Browsville-Veterans, Brownsville, Texas, USA to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico | Customs and Immigration

This custom are not working! We didn’t find the place to cancel TIP and we had to enter in US and go back to other place.

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***Update on this border crossing*** I kept left until I could turn left and go on the other side of the fence before the booths. Then I turned left after the white building (Banjercito and Immigration), kept left and parked under shelter in front of the entrance to the building. There is no sign outside saying Banjercito, the booth is inside facing Immigration booth. I had the papers that they gave me for the TIP. The men took the papers, went to the vehicule, took photos of the VIN in the dash, the bar code in the door, the vehicule and the plate. He gave me a sheet and a receipt saying refund will be on my credit card within 10 days. Then I went at the Immigration booth to give back my tourist card and get my passport stamped. To get out and go back to the border crossing, you pass the booth when the person say you can go, you go straight (but the road curve to the right). After the curve you make un U-Turn (to the left) and follow the fence which goes back to the booth to cross the bridge. In any case, you can ask the employees, they will help you. At the booth, it will cost you 39 pesos to cross the bridge. Then you’ll be in line for US border.

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Hello hello! we just crossed USA at this border. it was very simple. i will explain step by step.
in matamoros. do not cross the bridge. first go to the little "caseta" to the right. it says banjercito. here you have to give back the import vehicule paper. they will take some pictures of the car. they will ask you to take off the sticker and yhen they give you the paper for the refund. then you start the vehicule and park few meters after. Second step by feet to the building. you cross to the other side, just in front. you go to banjercito, present the cancelation paper and your passeport. they will refund the warranty. 3rd step in the same building you go to imigration present your passeport and the entry card and they will stamp the exit. 4th step you go back to the car, cross the bridge, $50 pesos of fee. that s it.
USA Border. you stay in your car. the agent will ask you few questions as: your passeport, where do you go, what do you have inside your car, if you are the car owner, how long where you in Mexico, what did you do, how much did you spend during you trip, for how long, do you have food to declare, and you open briefly the car. it takes us 10mn. and you are in USA.
we really like this border. easy and reaæly nice people.

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This is a guest post from Sjoerd Bakker for an January 28, 2014 border crossing.

Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico and Brownsville , Texas, USA , east side.
VETERANS MEMORIAL BRIDGE  to MATAMOROS   ( LOS   TOMATES )

This is an easy crossing  of the Rio Grande  on the eastern  side of Brownsville   and Matamoros . It is  straightforward  to locate  and reach  by following the express route of the combined highways US 77 and 83   from the north through Brownsville directly to the bridge.

For most people the only USA exit  formality required is to stop and pay the toll .If you are not a US   citizen you may need to cancel some US paperwork e. g . the I 94  card if that will  expire while you are in Mexico and you plan on returning to the US someday. If you fail to cancel it  they may get  a bit snippy when you show up again  , given the  strict enforcement of  US migratory rules.  Doing any customs  work when leaving  Texas is  a  slight problem at this bridge because you have to go inside the terminal  but  that is dedicated to traffic entering the USA and they have neglected to provide   practical  services or parking spots for folks heading into Mexico.You will just have to wing it; ask one of the security guards at the toll booth where to park  then hoof it over the  traffic barricades,   frequently explaining  your purpose  as scowling border workers  question you.

After  passing through the toll booth   ( $3 )drive south and  across  the Rio Bravo     Bridge and come to the  customs terminal of Mexico .
Keep to the left- most lanes  under the signs  saying VEHICULOS LIGEROS ,   i.e.  Light Vehicles . The other lanes to the  far right are for commercial cargo trucks only.

Then  stay left beneath the sign  for " REVISION de VEHICULOS  LIGEROS
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9lUHfceMYQ2VWtLYjlEYzJQYmdRaGZpb1hFOWphMkxYaUw4/edit?usp=sharing

If you already obtained your FMM   and TVIP  by internet you do not need to go inside and may opt for the  automobile lanes passing  along outside the covered area , follow signs of "Nada que declarar" ( Nothing  to declare ) or whatever lane is open.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9lUHfceMYQ2bi1RNnlSY3RLcEEyZzVWbXAyVTBqaW5aazRN/edit?usp=sharing

You will need to pass the barrier arm  after pressing  a  button . If the light turns
RED you may have  go through a minor secondary inspection . If it turns GREEN you are free to drive away into Matamoros.

FMM AND TVIP
If you still  need to obtain your tourist documents then drive into the covered  LEFT  side lanes and  park the vehicle  in one of the spaces  and lock  up.

Take your  passport  , vehicle documents and photocopies  and go inside the terminal building entry at north end of the covered parking area.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9lUHfceMYQ2UjVkV3gta19vVDNNbHR1cm10UTZLUFMwNHlZ/edit?usp=sharing

Here you will find the wickets for MIGRACION   ( show passport and obtain Tourist Card / FMM ) and ADUANA ( show vehicle ownership, registration  and passport to get the  TVIP  for vehicle) and BANJERCITO  ( pay for the FMM  , the TVIP  and the SECURITY DEPOSIT for that  TVIP by way of a credit card.)

If you have no credit card or  yours gets rejected you may still get all payments done in cash , but the Security Deposit  then must be  paid in actual US dollars cash.For that possibility always carry   at least 600 pesos AND $400 US in CASH  as that is the maximum  the deposit can ever be, it depends on the age of your vehicle . Having cash ready will save you some running around  and the money is always useful .

Carefully store your  printout  FMM  /Tourist Card PAYMENT RECEIPT, you need to show it at end of trip when cancelling the FMM. If you lose it you will need to pay again.
When you have your documentation all  in hand read through and carefully check  the information  ( passport number, name , dob , VIN  etc)  If you spot any errors they might have made   then  have such corrected  right  away.

You will receive a TVIP document with a fancy sticker to place on the inside  upper center of  your car windshield. For a motorcycle you may place  the sticker inside your windshield or  store  the entire document with your passport. Be prepared to take it from storage to show to the Aduana and Migracion checkpoints you will encounter  later on the road south  about 40 km  outside Matamoros  along Mex 101.

Having completed  these tasks you are now almost free to go , but first you must drive south out of the covered parking area and pass the  last inspection consisting of a control arm  across  the exit , same  Red/ Green light process as explained  already .
After that you are completely done and free to  move into city traffic . The exit lanes from the border terminal deliver you onto  Avenida Cinco de Mayo   and large clear direction signs  indicate destinations beyond Matamoros.

You can easily follow  Av  Cinco de Mayo  which then  transitions  into  Av Accion Civica  and  Av Manuel Cavazos Lerma through the city blocks west to   the overpass and the intersection  with Sexta Avenida   where  the  tall  Mc Donald's  restaurant sign  provides an easily recognizable marker to alert you to turn. Get on the    outside  lanes on ground level  to make the turn- off.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9lUHfceMYQ2T2VPNVc2dEw0VjZ2dGNIOEJIMmVNRUIwbHNj/edit?usp=sharing

Sexta Avenida  SOUTH will set you on your way to Mex 101    and Mex 180 south into  all of Mexico , to Cd Victoria , to Tampico .
Turning NORTH  on Sexta Avenida
will take you into the city center and  back to the other border bridge from Brownsville .
Straight through on the overpass will get you to Mex 2 and west to Reynosa.

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This is a guest post from Sjoerd Bakker for an early 2014 border crossing.
LEAVING MEXICO  &   INTO USA

Coming into Matamoros from the south  on Mex 101 you will  need to follow the directional signs for Puente   Internacional Los Tomates east  from Sexta Avenida  at the McDonalds marker  , or whatever route tickles your fancy.

You will want to cancel your Tourist Card , your TVIP and get the TVIP SECURITY DEPOSIT REFUND before crossing the bridge so dig out all you documents and have them ready. (Failure to cancel the TVIP  before expiry date means you  give away the deposit, TVIP CAN NOT  be cancelled online , vehicle must be present for the cancellation.)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9lUHfceMYQ2UXRnU3hGUlhCOW5fbUFyNENfVUozUnpyd2RB/edit?usp=sharing

Stay in the left -most  lanes along the customs  terminal building  and at the north end just before the toll booths  turn left around the circular island and get in line for the small green and white  shack  for BANJERCITO . If you had the TVIP sticker stored with your passport then hold it up so that the RFID  scanner may read its information. OR.... Peel the sticker off your windshield and stick it back onto the document panel from where it originally came .Then hand the entire document to the BANJERCITO  clerk . The clerk will also take a digital photo of the VIN plate on your bike or car  and retreat inside the kiosk for a minute. He/ she will then return  to present you with  a  computer printout page  titled   "Recibo de Depósito de Dinero en Garantía  por la Importación  Temporal  de Vehículos   "  to which is stapled a long  strip of paper titled  "Comprobante de Retorno de Auto Americano." Together these are your proofs that you have  properly cancelled your TVIP  .Both should  state that your deposit money  has been returned to  the same credit card account  from which is was drawn at the beginning.Always save the long printout slip and  bring  it with you on your next  visit to Mexico  as proof of compliance   if they raise questions.

If you used the credit card for  payment of the  Security Deposit you are  finished with BANJERCITO .If you did pay a cash  deposit you will be instructed to go inside  to the BANJERCITO  desk to finalize and collect the money refund .Whichever the case you still need to go inside to finish .

From the kiosk  drive south into the parking spaces ,   lock up the vehicle and   enter  the  north end terminal building. Finish the BANJERCITO  business if  required  , then go to the MIGRACION counter  and say that you wish to cancel the FMM / Tourist Card  and have  a SALIDA  stamp placed in  your passport  next to the ENTRADA  stamp you got at start of your  now-ending  Mexico trip.

After these steps you are officially  out of Mexico  but are  still quite legal to visit downtown Matamoros and the border zone.

If you want to return to the USA now  simply drive out of the parking area and head north through the toll booth and over the bridge. Assume your place in any of the open lanes and wait your turn. The waiting and crawling ahead usually takes much longer than the actual  interaction with the US Customs agent .Show your passport and answer any question and you will be on your way in  less than a minute.... unless they want to do a secondary inspection. Further explanation will be redundant ----  Se habla Inglés  !

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