Going to Ciudad Juarez from El Paso, TX
 

I have a friend who will be going to Ciudad Juarez, but she is flying from
NYC to El Paso. Are there any documents that she would need to bring in order to be allowed into Mexico? Does anyone knows if border control checks people who are entering Mexico from the US, or could you just walk freely into Juarez?
Is there any efficient transportation that could be used as well from El Paso Airport?

You don't need any documents to get into Juarez but you do need to pay an immigration fee of less than a dollar. One DOES need some proof of US citizenship to get back in, although most of the times I've come back in I haven't been asked to show anything.

The easiest way to get to Juarez is to park near the bridge in downtown El Paso and walk across, to where there are buses and taxis to be had. There is also a trolley car on wheels that leaves from the El Paso convention center and makes a loop through Juarez, stopping at all of the natural tourist sites. People who pay to ride the trolley can just hop on and hop off.

Do they also ask for any documents to a Mexican citizen crossing from El Paso back to Juarez?

send "jfe" a PM - he's a mexican citizen who lives in El Paso but works in Juarez.

he'll have all the info.

Not really - you basically walk "freely" into Cd Juarez, without any checks. AFAIK the entire border is some sort of special zone without any real immigration/customs check. I've crossed that border in that direction once, with a person who had the equivalent of a Green Card for Mexico that needed to be stamped/checked. It involved actually stopping, getting out of the car, walking into the building & finding an officer who could do the procedure. So as long as you stay I think within 20/30 miles of the border, you're fine. The customs check is done only if you go further south into Mexico, along the main highways, or if you leave on a domestic flight from CJS.

jfe should be able to give you all the details.

Yes, Mexican citizens coming into the US need to show papers. There are two different lines, one for US citizens and one for all others walking across.

and MX citizens crossing back to C Juarez?

And (although it has been probably 15 years since I walked across), doesn't the State of Texas have a money-grubbing tax officer to collect state taxes on the imported booze?

Liquor Texas....
 

Texas residents can import 2L/month into the State...more than that, and you pay excise tax, but it's less than two bucks/L, IIRC. In border towns, you don't really save THAT MUCH, though...especially on tequila, which has gotten sky-high due to supply constraints on the blue agave...

Reminds me of a grad school trip to Nuevo Laredo to check out some of the maqis.....one of our group was Mormon and didn't mind corrupting the rest of us. Every time we walked across the border (3-4 times over 2 days), he carried my 2L across for me. This was '96 and I'm still drinking some of the booze....Good times, good times.

That's if you declare it :o

I did exchange a few PM's already. I had no idea there was a thread about this topic.

There are shuttles that can take you from ELP to Ciudad Juarez. You could take a cab, but those can be expensive. Downtown is the easiest way, depending where your final destination is.

Going to Juarez over the bridge in a car is not a problem with Mexican citizens. They might say something if they see him with tons of luggage, but otherwise they will leave you alone and you get the red light for inspection.

I already covered some details in the PMs

Glad to know that I am known as the El Paso / Juarez connection :cool:

Bullfights and Copper Canyon
 

Have you been to the Corrida in Juarez? If so, is it pretty good (are the Matadors any good)?

Have you been to Copper Canyon from El Paso?

I have a couple of tickets on SWA and might burn 'em going to Cd Juarez for a few days....

Ha, jfe--you're welcome to be the official spokesman for El Paso--that town sure has a long way to go before it is livable!

I just hand out warnings ;)

Actually I have never been to them. I can ask a friend and find out. The Plaza de Toros is a decent size, not sure if they are having any right now

My dad used to own a mine (copper of course ;)) right next to copper canyon. From El Paso either you drive or fly to Chihuahua (CUU).

And you can drive or take the ChP train (Chihuahua-Pacifico) all the way to copper canyon. I would take the train, it's decent, just make sure you bring some drinking water, and it has excellent views of the mountains.

If you want to go in a group there are some travel agencies in town that specialize in tours to copper canyon.

I used to fly to my dad's mine, and it is breathtaking when seeing from a plane.

Juarez is not a bad city to go to, really good food, cheap drinks.