Border Intelligence Center
Official CBP Wait Times • Updated Automatically Throughout the Day
- San Ysidro 110 min SENTRI 15 min Heavy delay
- Otay Mesa 140 min SENTRI 20 min Heavy delay
- Tecate 90 min Current wait Heavy delay
- Pedestrian 30 min at San Ysidro Moderate delay
- USD / MXN 17.0260 Exchange rate
- Best crossing Tecate 90 min
- Updated 12:30 am Official CBP feed
Detailed Border Wait Times (CBP)
| Port of Entry | General | Sentri | Pedestrian |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Ysidro | 110 min | 15 min | 30 min |
| Otay Mesa | 140 min | 20 min | 40 min |
| Tecate | 90 min | — | 5 min |
Estimated Total Travel Time
- From
- Colonia El Refugio, Tijuana
- Drive
- 26 minutes
- Border wait
- 140 min
- Total estimate
- 166 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.
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Colonia El Refugio Quick Facts
- Drive to San Ysidro 26 minutes
- Major Shopping Bodega Aurrera
- Parks & Recreation Parque de los Laureles
Welcome to Colonia El Refugio, Tijuana
- Distance
- 16.5 miles
- Typical drive
- 26 minutes
- Closest crossing
- Otay Mesa
San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship gives Colonia El Refugio 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 El Refugio, Tijuana
El Refugio carries services the rest of the eastern edge has to travel for. The Universidad Tecnológica de Tijuana is inside the colonia, and so are a fire station and the Delegación Presa Rural office — the municipal outpost for the surrounding rural-edge settlements.
Eighty-nine hectares laid out on Boulevard de los Laureles and Avenida Paseo de los Álamos, with Avenida de las Limas and Avenida de las Caobas behind. A Bodega Aurrerá covers formal shopping, the Colegio Ángeles, Jaime Sabines, Plan de Ayala and Plan de San Luis schools cover education, and the Carretera Mexicali–Tijuana and Corredor 2000 run close by.
A university and a growing residential front produce two ordering patterns at once: students buying laptops, tools and course equipment, and new households furnishing homes from scratch. Both run into the same wall — U.S. sellers who ship domestically only.
Colonia El Refugio covers 89 hectares in the La Presa Este delegación, bordered by Fideicomiso El Florido, Lomas del Refugio and Vista de Palmillas. Avenida Paseo de los Álamos and Calle Paseo de las Magnolias carry the colonia, and the routed drive to the store is 16.5 miles — about 26 minutes of driving, with the border wait separate and reported live on this site.
- Universidad Tecnológica de Tijuana
- Delegación Presa Rural office
- Fire station inside the colonia
- Bodega Aurrerá
- Near the Carretera Mexicali–Tijuana
- Sixteen routed miles to the store
Neighbourhood insights
What makes Colonia El Refugio, Tijuana distinctive?
El Refugio is the service centre for Tijuana's eastern edge, with a university, a fire station and a delegación office inside a single residential colonia.
Why do people here use a U.S. mailbox?
At sixteen routed miles this is a planned trip, so the box works best as a collection point: order over weeks, collect in one journey, pay no international surcharge on any of it.
Who uses the service most from this area?
UTT students and staff, households furnishing new homes, and businesses on the eastern corridor.
Nearby landmarks
The colonia's landmarks are institutional: a technological university, the delegación office, a fire station and the Bodega Aurrerá that serves the whole eastern edge.
Shopping
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Bodega Aurrera
Formal retail inside Colonia El Refugio, inside the colonia.
What it does not stock is what crosses the border — a U.S. address makes those orders possible at all.
Government Services
-
Estacion de Bomberos
Municipal or federal offices serving Colonia El Refugio, inside the colonia.
Businesses registering here often need a U.S. address for the supplies that follow.
-
Delegacion Presa Rural
Public administration for the surrounding colonias, inside the colonia.
Administrative errands and a border collection are commonly combined into one trip.
Education
-
Universidad Tecnologica de Tijuana
A campus inside Colonia El Refugio, inside the colonia.
Students and staff order laptops, texts and equipment from U.S. sellers that refuse Mexican addresses.
-
Plan de San Luis
Teaching provision for the colonia, about 458 m outside the colonia.
School and course equipment is ordered to a U.S. address and collected at the border.
Parks & Recreation
-
Parque de los Laureles
Green and sporting space for Colonia El Refugio, about 1.0 km outside the colonia.
Equipment for the teams and families who use it arrives at a U.S. address.
Transportation
-
Otay Mesa Port of Entry
The crossing most collections from Colonia El Refugio 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 El Refugio, 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. El Refugio is newly built and street parking is generally available.
- Public transport
- Boulevard de los Laureles carries the colonia out to the Carretera Mexicali–Tijuana and the Corredor 2000.
Travel times
- Distance
- about 16.5 miles
- Estimated driving time
- 26 minutes
- Plus border wait
- Varies at Otay Mesa, often by hours. Check current wait times before travelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sixteen miles each way — how do people make that work?
By not making the trip for one parcel. Orders accumulate in the box and are collected together, usually alongside another reason to be at the border.
Are there other colonias called El Refugio?
Lomas del Refugio and Quintas Campestres El Refugio are separate colonias nearby. This page covers Colonia El Refugio itself, in La Presa Este.
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.
What do I need to open a mailbox?
Identification and a completed mailbox agreement. The store will tell you exactly what to bring.
Why customers from Colonia El Refugio, Tijuana choose us
-
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 El Refugio, 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.