Border Intelligence Center
Official CBP Wait Times • Updated Automatically Throughout the Day
- San Ysidro 110 min SENTRI 10 min Heavy delay
- Otay Mesa 170 min SENTRI 25 min Heavy delay
- Tecate 60 min Current wait Heavy delay
- Pedestrian 30 min at San Ysidro Moderate delay
- USD / MXN 17.0260 Exchange rate
- Best crossing Tecate 60 min
- Updated 6:40 pm Official CBP feed
Detailed Border Wait Times (CBP)
| Port of Entry | General | Sentri | Pedestrian |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Ysidro | 110 min | 10 min | 30 min |
| Otay Mesa | 170 min | 25 min | 90 min |
| Tecate | 60 min | — | 5 min |
Estimated Total Travel Time
- From
- Colonia UABC, Tijuana
- Drive
- 11 minutes
- Border wait
- 170 min
- Total estimate
- 181 min
Drive time is an estimate; the border wait is live and changes through the day. Check again before you travel.
Mexico Customs Official government resource
Returning to Mexico with purchases? Check Mexico's current traveller allowance (franquicia), declaration requirements and customs guidance before you cross.
U.S. Border Wait Times Official government resource
Check live northbound passenger vehicle and pedestrian wait times at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa before you leave Tijuana.
Trusted Traveler Programs Official government resource
SENTRI and Global Entry members use dedicated lanes at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. Apply or renew through the official DHS portal.
Electronic I-94 Official government resource
Travellers entering the United States can obtain or review their electronic I-94 arrival record before crossing.
Vehicle Permits Official government resource
Driving beyond the Baja California free zone requires a temporary vehicle import permit, issued by Banjercito.
Medical FastLane Official government resource
Patients attending medical appointments across the border may use the Cruce Agil / Medical FastLane northbound lane.
Find your neighborhood Encuentra tu colonia
Start typing and go straight to your colonia — accents optional.
No page for that neighborhood yet. Todavía no tenemos una página para esa colonia. Ask us about your area
Colonia UABC Quick Facts
- Drive to San Ysidro 11 minutes
- Hospitals Clinica Odontologia, Centro Universitario Médico Asistencial y de Investigación (C.U.M.A.I.)
- Parks & Recreation Vivero
Welcome to Colonia UABC, Tijuana
- Distance
- 5.7 miles
- Typical drive
- 11 minutes
- Closest crossing
- Otay Mesa
San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship gives Colonia UABC a real U.S. street address for the parcels American retailers will not send across the border — with notification on arrival and holding until you collect.
Map
About Colonia UABC, Tijuana
Colonia UABC is the campus colonia: 106 hectares on the Otay mesa given over almost entirely to the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California's Unidad Otay. The faculties of Medicina, Odontología, Derecho, Contaduría y Administración, Ciencias Químicas e Ingeniería, Economía y Relaciones Internacionales, Artes, Idiomas, Turismo and Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales all sit inside its boundary, along with the Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas and the Vicerrectoría.
Circuito Universitario loops the campus; Calzada Universidad and Calzada del Tecnológico carry the traffic in and out. Alongside the teaching buildings are the things a university town needs — the Biblioteca UABC, the Teatro Universitario and Teatro Rubén Vizcaíno, the CUMAI medical and research clinic, dental clinics, sports fields, and two Santander branches for a population that is paid and billed on campus.
Student and faculty ordering is specific and constant: laptops, tablets, lab and dental equipment, art and design materials, and academic texts. A large share of those suppliers ship within the United States only, which is the whole reason a border mailbox exists.
Colonia UABC covers 106 hectares in the Mesa de Otay Centenario delegación, bordered by Aeropuerto Abelardo L. Rodriguez, Altabrisa, Insurgentes and La Pechuga. Calzada Universidad and Calzada del Tecnológico carry the colonia, and the routed drive to the store is 5.7 miles — about 11 minutes of driving, with the border wait separate and reported live on this site.
- Ten UABC faculties inside the colonia
- Biblioteca UABC and Teatro Universitario
- CUMAI medical and research clinic
- Otay Mesa crossing 1.6 miles away
- Distinct from Colonia Otay Universidad
- 5.7 routed miles to the store
Neighbourhood insights
What makes Colonia UABC, Tijuana distinctive?
UABC is the only colonia in Tijuana whose land use is essentially one university campus, and the Otay Mesa crossing is 1.6 miles away — closer than San Ysidro.
Why do people here use a U.S. mailbox?
A U.S. address gets equipment and course materials at U.S. prices, and lets a department consolidate several orders into one collection instead of paying handling on each.
Who uses the service most from this area?
Students and faculty across the ten faculties, research and clinical staff ordering instruments, and campus businesses ordering stock.
Nearby landmarks
Effectively every landmark in the colonia belongs to the university: faculties, library, theatres, clinic and sports grounds, arranged around Circuito Universitario.
Government Services
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Biblioteca UABC
Civic services for Colonia UABC, inside the colonia.
Offices and the businesses around them order supplies from U.S. vendors that ship domestically.
Healthcare
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Clinica Odontologia
Medical provision serving Colonia UABC, inside the colonia.
Practices order instruments and consumables from U.S. distributors who ship domestically only.
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Centro Universitario Médico Asistencial y de Investigación (C.U.M.A.I.)
A clinic used by households across Colonia UABC, inside the colonia.
Medical supply is one of the clearest cases for a border address: the seller will not ship south.
Education
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Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas E Igenieria
One of the colonia's school campuses, inside the colonia.
Course materials and devices are cheapest from U.S. sellers, and those sellers need a U.S. address.
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Facultad de Contaduria Y Administracion
A campus inside Colonia UABC, inside the colonia.
Students and staff order laptops, texts and equipment from U.S. sellers that refuse Mexican addresses.
Parks & Recreation
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Vivero
Green and sporting space for Colonia UABC, inside the colonia.
Equipment for the teams and families who use it arrives at a U.S. address.
Transportation
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Otay Mesa Port of Entry
The crossing most collections from Colonia UABC use; the store is on the San Ysidro side.
Routed drive only — border wait is separate, and the Border Intelligence Center reports it live.
Border crossing
The nearest crossing for Colonia UABC, Tijuana is Otay Mesa. Wait times vary considerably by hour and by day, and both pedestrian and vehicle lanes are worth checking before you travel — the pedestrian lane is often much faster when you are collecting a parcel rather than moving goods by car.
Bring the documents the crossing requires of you. A mailbox adds no further requirement of its own: collecting mail is an ordinary errand on the U.S. side.
Driving directions
Toward the Otay Mesa crossing, then west along the U.S. side to the store.
- Parking
- Free parking directly outside the store. Campus parking inside the colonia is busy in term time and quiet outside it.
- Public transport
- Calzada Universidad and Calzada del Tecnológico connect the campus to Boulevard Lázaro Cárdenas and the Otay corridor.
Travel times
- Distance
- about 5.7 miles
- Estimated driving time
- 11 minutes
- Plus border wait
- Varies at Otay Mesa, often by hours. Check current wait times before travelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as Colonia Otay Universidad?
No. They are two separate colonias in the same delegación, about 550 metres apart. The UABC campus sits inside Colonia UABC; Colonia Otay Universidad is the residential colonia to its west, and has its own page on this site.
Should I cross at Otay or San Ysidro?
Otay Mesa is closer to the colonia, but the store is on the San Ysidro side, so most people here weigh the wait at each. The Border Intelligence Center shows both.
What do I need to open a mailbox?
Identification and a completed mailbox agreement. The store will tell you exactly what to bring.
Do you accept UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL?
All four, plus most regional carriers.
Is this a real street address or a PO box number?
A real street address in San Ysidro, which is what U.S. retailers and carriers require.
Why customers from Colonia UABC, Tijuana choose us
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A real U.S. mailing address
A street address rather than a PO Box number, so retailers and carriers that refuse PO Boxes will still deliver.
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Secure package receiving
Parcels are signed for, logged and held securely until you collect them.
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Border convenience
Positioned for the Otay Mesa crossing, so collecting a parcel is an errand rather than an expedition.
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Mail forwarding
Have mail and parcels sent onward when collecting in person is not practical.
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Digital mailbox
See what has arrived without making the trip, and decide what to do with it.
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Bilingual support
Staff who work in English and Spanish, every day, for customers on both sides of the border.
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Business services
Notary, printing and a registered address businesses can use for supplier deliveries.
Why customers trust us
- Secure & Reliable Locked mailboxes and monitored premises
- Bilingual Team English and Spanish, every day
- Every Major Carrier UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL accepted
We Also Serve
Other places we serve in Baja California
Get a U.S. address for Colonia UABC, Tijuana
San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship gives you a real street address minutes from the border, with package receiving from every major carrier and bilingual support.