Crossing the Border

Updated: Friday, June 3, 2009

The San Ysidro border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana is considered the busiest border crossing in the world. Here are some helpful hints to decrease your wait time at the border:

1. The options for crossing the border include: automobile, walking, motel shuttle, border bus service, SENTRI commuter pass, and motorcycle or scooter.
   

   • Automobile: Wait times vary from 20 minutes to over two hours, depending on the time of day and other factors.

   • Walking: Wait times vary from 3 minutes to one hour, but the wait is usually less than 40 minutes.

   • Motel shuttle: The U.S. motels listed here on our website under Lodging offer free shuttle service to and from the Center as part of their package. The shuttles make a number of trips each day, and pick up when patients call. Patients not staying at these motels can also use the shuttle service by paying a fare. The shuttles use a special bus lane for crossing the border, making the wait generally much shorter than for other vehicles.

   • Border bus service: On busy days at the border, buses are available in the bus lane (next to the walking line) which will charge a fee for boarding the bus. This may or may not be faster than walking, but is usually faster than driving.

   • SENTRI commuter pass: A "trusted traveler" program developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the SENTRI program allows enrolled citizens to cross the border quickly in a set of dedicated lanes. The program is very popular, and thus there are times when even the SENTRI lines can be backed up for over an hour. There is an online application process which takes several weeks. For more information, go to http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/sentri/.

   • Motorcycle or scooter: These vehicles are allowed to go to the front of the line at any hour, making wait times very short. One must have the proper classification on one's driver's license to operate a motorcycle in the U.S.

2. Monday through Friday mornings there is a long wait as thousands of commuters and students pack the regular car lanes and the SENTRI lanes. This traffic eases by 10 am. During weekends, holidays and vacation periods, vehicle traffic is increased throughout the day, and walking wait times are increased somewhat, also.
3. The San Diego Trolley operates the Blue Line train which stops right at the border. The Trolley heads straight north from the border to downtown, with connections to the airport and elsewhere. Train service is frequent all day.
4. There are paid, secure parking lots near the border where one can leave one's car and walk to the Center. The walk is less than 15 minutes. Exit from Interstate 5 or 805 on Camino de la Plaza, marked o the freeway signs as "Last U.S. Exit." At the first intersection you will see parking lots straight ahead and to the right.
5. Patients who plan to stay for treatment for several days may consider staying on the Mexican side of the border at the Pueblo Amigo hotel, located just 1/2 block from the Center. Shuttle service is also available from the Pueblo Amigo, for patients who have trouble walking.

Additional Information
· State Department Hotline for American Travelers: (202) 647-5225
· Information about Mexico from the U.S. Department of State