raytrade

Hello, I was hoping you might be able to help me with a question. I know the US/Mexico land border closure for non-essential travel has been extended till November 21st. However, I have heard from several travel agents that Mexico has actually never stopped letting in American tourists (or any other passport holder) over the past few months who cross over by foot or car at the San Ysidro/Tijuana border, and that the ban really only affects Mexicans trying to come by land into the USA. Do you have any experience or heard whether this is true? I know the borders are open for flights, but Tijuana is only about 140 miles from me so too close to fly into, but too far to drive to test if I am allowed in. I've tried calling over 10 Mexican consulate numbers in the USA and none of them are answering their phones, and the Immigration dept in Mexico only speaks Spanish and I can't even get past the menu prompts. Americans of course are permitted back in to the US no matter what, so it is just about crossing into Mexico. I was hoping maybe you've heard about other travelers crossing by land this way with no problem? Thank you for any advice or insight you can give. I am not trying to fly further into Mexico so that's why it doesn't may sense to fly. Much appreciated!

YYCCL3

You can enter Mexico by car if your travel is deemed essential.

https://mx.usembassy.gov/travel-rest...ns-fact-sheet/

nomiiiii

It should be open for your case, read the Oct 19, 2020, 8:26 PM post here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...alifornia.html

Please report back your experiences if you were able to

raytrade

I was asking for non-essential (tourism) purposes. Some travel agents are telling me it's no problem, but that does against the official regulations so I wanted to see if anyone has actual experience doing it.

Thanks but that post is about using CBX which is the walking bridge that connects directly from the US side to Tijuana Airport and can only be used by those with boarding passes to fly out for that airport.

Rare

This page, while not official, suggests that you should be fine. Many comments following the article saying the same.

Mexico-US Land Border Restrictions Continue Until at Least November 21st

At least one comment says that one of these "road blocks" was only temporary:

safari ari

Friends just went down this past weekend, via land border, as well as a few times over the past few months. There is really no issue going into Mexico, the worst case scenario you state you needed to go for an essential service, i.e medicine in Mexico, similar to how you previously needed to state a reason to go to Cuba for non-tourism purposes.

JDiver

Do be aware Mexicans are concerned about Americans visiting Mexico because their leaders are telling them this is how Covid-19 is getting into Mexico (according to people in México the first influx of Coronavirus into México was by wealthy Mexicans who caught Covid-19 in Aspen, Colorado last winter when there was a large conference attended by Italians infected with Covid-19), and as a result there have been vigilante groups harassing and intimidating Americans driving in the northernmost states, particularly in Sinaloa. It doesn’t sound common, but it has been occurring for several months.

Further, this month has seen some armed robbery and assaults against American visitors driving in northern Mexico.

Lufthomie

In late April and early May I walked across the border in Nogales for dental work. Not once was I ever asked why I was going into Mexico and only had my temperature taken once.

JDiver

That would be considered essential travel in either direction. The US has a number of restrictions imposed in those crossing the México-USA land border to the USA, whereas México has not. Nonetheless, some are turned back if they can’t prove residence in Mexico, though much of that is likely not official.

https://www.mexperience.com/mexico-l...sure-covid-19/

miguel0881

Well, that's the official version, but in fact, you can enter Mexico by car for any reason at all, even if you are a non-Mexican citizen. They will be happy to issue you an FMM, stamp your passport, and sell you a vehicle import permit if you need one. The border is not closed, at least if you are heading south. And dual citizens obviously can cross northbound too for any reason.

mandrivnyk

What about on foot crossing from the USA?

miguel0881

Yep, same. Aside from some isolated, non-sanctioned local protests, no one will stop you.

Orange County Commuter

I have a family member who lives on the border.

Essential according to him means "going to eat dinner", "going shopping", "going to visit friends" Basically any reason works!

Boraxo

According to this website, essential travel includes US citizens returning to USA.

https://www.bajabound.com/travelupda...rderupdate.php

asar

Yes, in practical terms and from what I recently saw in Tijuana, US citizens and green card holders are allowed to go into Mexico or back and routinely do it, in the thousands every day.

Non-US citizens are turned away for the Mexico to US crossing, unless they can persuade the officer that the trip is essential.

This is all only for land crossings.