Baja, Mexico

Yes, you can pay a little extra and get you tourist card from Vagabundos, but you will still have to stop at the border to pay and get a stamp, so I don't think this makes a difference.

Yes, you can get your card in Ensenada, and they may or may not fine you, depending on their mood, number of gringos that they had to process on that day, and whether they had their lunch already. I did this in 24/7 customs office in Ensenada on holiday Sunday after crossing the border 2 days before. There was no fine and the guy gave me max 6 month without me asking. It was not a regular Migra office - that one was closed of course, but it was another door next to that one. The guy was smoking outside, no clients, a little polite chit-chat in my un poco Espanol, and off I went with my card.

But I agree that you should better get it at the border. That guy told me, quite friendly, that it is not allowed going further than Rosarito without a tourist card.

Don't wait til Ensenada to get your tourist card, the official there will slap you with a fine for not getting it at the border. There have been a lot of complaints about this guy but it appears that what he's doing is completely legal.

You can get your tourist card from almost any of the Mexico travel clubs, such as Baja Nomads and Vagabundos del Mar. They will have you fill out an on-line form and then mail the FMM to you; or you can stop by their offices and pick it up.

Sadly Playa Los Cerritos is no more! We spent several Winters there in the early years of this Century! Lots of Happy memories of Evenings around the Campfire.

I understand that Tecalote isn't as friendly as it used to be either, but the beaches south of Mulege have not changed much. Some of those semi permanent Structures have been removed according to My sources.

The Documentation is still the same. Get Your Tourist Card at the First Immigration Office, there is still one in Ensenada.

Vehicle permits are not required on Baja, unless You decide to take the Ferry to the Mainland. Then You can get the TIP at the Office near the Ferry Terminal.

Apparently the Road has had many improvements especially between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas!

Gadget Guy wrote:
We have not been to the Baja since 05, so I am sure many things have changed. Do we still only need the "Tourist Card" or do we need any vehicle permits?

The only thing that has changed is - more development, fewer camps and higher prices, though many places have hardly changed. Yes, Tourist Card if you go further than Rosarito and for longer than 3 days. No vehicle TIPs in Baja yet, thanks God.

Oh yeah, forgot about major change - new El Chaparal crossing at San Ysidro. Much faster now, a lot of customs agents.

Any restrictions on the number of licensed vehicles?

No.

Are some of the places that we boondocked on our previous trips still open? At that time the cost was normally US $5.00 per night. I am sure the prices have gone up which is to be expected. Here are some of the places:

Rancho Sorde Mudo RV, El Saugal Escondida(The blind School) South of Tecate
El Pedregosco RV Park close to San Quintin
El Pabellon RV, close to San Quintin
37 KM mark south of El Guerrero Negro
Playa Los Cocos south of Mulege
El Coyote, Mulege
Rancho Lugui, south of Loretto
Puerto Escondido, south of Loretto
Playa Tecolote, 15 KM from La Paz
Los Cerritos, near Todas Santos
Rancho Miramar, close to La Ribera

What is the border crossing like at Tecate????

In the past, If a bank still owns the RV rig i.e. the pink slip, you had to get a notarized note from that specific bank or lender giving you permission to take your rig into mexico.

Only FMM tourist cards are needed nothing else. You MUST get them right exactly at the border or face lots of hassles and fines further down. You may or may not be checked for tourist cards at the 28th parallel monument near Guerrero Negro.

We means multiple folks and if all your motor vehicles have license plates you should not have an issue. There is a completely new crossing at the border so slow down and pull over for your immigration documents. A "S" curve is involved.

Many new stores south of Ensenada. Vizcaino has grown into a small town with paralellos (frontage streets) stop lights the whole she-bang. Many many highway improvements the biggest one south of Ensenada just before Sto Tomas. They did a bang up job leveling the grade and straightening the curves. Many vados between Vizcaino and Sta Rosalia have been "wide bridged" you'll smile. Same between Sta Rosalia and Mulege. Remember the "serpentine" stretch 75 miles north of Guerrero Negro with winding road, guardrails at the edge of the pavement and a nagging fear of meeting an oncoming 53' big rig? Well, it's gone. More smiles. The new El Boleo mine and refinery and huge pier just north of Sta Rosalia comes as something of a shock. As is the jammed downtown area. Mulege remains sad after too many floods. Loreto just got hammered bu a tropical storm. We also got 7" of rain way out here in the bone dry Vizcaino peninsula.

San Lucas is no longer a town. it is a city. A big one. Well at least as far as the peninsula is concerned.

You'll love it...

To Windsor-Monaco, We are Canadian citizens so the link you provided is not much help. I have travelled in the main land of Mexico enough that I am all familiar with Vehicle insurance and what we need for health insurance. We always carry travel medical insurance regardless of where we travel. My question was specific to the Baja and whether they had changed the vehicle permit requirements. When we travelled in 01, 03, and 05, vehicle permits where NOT required but things may have changed and that is why I was asking.

no permit needed, you do need a tourist card.

I would check the schedules of the Baja caravans and avoid them or you may find a spot hard to get.

A good place to start would be phoning your RV insurance company to ensure you have the required insurance such as Mexico liability. Your insurance company should be able to provide you with that.

Secondly, you may want to to check your medical insurance and find out how you policy and how the clinics and hospitals works inside Mexico.

The answers to your remaining question(s) can be found on the usa.gov website under the link ---> Entry/Exit Requirements for U.S. Citizens

It talks about tourist cards, passports and vehicle requirements etc...

Happy Trails enjoy your stay!