Vanlife: Crossing from the USA into Baja California

It is finally happening! Ever since Jack and I first met we have dreamed of driving the PanAmerican highway. We saved our money over the past 2 years and just bought an awesome 1990 GMC van named Bluey. The van is fitted out inside with storage, bed, table, sink, stove, refrigerator, toilet and enough room for our surfboards. We finally got on the road March 13th 2023 and headed towards the Mexico border from Huntington Beach, CA. Our first mission was to successfully handle the Mexico border crossing and get all the documents we needed to enter and drive Bluey around legally.

I had a lot of trouble finding concrete info about the border crossing – ie. Where to stop, which crossing was the best, what paperwork we needed etc. This post should provide a complete overview of the Mexico border crossing at Otay Mesa for those hoping to follow the same path!

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El Cardon camping Baja California

What documents do you need for the Mexico border crossing?

Before you leave the states you should make sure to have the following ready to go so that the border crossing is smooth

Valid Passport (with more than 6 months validity)
Copy of Car Registration
Mexico Car Insurance – Bajabound was super easy!
Copy of Title
Copies of other documents – ie. Passports and Drivers licenses (not necessary at the border but good to have)
Credit card to pay
Download iOverlander App and check out my Google Map of Baja

** I always purchase travel insurance when starting a trip! Heymondo is a great platform that makes it easy to sign up and receive support during your trip.

Otay Mesa – Mexico border crossing

In all my previous visits to Baja Mexico I have just breezed across the San Ysidro border point. I was never importing a car or staying longer than seven days so there was no need to stop, and most of the time you pass right through. Crossing with the van and planning to take the ferry in La Paz meant that we needed to stop and get all the proper documents. After doing some research it sounded like Otay Mesa would be the quieter and easier point to cross at (San Ysidro is the busiest border crossing in the world!). I was nervous we would still miss the appropriate building, but I was confident that we could get the FMM and the TIP for our vehicle.

Cataviña

Where is the INM (Institute Nacional Migration) building

When you do the Mexico border crossing, you actually stop for all the paperwork before you officially cross the border and go through the gates. As you approach the border you will want to stay in the farthest right lane. Google Maps actually had very accurate instructions if you map to INM Tijuana (make sure it’s Otay Mesa). The three left lanes will have signs for “nothing to declare” and the far right one will take you to some parking lots where you can park and enter the INM building. Once you make the slight right you will pass the first parking area where the border guards are inspecting vehicles for agriculture and park in the next lot.

What is the process like at the INM building?

Once you enter the building you can approach the booths and ask for the FMM – tourist visa paperwork. They will hand you a sheet and you can fill it out over to the side (bring a pen in case the ones provided are in use). Once you fill this out you return to the same guard/booth and he will make some markings. Next he will tell you to walk outside the building and go to the window on the right (approx 50 meters). This is the Banjercito where you will pay for the FMM. They will want to see the paperwork and your passports and then they will ask for the payment. You will receive a receipt. After you pay you return to the original booth and the guard will stamp your passport and validate the FMM. If you are needing the TIP then keep reading.

little blue van against backdrop of big hill and sky

Playa Los Cocos

How to complete the TIP at the Mexico border crossing

After you receive the FMM the guard will instruct you to go back to the Banjercito window to complete the TIP. Here we had to show the valid FMM paper for the primary driver, their passport, and a copy of the car registration. The lady at the window made a copy of my FMM and Passport for their use. Then she proceeded to enter in all the details to their system. This process took a while for some reason (like 20 minutes, but felt like an hour with all the people piling up in line behind us).

After she processed the details she asked for the payment. It was $56 USD and we also had to pay a $200 USD deposit that we will get back when we cancel the TIP. We paid this with credit card as well. To finish I had to sign a few documents and she gave me our own copies of everything and we were ready to go!

Officially crossing the Mexico Border

As we walked back to the van a border agent came over and wanted to look inside our van. The agent did not do much of a search. He also requested to see all the documents we had just received and he verified the license and VIN number on our van. Then he told us to drive straight down the lane instead of going through the green light/ red light section. A border guard removed the cones in our way and we were officially in Mexico!

Tips on driving through Tijuana

We learned the hard way and took the 1 Libre through Tijuana at around 3 pm on a Monday. The traffic was super bad and it took ages to make progress. Another option is to head onto the 1D (toll road). It’s not as direct of a route to Rosarito but I’m sure it is a lot smoother road and faster in the end. Our phone data stopped working at the border so we were not able to see live data of the traffic.

El Mirador, La Bufadora

Concluding thoughts on the Mexico Border Crossing

In the end it was a lot easier to find the INM building than what I read online before. The paperwork was smooth, but it definitely helped to speak some Spanish! Driving through Tijuana was just as stressful as I thought it would be. We headed straight to the Soriana Hyper in Rosarito to stock up on vegetables, fruits and meat (since you are not meant to cross the border with these things). It is also a great place to buy a SIM card and withdraw Pesos. If you’d like to follow along please add me on Instagram @allieschuck