Canada - USA - Mexico Border Crossing

Mexico gets a bad rap for border crossings from all the Hollywood movies, making it look stressful. Any border crossing can be stressful if you are dishonest with the guards. On December 26, 2023 we crossed the Canada/USA Ambassador bridge border crossing where our biggest time consumption was the car in front of us who got questioned for 10 plus minutes then pulled to the side. Thinking we were in for the same fate, we rolled up, handed over our documentation. We answered 3 questions, where we were going ( Taft, Texas then on to Mexico), how long we planned on being away (until mid March 2024) and if we had any drugs in the vehicle (No!). He handed back our documents and told us to have a nice day, a total of 1 minute at the border station..

We then moved on down into the States, spending a few nights in Taft, Texas which was about 32 hours of driving (we swap out drivers and took a 3 hours nap). Then we carried onto Laredo, Texas which was 4 more hours south. We stayed at a state park about 15 minutes from the border of Mexico and the USA. The morning we crossed we got up early, made coffee to go tore down the campsite and hit the road for the last 11.5 hours to our spot in Mexico.

The border crossing in Laredo was a bit confusing, if we followed our GPS it was straight down a main road. However, a block before was a very small sign that said "Tourists go right, to Bridge 1". We thought about just following the GPS but instead kept right and ended up down with all the Outlet stores, with no more signs to tell us where to go. We spotted a border crossing guard vehicle and asked for help, this was at about 7:00 am so people are generally not the friendliest at this time. Thankfully he was and he directed us to the road between the Outlet Stores then took the right at the intersection right. When we got to the intersection another small sign said "Tourists Bridge 1 to Mexico ''.

As we crossed the bridge we saw a lot of people sleeping on the bridge, stuck between Mexico and the USA. We got to the entry point and were greeted by 4 guards. We rolled up and shut the truck off, the one guard asked "where is Ontario?'' We handed over our documents and told him Canada.

Then we got searched, we put down the driver side and two rear windows. The guards looked through our back seat (smelly clothes, bedding and cooler) and then went for the tailgate. At this point Ryan got out of the truck and helped by opening our camping totes and showing the guards anything they wanted to look at. It wasn't just one guard, we slowly gained enough attention that we had 6 guards around our truck and 4 out of 6 took the time to open the back seat to take a peek inside.

After 20 minutes everyone seemed satisfied with the search of the truck and they asked Ryan to go inside with them. I had sat inside the truck during this entire process, when he came up to the front to get his wallet and passport he didn't say much. He followed the guard inside where he was another 5 or so minutes. When Ryan returned, he explained they wanted us to pay the tax on the generator we had in the back of the truck ( $2,000.00 pesos $160 CAD). When we crossed back into the USA they would refund this import fee.

Our next step was finding the TIP office. TIP is the Temporary Import Permit that you must do when you cross into Mexico if you are staying over 72 hours. We had done some research prior to leaving (YouTube channels, blogs and government websites), while also speaking with our friends who cross yearly with their own vehicles. Same as the generator we will receive the TIP cost back when we cross back into the USA at the end of our trip.

TIP cost is based on the year, make and model of your vehicle the cost can be anywhere from $600 CAD plus or can be less. We were told we would need the following documentation for the TIP.

Documents :

• Valid Insurance in Mexico (Canadian insurance only covers Canada & USA. Additional insurance from a creditable insurance broker must be valid to cross. We used Lewis & Lewis)

• 2 photo copies of our passports

• 2 photo copies of our driver licences (front and back)

• Photocopy of proof of ownership of the vehicle

• Photocopy of proof of Canadian insurance

• Proof there is no lean on the vehicle (bill of sale)

If you have a trailer or are towing something else behind you, you need all the documentation on that item as well.

Just like trying to cross the border, the signs are small and it is not well marked. The one border guard had shown Ryan roughly on a map where to go, which ended up being down some very sketchy side road to the back of a building. We then drove around the block to the front where we found a security guard and asked some questions. Who basically just said " go down that road" and pointed behind us.

Wonderful, keep driving around. We drove by the hospital and a tiny sign said " Car Permits" and a small arrow. This was an official looking sign so we did follow it and went out and around Neuvo Laredo, until we found a big white government building. We found it after about 15 minutes of driving around.

Do not enter this process in a hurry, the entire import process took us close to an hour. We started at “Step 1” paying our VISA fee ($365 pesos/each), they take your passport, give you paperwork to fill out, then process the payment. They will direct you to “Step 2” which was a cashier photo copying our entry VISA paperwork ($20 pesos) and asking if we had all our other documents photocopied and ready. We got to skip “Step 3” and go straight to “Step 4” importing our vehicle.

When it came to “Step 4” they only allowed one of us in the building, Ryan took all our paperwork and I went to sit in the truck. He only ended up using his passport, VISA, proof of Mexican insurance and ownership of the vehicle. The cost to import our truck was around $650 CAD (you can pay with credit card or in pesos).

We were told that the Columbia, Texas border cross is much easier because the TIP office is right beside it. We had been watching a couple of different Facebook groups (that only talk about being on the road in Mexico or border crossings. They talk about issues that are occurring on the roads, safest routes through Mexico and the wait times at the boards or any other issues.

We have spoken with friends who have had no issues and fly through crossing and the TIP process. While others do not seem to get so lucky. We did not have a bad experience and like any crossing it is only as stressful as you make it or if you have something to hide. We will have to wait and see how our cross back into the USA goes in March.

Cheers!

On the road in Mexico.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

**Please note that all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own, from my own experiences. If you would like to see more pictures follow me on Instagram vikki.gray **