General Reports

Let me make clear about the free white paper they give you when you enter.

It is NOT good for multiple re-entries. Even if you told them you will be staying for the full 7 days limit, you will have to get a NEW one every time you leave and come back.

The passports ARE being stamped every time. What this means is (besides your wife or girlfriend seeing the stamp!), if you go to Tijuana frequently, your passport will soon be FULL with mexican stamps. Would you then have to buy a new passport? I don't know.

Permanent stamps on the passport are the traditional way to document entries into countries. Now your soon-to-be ex wife can just count the Tijuana stamps in your passport and tell the judge how many times you were sneaking into Tijuana behind her back screwing the sweet chicas in Tijuana. Hehe. Life is tough on mongers.

The free white paper must be the single-entry visa. Over the decades I have never seen Mexican Immigration at Tijuana, or any ports of entry, have or use any data online to do any serious checking of IDs or backgrounds of people crossing their border at all. At the San Ysidro entry, there were no immigration officials checking, only a few Customs people randomly searching bags, and a few Marinas guarding. Why would they make people fill out the temp visa forms unless they will enter the data into their data base somewhere and start using them?

Of course we would like to see Mexico catch some of those fugitives and drug-smuggling cartels guys. Perhaps they should buy the device that can scan and read passports data and start building up their data bases. The US can send them update data on fugitives on the loose so they can catch them at the border.

Business in Tijuana dropped sharply after the passport requirement in 2008. Now with this visa impeding visitors, there will be another decline.

[QUOTE=Conejito;1773593]Let me make clear about the free white paper they give you when you enter.

It is NOT good for multiple re-entries. Even if you told them you will be staying for 7 days, you will have to get a NEW one every time you leave and come back.

The passports ARE being stamped every time. What this means is (besides your wife or girlfriend seeing the stamp!), if you go to Tijuana frequently, your passport will soon be FULL with mexican stamps. Would you then have to buy a new passport? I don't know.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Conejito;1773593]Let me make clear about the free white paper they give you when you enter.

It is NOT good for multiple re-entries. Even if you told them you will be staying for the full 7 days limit, you will have to get a NEW one every time you leave and come back.

The passports ARE being stamped every time. What this means is (besides your wife or girlfriend seeing the stamp!), if you go to Tijuana frequently, your passport will soon be FULL with mexican stamps. Would you then have to buy a new passport? I don't know.[/QUOTE]The 7 day visa is good for 7 days, multiple re-entries during those 7 days in not an issue.

As far as stamping the passports; it is only a question that the father of jesus can answer!

Some are reporting that they are stamping the passport, while others are posting they ARE NOT stamping the passport. Thus, no clear answer to that question.

[QUOTE=Tomjackin;1773654]The 7 day visa is good for 7 days, multiple re-entries during those 7 days in not an issue.

As far as stamping the passports; it is only a question that the father of jesus can answer!

Some are reporting that they are stamping the passport, while others are posting they ARE NOT stamping the passport. Thus, no clear answer to that question.[/QUOTE]Or get a passport card. I will be applying for one very soon.

[QUOTE=HornyTraveler;1772886]So the stamp is good for 7 days and its free. After 7 days If I want to cross again it is another stamp on the passport for another 7 days correct?

I rather pay the $20 in advance for the 6 months pass with only a single stamp if I'm not mistaking here. Thank you I appreciate it.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=HornyTraveler;1773282]Sure I'll pay $20 for 180 days best deal Thanks![/QUOTE]Jeez, Louise! A passport card costs a whopping $30 and is good for, what, 10 years? You can do it all online and by mail. It can't get much easier. Then there is no worry about stamps or any other nonsense.

[QUOTE=CaptainSolo;1773411]Thanks for the heads up. Sorry to hear you got robbed!

Tijuana Policia profiles their targets based on some criteria that I wish I know. I do know if you look at the cops, glance at them, say Hi, or change direction ect. You would raise their suspicion. I was in La Zona Friday night. A policia pick up truck carried 10 to 12 guys, all looked like tough guys wearing normal street clothes. Meanwhile hundreds other people were milling around unmolested.

Can you describe what you looked like, the clothes you were wearing and how you were walking?

Perhaps if the bros would trim their long hair, keep their beards neat, wearing clean, upscale clothes, walk with relaxed posture ect. They may be able to fly under the policia radar?[/QUOTE]I get the point you are trying to make. Sure your appearance may lead to a greater chance the police will mess with you. However in this particular case this is a Tijuana vet who has spent a lot of time in the Zona and like he stated he has never experienced this situation with the police before. So it pretty much boils down to timing. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[QUOTE=Tomjackin;1773654]The 7 day visa is good for 7 days, multiple re-entries during those 7 days in not an issue.[/QUOTE]With all due respect, I am sure you are mistaken. When you try to re-enter, your old white paper will be taken away and you will be sent to a desk to get a new one. Source: me, x3. Thank you.

[QUOTE=Conejito;1773680]With all due respect, I am sure you are mistaken. When you try to re-enter, your old white paper will be taken away and you will be sent to a desk to get a new one. Source: me, x3. Thank you.[/QUOTE]I have heard many conflicting reports on this subject. Some agents will tell you that you can reenter within the 7 days and some will tell you you can't. I had the opportunity to try to figure it out yesterday. I had a 7 day paper that was still within the 7 days. With the paper in my pocket I headed into the Mexican only line and walked right in and nobody asked to see anything. And I certainly don't profile as being of Mexican descent.

So I never did get the answer I was looking for. But I did see things are kind of lax as far as screening goes.

[QUOTE=Conejito;1773680]With all due respect, I am sure you are mistaken. When you try to re-enter, your old white paper will be taken away and you will be sent to a desk to get a new one. Source: me, x3. Thank you.[/QUOTE]Just telling you from my personal experience. I got the 7 day visa on a Monday and I used again on a Friday.

Obviously you seem to know the answer to your own question, why why waste others times asking.

There is no rhyme or reason with the new entry.

The 1st time, they stamped my book. The 7 days pass runs the next day, so my Friday pass was good for the following Friday which in other parts of the world meant 8 days.

The 2nd time on the following Friday, they stamped by book and honored the card.

The 3rd time on a Saturday, they stamped by book and gave me a new card.

The 4th time on the following Friday, they stamped my book and required a new card even though it was only the 6th day on their card.

The 5th time I got fed up and got an 180 days pass but their officer didn't know what to do with the $20 since there is no cash register nor cash drawer.

The 6th time, I flashed by new and dandy 180 days pass and they barely even look at it.

They're sort of working out the mechanics of what the rules are. The only consistent thing they're doing is stamping the shit out of the passports.

So for those that do not know me, I am a fat 39 white looking guy, short hair and jeans and Polo shirt guy. Saturday night going back to Leyva around midnight had a totally different run in with the Polica, the normal encounters I have had over the years, check ID, tell you to hold your money, look at your ID, asks a few questions, and let you go. Yes Scattman 500 p is nothing at all. Cops will do what they want to when other cops are not around. Everyone will have this happen in 20 years of mongering.

[QUOTE=Exoticspirit;1773255]2016 Tijuana Visit.
...
So I hope that my report will be helpful to some of you here. Again, thanks for the advice I got. I'll hang out here for about another week to answer any questions but after that, I won't be on this Tijuana thread anymore since I don't plan on another trip. I'll probably start hanging out at threads I'm targeting for future trips like Medellin, Rio and Curacao.

Keep well everyone![/QUOTE]Excellent trip report! Thanks.

I've spent very little time in Mexico in 2015, so I appreciate the price quotes. For years many people have suggested converting to pesos, but I typically just brought dollars for simplicity. A sexy HK girl that demands 1000 pesos is now tolerable to me, I just think of it as $60 US. A year ago many girls were demanding $80, which corresponded to 1050 pesos at that time. Most would reluctantly accept $60 to $70.

With the new exchange rates, we pay slightly less dollars and they get slightly more pesos. That works for me. I'll definately be bringing pesos when I visit next week.

El Grito tonight. Should be a pretty crazy night in Tijuana.

Sorry that this is off topic. Long ago someone sent me a PM that recommended a leather shop, I didn't need anything at the time and can't find that PM. I now need some stuff and would appreciate hearing the recommendation again.

[QUOTE=HorseTrader;1774500]Sorry that this is off topic. Long ago someone sent me a PM that recommended a leather shop, I didn't need anything at the time and can't find that PM. I now need some stuff and would appreciate hearing the recommendation again.[/QUOTE]PM Artisttyp I believe he has the info you are looking for.