dewidewi

First border crossing US-Mex. I was planning on doing the Otay Mesa crossing in order to fly out from TIJ, (ultimately going to SCL transiting through MEX).

I had assumed it would be no problem to get a tourist card at this crossing, but the more I read about it, the more confused I am.

FMM's are necessary for travel in the border area past 72 Hours or venturing beyond this zone in general ----- so what about in my case, where I'm flying out from TIJ transiting through MEX for an hour or two?

To get a tourist card (FMM), I have to go to the immigration office? Assuming this is at the border crossing and well-marked. How do I pay for it? Which banks are open Sunday morning and are nearby?

sw3

My guess would be that if you're changing planes at MEX, or refueling without being held in a transit room, technically you'll be venturing beyond the border zone because you'd be free to wander around in the airport and leave the airport to remain in the country. Not that you'd want to miss visiting Chile, but you could.

I haven't been through Otay but I have been through many other crossings and generally speaking the immigration office isn't too hard to find. Look for the INM (Instituto Nacional de Migración, http://www.inm.gob.mx) logo and that's the immigration office. This kind of paperwork has to be done at the border crossing, as INM offices in airports only verify passengers' passports and the like, so you can't do that inside TIJ.

You might want to contact your nearest Mexican consulate, but I'd suggest to consider contacting the one in San Diego instead, I think it's more likely that they'll have a quick and definite answer.

hiyo

You get the tourist card at the airport. There's a station in TIJ before security to get your FMM. You must pay in pesos, MX$295. It takes a few minutes, because they write everything out by hand. The officials are helpful, good English.

I cross at Otay and fly from TIJ with some regularity, feel free to ask about it.

hiyo

I just read this, which may pertain more directly to your situation:
But I think if you ask at the FMM counter at TIJ they will tell you whether or not you need the visa. It's not like they are on commission...

dewidewi

Thanks very much for the help guys. Looks like picking up a FMM at Otay or TIJ shouldn't be a problem, I suspect I'll need to pay for it at TIJ on a Sunday.

Given that they only take pesos there, can I assume that there will be ready ATM access?

JDiver

IME Sundays can leave one with exhausted ATMs in many places; I'd not count on convenient and full ATMs.l

dewidewi

Eek.

Any other options? Currency exchange at TIJ? I'll be in San Diego for a few days beforehand.

saturnino3

There are many currency exchanges inside the TIJ airport. There's one about 15 feet from the INM/Migracion counter where you pick-up your tourist card.

It's a very straight forward process which takes less than 5 minutes. There is no funny business. They take your $299 pesos, write down your passport info, stamp, and then receipt.

Stellarains

First thank you for posting this questions, as i've been looking for FMM info out of Otay for days and found nothing. Im going to be flying out of tij into Oaxaca, to my understanding, I can bypass the otay immigration office and get the card directly in aiport? ill be flying out at 1am and dont want to spend any time in roaming around at night time.

Thanks!!

hiyo

Yes, you can get the FMM at the TIJ airport desk, they are open 24/7.