Border Crossing Basics - OTAYMESAOTAYMESA

1) Options available to set up operations in Mexico.

The border crossing between California and Mexico at San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Calexico are the busiest land ports of entry in the Western Hemisphere.

28 million vehicles cross this border each year
92 million people cross this border each year

The amount of goods that cross this border on a regular basis rivals any other commercial goods transports anywhere in the world.

$243 Billion worth of goods/year are exported from the US to Mexico
$293 Billion worth of goods/year are exported back from Mexico to the US

For more detailed information regarding the border crossing statistics you can click on this link.

2) Local Transportation to Mexico & Business Visas.

Mexico requires that any non-Mexicans that are traveling in country to conduct business must have a business visa called an FMM (Forma Migratoria Multiple).

If you are walking across the border, you can get an FMM at the INAMI (Instituto Nacional de Migracion) office that is located right after you cross the border. It only takes a couple of minutes to get an FMM card and if you get one that is good for 7 days it is free.
You also have an option of getting a FMM online at FMM Online Access which will be good for 180 days and cost you $22.00.
Regardless of which FMM card you get, it will allow you to use it for multiple border crossings for the period that it is still valid.
If you don’t have a FMM when you go to visit your customer or supplier, they will not let you in the facility because they can be fined by the government if an audit were to take place while you were in their facility and you didn’t have this documentation.

Driving in Mexico can be challenging, but if you do decide to do it, don’t forget to get Mexican insurance on your car as your US policy won’t provide any coverage once you take your car across the border. The OMCC has members that can help you get the insurance that you need OMCC - Insurance Services.

If you decide to leave your car in the US, there are many safe alternatives that you can use to get to your supplier or customer in Mexico.

If you use the OMCC Matchmaking Services, they will drive you to visit your clients as part of their standard package.
It is not uncommon to ask your supplier, or even your customer, if they have transportation that crosses from the US for their employees that you can use or if they can come to pick you up.
There is now a cross border Uber service that can pick you up in the San Diego area and take you across the border to your destination in Tijuana.
The various taxi companies in Tijuana are easy to spot and would be a safe way for you to travel in Mexico. Its best to negotiate the price of your fare before you get in the cab and for a nominal fee most cab drivers will wait for you at your destination until your meeting is over to give you a ride back to the border OMCC -- Ground Transportation.