USA: San Ysidro > Mexico: Tijuana

Sep 2025 |

Crossing into Mexico with a BC-registered motorcycle was a breeze at San Ysidro/Tijuana.

The general sentiment online is that crossing into Mexico is a daunting task, with a high security risk. But I didn't experience any issues. Also, some of the descriptions of the moto import process are slightly melodramatic. It was fast, friendly, and easy for me. Indeed, this was one of the best border crossings I have experienced.

Documents (originals/copies) I was carrying:

• Passport (Canada)

• DL/IDP (Singapore)

• Bike registration (ICBC combined insurance and registration of ownership doc)

• Mexico insurance (Baja Bound / Chubb)

I was approaching the border from north of San Diego. I had a pre-conceived notion that San Ysidro was a no-go, certain to be clogged with traffic and slow services, followed by a minefield of risky challenges riding through Tijuana to Ensenada. So I had my mind set to cross at Tecate, a bit further east, thinking it would be smaller, faster, and safer. When I described my plan with my cousin-in-law in SoCal, he debunked my thinking, recommended I drive 5 minutes down the road, get onto the 15 freeway, and arrive at San Ysidro in 45 minutes. So I did. Good decision.

Arriving in San Ysidro on a Monday at 10 am, I was surprised to find no traffic at all. I rode straight by the USA immigration (no stop), and then approached the Mexico immigration kiosks. Prior to the kiosks*, to the right, there is a clearly marked Customs/Aduanda office. I pulled in, parked near the door. Some friendly officers directed me on where to park and into the building.

Inside, I processed the following at Immigration and Customs/Bank windows that are all side-by-side (ATMs are there too):

1. 180-day Mexico visa (FPP) for travel to the mainland from Baja. Can't recall what it cost.

2. Entry stamp in my passport.

3. TIP (temporary import permit) for my bike, processed at the Bajercito Bank window. This has a fee (~$50, I think) and requires a ~$400 deposit that is returned when you exit Mexico.

I paid for everything with my Visa card. The whole process took less than 1 hour. And they didn't want my copies.

Once in Tijuana, I followed the road along the border to the coastline. You get some interesting views of the border wall. I then proceeded south. And then I had my first challenge of the day: I was on a toll road, but I had no pesos. At the kiosk, they turned me back. I rode 5 minutes back, found an ATM, then proceeded back, onto the toll road, and rode to Ensenada, 2 hours south.

*You need to go to Mexico customs first, before crossing through the immigration booth with your bike. Don't ride straight to the booths; you may get waved through. If you are planning to take the ferry from La Paz to the mainland, make sure you stop at the Customs office before proceeding through an immigration booth into Mexico, even if an officer waives you through. Stop at the Customs building on the right first. If you ride through the kiosk without getting a TIP and a 180-day visa, you will have issues and need to go to an immigration office, and it may not be as easy to process. I met a rider in L Paz who had missed the Customs and ridden through the kiosks into Mexico. He needed to apply for the TIP and 180-day permit in La Paz, prior to being able to put his bike on the La Paz to Mazatlan ferry. If you are only riding Baja, you do not need a TIP or 180-day visa (double-check this; I may not have the details 100% correct here).