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 Independencia, Tijuana
- Drive
- 5 minutes
- Border wait
- 110 min
- Total estimate
- 115 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 Independencia Quick Facts
- Drive to San Ysidro 5 minutes
- Major Shopping Panadería La Mejor
- Hospitals IMSS Clinica 19
- Parks & Recreation Parque Independencia
Welcome to Colonia Independencia, Tijuana
- Distance
- 3.4 miles
- Typical drive
- 5 minutes
- Closest crossing
- San Ysidro
San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship gives Colonia Independencia 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 Independencia, Tijuana
Colonia Independencia sits immediately west of Zona Centro, on the grid that climbs away from Avenida Revolución. Eighty-four hectares, tightly built, and unusually full of schools: Colegio Independencia, Colegio Cristóbal Colón, Instituto Manresa, Gabino Barreda and the UNIAT campus all operate within its streets.
Avenida Constitución, Avenida Ignacio Allende and Calle Miguel Hidalgo run through it as secondary routes, and Parque Independencia gives the colonia its open space. The housing is older Tijuana — narrow plots, mixed frontages, corner shops rather than plazas, with Panadería La Mejor and a run of abarrotes serving the blocks directly.
This is a household colonia rather than a commercial one, and the parcel pattern follows: clothing, footwear, school and hobby equipment, phone accessories and the small electronics that carry a heavy mark-up locally when they are stocked at all.
Colonia Independencia covers 84 hectares in the Centro delegación, bordered by Altamira, Azcona, Guerrero and Hidalgo. Avenida Constitución and Avenida Ignacio Allende carry the colonia, and the routed drive to the store is 3.4 miles — about 5 minutes of driving, with the border wait separate and reported live on this site.
- Six school and college campuses inside the colonia
- Parque Independencia
- UNIAT Campus Tijuana
- Walking distance from Zona Centro
- Soriana under a kilometre away
- 3.4 routed miles to the store
Neighbourhood insights
What makes Colonia Independencia, Tijuana distinctive?
Independencia is close enough to the centre to walk into it, and its school density means a large share of households are buying for children as well as themselves.
Why do people here use a U.S. mailbox?
Ordering to a U.S. address gets the U.S. price and the U.S. range, without the international surcharge that appears at checkout when a Mexican address is accepted at all.
Who uses the service most from this area?
Families buying for school-age children, students at UNIAT, and households ordering clothing and small electronics.
Nearby landmarks
Independencia's landmarks are its schools and its park; the commercial anchors are just outside it, in Zona Centro and along Avenida Revolución.
Shopping
-
Panadería La Mejor
Formal retail inside Colonia Independencia, 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
-
Infonavit
Municipal or federal offices serving Colonia Independencia, about 974 m outside the colonia.
Businesses registering here often need a U.S. address for the supplies that follow.
Healthcare
-
IMSS Clinica 19
Health services for the colonia and its neighbours, about 789 m outside the colonia.
Clinical supplies arrive at a U.S. address and are collected in a single consolidated trip.
Education
-
UNIAT - Campus Tijuana
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.
-
Colegio Cristobal Colon Independencia
A campus inside Colonia Independencia, inside the colonia.
Students and staff order laptops, texts and equipment from U.S. sellers that refuse Mexican addresses.
Parks & Recreation
-
Parque Independencia
Recreation ground used by the colonia, inside the colonia.
Kit and equipment for the clubs that use it come from U.S. retailers who will not ship south.
Transportation
-
San Ysidro Port of Entry
The crossing most collections from Colonia Independencia 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 Independencia, Tijuana is San Ysidro. 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 San Ysidro crossing, then a short distance to the store.
- Parking
- Free parking directly outside the store. Independencia is dense and street parking is genuinely scarce on school-run hours.
- Public transport
- Avenida Constitución and Avenida Ignacio Allende connect the colonia to Zona Centro and the crossing; much of the colonia is within walking distance of the centre.
Travel times
- Distance
- about 3.4 miles
- Estimated driving time
- 5 minutes
- Plus border wait
- Varies at San Ysidro, often by hours. Check current wait times before travelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can several members of one family collect?
Yes, once each is named on the mailbox agreement. Households ordering for children usually name both parents.
Do I need a U.S. visa to use a mailbox?
The mailbox itself has no visa requirement. Crossing to collect does — you cross on whatever document you normally use.
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.
Do you accept UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL?
All four, plus most regional carriers.
Why customers from Colonia Independencia, 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.
-
Secure package receiving
Parcels are signed for, logged and held securely until you collect them.
-
Border convenience
Positioned for the San Ysidro crossing, so collecting a parcel is an errand rather than an expedition.
-
Mail forwarding
Have mail and parcels sent onward when collecting in person is not practical.
-
Digital mailbox
See what has arrived without making the trip, and decide what to do with it.
-
Bilingual support
Staff who work in English and Spanish, every day, for customers on both sides of the border.
-
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 Independencia, 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.