is another entrance at the back of the bank building near the parking lot. Many people will be waiting there in line. You can join that line.

The bank opens at 9:00 AM. When you enter, walk to the center of the bank towards a little booth. A staff member will hand out tokens with a number. Take that token and wait for your number to be called. When your number is called, go to the counter and tell the bank officer that you are there for the visa. Pay them the fee in the amount of $108 ($100 visa fee + $8 processing fee) and hand them your passport. You will get two receipts. One receipt is for you and another will be kept inside your passport. Before leaving the bank, confirm that the passport number mentioned on the receipt is your correct passport number.

After collecting the passport and the receipt, leave the bank (shown in blue in the picture below) from the front entrance that faces the main road called Paseo de Los Heroes. The path you need to walk is drawn in the color black in the picture below. Take a right turn and walk towards the large roundabout with a statue in the center. Keep walking straight until you reach another roundabout with an Abraham Lincoln statue (shown in yellow in the picture below). Take a left here on a street called Diego Rivera. The US Consulate is located on the right side of the road (shown in orange in the picture below). It will take 10 minutes to walk from Banamex to the US Consulate.

Visa services for the US Consulate have changed to this new location as of June 2007. It is in the Consular Annex in Zona Rio. The address printed on your visa appointment confirmation letter may or may not be correct. The Consulate Annex itself does not look like a prominent place. It is almost at the end of the lane on the right side with guards standing outside. Look for the guards - that is how you can determine whether or not it is the US Consular Annex.


Instead of walking, you may also take the cab. The Banamex and the US Consulate are around 0.75 miles apart. Unlike the taxi drivers near the border, taxi drivers in the city may not know English and may not even know where the Consular Annex is. They may not even know what it is. You may look for the bus stop and wait for a taxi there.

Approach the security guard outside the consulate around half an hour before your interview time. Let him know about the type of visa stamping you are there for and he will direct to you stand in the appropriate line. After you enter the building, you will see a small window where you will be asked for your appointment letter and passport. You will be given a token with a number on it.

Next, you have to go through a security check. You are not allowed to take any items such as cell phones or other electronics, cigarettes, lighters, food or any bags inside the US Consulate. There are several shops near the consulate that will hold your bag for $3 and give you a token. You can only carry a small bag containing all your documents.

Sometimes, you just have to ignore the token number given at the consulate if you are there for H1B visa stamping as there is a special line for H1B people.

If you are not sure about something, feel free to ask the security guards who are always willing to direct you through every step.

You will later be asked for the documents by Mexican staff that will check the documents. They will make sure that all the information is correct. If the bar code is not printed correctly, they will have to enter the information all over again.

Next, you will go through the interview. You may be asked for various documents and asked various questions. Interview details

After the interview, if your visa is approved, you will be asked to come back at 3 PM on the same day to pick up your passport with the actual visa. You will be given a token that you will need to show when you collect your passport.

This entire process may take around 30 to 45 minutes. You will have a lot of time to spend before you go back to the consulate. There are several places, described in the next section 'Around Tijuana', that you can visit.

Return to the embassy around 15 minutes before your passport pick-up time. Stand in the line and show your token to collect your passport. Verify that the name and other details in your visa are correct before leaving the consulate.

It is possible that the consulate might have some technical difficulties. Or perhaps they come across some other problem and your visa issuance may be delayed by one day. In the worst case, be prepared to spend an extra day there.

In the case that your visa is rejected, you will not be able to enter the US again. You will have to fly to your home country from Mexico which can be a nightmare and very expensive! It can easily cost you $3,000 to $5,000 for a one-way ticket to India from Mexico.

Plaza Rio:
You can walk back to Banamex (map above) where you paid for the visa. Directly opposite theBanamex, you will see a shopping mall called Plaza Rio. You can have a medium combo meal at Burger King for approximately $6. You may find some good deals on clothes and perfumes here as well. It is located in an upscale community.

Avenida Revolucion (Pronounced revolution):
It is located in downtown Tijuana. From the consulate, it costs $5 in a taxi to go to Revolucion. There is a big arch located in that area. It is not a pretty place but it is an OK place to kill some time. This is definitely not a nice place to spend time with kids, as it has lot of shops with bars, clubs and adult places. In case you will be shopping, shop wisely as they will initially quote you outrageous prices; sometimes four to five times more than the actual value. There is a lot of bargaining. This area has several restaurants such as Burger King, McDonalds, KFC, etc.

Mundo Divertido (Fun World):
This is a family-oriented amusement park on the Avenida Paseo de los Heroes, the Zona Rio's main road. This area has a series of statues celebrating Mexican history.

There will be many yellow taxis standing outside the US Consulate. Take a taxi back to the border. Before taking a ride in the taxi, confirm the fare. It should be around $6. The taxi driver will drop you at the border.

Once you arrive at the border, you will see a big line of people waiting to go to the US. Waiting time is approximately 45 minutes or more. There are two security officers at the front of the line.

After you pass them, you will see another massive line. Do NOT immediately join that line as it is the customs line to enter the US. Instead, go to the small building located on the right side and stand in line. An immigration officer will check the visa stamping and its validity. You will get your new I-94 here and it will cost you $6. Make sure you have exact change for this $6. Please note, even if you received a new I-94 with your I-797, you will most likely be required to get a new I-94 and pay $6. The customs officer serving you will be able to determine if you need a new one or not.

After getting your I-94, come out of the building and join the US Customs line. As they don't check much, this line moves fairly fast. Show your passport, visa and I-94 to the customers officer. Then, enter the US and proceed to the parking lot.

Alternatively, you can take a cab to the downtown or Revolution Street and take the "Mexicoach" bus. For $5, they take you to the border from where you should head directly to the front of the pedestrian line.