Tijuana Neighbourhood Guide

Colonia Obrera

Tijuana, Baja California

One of the Oldest Working Colonias in the City

Colonia Obrera sits in the San Antonio de los Buenos delegación, 6.2 routed miles from the store. Residents here use a San Ysidro address for the U.S. orders that will not ship to a Mexican one, and collect several at a time.

  • Historic Working Colonia
  • Telegraph Office
  • Periférico Corridor
  • School Belt

Border Intelligence Center

Official CBP Wait Times • Updated Automatically Throughout the Day

  • San Ysidro 70 min SENTRI 5 min Heavy delay
  • Otay Mesa 70 min Current wait Heavy delay
  • Tecate Unavailable Current wait Not reported
  • Pedestrian 10 min at San Ysidro Moving well
  • USD / MXN 17.0260 +0.04%
  • Best crossing Otay Mesa 70 min
  • Updated 11:40 am Official CBP feed

Detailed Border Wait Times (CBP)

Port of Entry General Sentri Pedestrian
San Ysidro 70 min 5 min 10 min
Otay Mesa 70 min No delay
Tecate

Estimated Total Travel Time

From
Colonia Obrera, Tijuana
Drive
11 minutes
Border wait
70 min
Total estimate
81 min

Drive time is an estimate; the border wait is live and changes through the day. Check again before you travel.

Plan Your Trip (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

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.

Check Mexico Personal Allowance (Franquicia) — opens official Mexican customs traveller allowance (franquicia) information on the ANAM government website in a new tab

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.

Official CBP Wait Times — opens official U.S. Customs and Border Protection border wait times in a new tab

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.

SENTRI / Trusted Traveler — opens the official U.S. Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler Programs site in a new tab

Electronic I-94 Official government resource

Travellers entering the United States can obtain or review their electronic I-94 arrival record before crossing.

Electronic I-94 (U.S. Arrivals) — opens the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection I-94 service in a new tab

Vehicle Permits Official government resource

Driving beyond the Baja California free zone requires a temporary vehicle import permit, issued by Banjercito.

Banjercito Vehicle Permits — opens the official Banjercito temporary vehicle import permit site in a new tab

Medical FastLane Official government resource

Patients attending medical appointments across the border may use the Cruce Agil / Medical FastLane northbound lane.

Tijuana Medical FastLane / Cruce Agil — opens the official Tijuana SEDETI Medical FastLane information page in a new tab

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Start typing and go straight to your colonia — accents optional.

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Colonia Obrera Quick Facts

  • Drive to San Ysidro 11 minutes
  • Major Shopping El Florido-Sucursal Fundadores, Soriana
  • Parks & Recreation Parque Cañon-Obrera

Welcome to Colonia Obrera, Tijuana

San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship
380 E. San Ysidro Blvd., Ste. B, San Ysidro, CA 92173
Open today 9:00 am – 7:00 pm +1-619-213-6259
Distance
6.2 miles
Typical drive
11 minutes
Closest crossing
San Ysidro

San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship gives Colonia Obrera 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 Obrera, Tijuana

Colonia Obrera is one of Tijuana's older working-class colonias, and its name is literal — it was laid out for workers, and its streets still carry the names of that politics: Avenida Mártires de Chicago, Avenida Lucrecia Toriz, Avenida Centenario. A telegraph office still operates inside it.

A hundred and sixty-four hectares along Calle Periférico, with Avenida Álvaro Obregón running through the middle. Schooling is public and long-established: the Doctor Salvador Allende, José Vasconcelos, Ing. José G. Valenzuela and Ford 101 primaries, the Instituto San Ángel, and five preschools. An El Florido Sucursal Fundadores and a Rendichicas cover daily needs.

Households here are practical buyers: tools, work clothing, vehicle parts, appliances, and the components to repair rather than replace. That is precisely the category where U.S. sellers are cheapest and least willing to ship south.

Colonia Obrera covers 164 hectares in the San Antonio de los Buenos delegación, bordered by Cañón de San Antonio, Chihuahua, El Rubi and Loma Bonita Norte. Calle Periférico and Boulevard Flores Magón carry the colonia, and the routed drive to the store is 6.2 miles — about 11 minutes of driving, with the border wait separate and reported live on this site.

  • One of the city's oldest working colonias
  • Telegraph office still operating
  • Calle Periférico frontage
  • El Florido Sucursal Fundadores
  • Nine school and preschool campuses
  • Six routed miles to the store

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Neighbourhood insights

What makes Colonia Obrera, Tijuana distinctive?

Obrera is one of the oldest working colonias in Tijuana, and its ordering reflects that — repair and equipment rather than fashion and novelty.

Why do people here use a U.S. mailbox?

A San Ysidro address gets parts and tools at U.S. prices, and the store holds them so one collection covers several orders.

Who uses the service most from this area?

Workshops and trades ordering tools and parts, and households ordering appliances and work clothing.

Nearby landmarks

Obrera's landmarks are civic and educational rather than commercial — a telegraph office, four public primaries and the Periférico frontage.

Shopping

  • El Florido-Sucursal Fundadores

    The colonia's own supermarket trade, inside the colonia.

    Residents compare its shelves against U.S. sellers and order the difference to a border address.

    Approximately 2 minutes by car

  • Soriana

    Formal retail inside Colonia Obrera, about 1.3 km outside the colonia.

    What it does not stock is what crosses the border — a U.S. address makes those orders possible at all.

    Approximately 3 minutes by car

Government Services

  • Telegrafos

    Public administration for the surrounding colonias, inside the colonia.

    Administrative errands and a border collection are commonly combined into one trip.

    Approximately 1 minute by car

Education

  • Doctor Salvador Allende

    A campus inside Colonia Obrera, inside the colonia.

    Students and staff order laptops, texts and equipment from U.S. sellers that refuse Mexican addresses.

    Approximately 1 minute by car

  • San Angel

    Teaching provision for the colonia, inside the colonia.

    School and course equipment is ordered to a U.S. address and collected at the border.

    Approximately 2 minutes by car

Parks & Recreation

  • Parque Cañon-Obrera

    Green and sporting space for Colonia Obrera, about 1.3 km outside the colonia.

    Equipment for the teams and families who use it arrives at a U.S. address.

    Approximately 3 minutes by car

Transportation

  • San Ysidro Port of Entry

    The crossing most collections from Colonia Obrera use; the store is on the San Ysidro side.

    Routed drive only — border wait is separate, and the Border Intelligence Center reports it live.

    Approximately 9 minutes by car

Border crossing

The nearest crossing for Colonia Obrera, 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. Obrera is dense and street parking is tight on the older blocks.
Public transport
Calle Periférico runs along the colonia and connects it north toward Fundadores and the crossing.

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Travel times

Distance
about 6.2 miles
Estimated driving time
11 minutes
Plus border wait
Varies at San Ysidro, often by hours. Check current wait times before travelling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this Obrera 1a Sección?

No — that is a separate adjoining colonia. This page covers Colonia Obrera itself.

Can I order car parts to the box?

Yes. Ordinary parts are received normally; call the store first about anything oversized, and note that fluids and batteries have shipping restrictions of their own.

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 Obrera, 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

4.8 from 110 Google reviews

We Also Serve

Get a U.S. address for Colonia Obrera, 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.

Questions? Contact the store