Tijuana Visa Process

THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT DATE

1. Complete & Print DS-160 Confirmation here
2. Take Visa Appointment online here (Costs $8)
3. PIMS Process (VERY IMPORTANT!!, See "What Is PIMS?")
4. Book a nearby hotel for staying the day of appointment. Passports are given out following day at 3pm after your visa appointment. Check nearby Hotel options below in "Hotels Nearby".
5. Get a Mexican Visa if your current US visa has expired (Costs ~$36)

MANDATORY DOCS TO BRING TO THE CONSULATE

1. DS-160 Confirmation Printout (Its a good idea to have the website email the confirmation to your email a/c)
2. Visa Appointment Confirmation Letter 
3. Passport with at least 6 months validity past the intended stay in the US. Be sure to take you old passports too.
4. Employment Verification Letter from the employer
5. I-797 approval packet which includes the I-129
6. Original Degree Certificate(s) and transcript (if applicable)
7. Cash for Visa application fee (to be paid at banamex bank on the morning of the appointment. Credit Cards not accepted!!).
8. W-2 & Tax Returns for last 2-3 years

SUPPORTING DOCS TO BRING TO THE CONSULATE

1. 2-3 recent Bank Statements
2. 2-3 recent Pay Stubs
3. Updated Resume
4. Your Employers Latest Annual Report
5. Copy of your Passport (front, back and visa pages)
6. Copy of your I797
7. Passport Size Photos (They are not required but good to carry them)

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS ON THE DAY OF APPOINTMENT

1. Park your car in one of the parking lots around Jack in the Box (721 E San Ysidro Boulevard, San Diego, CA)
2. Get on the other side of the street and walk into Mexico. Anyone hardly checks anything :-)
3. Keep following people until you see Taxi Drivers in Yellow Clothes. They are waiting to give you a ride.
4. Ask a taxi driver to drop you at Banamex bank near Abraham Lincoln Statue for $5-$6.
5. Banamex bank opens at 9am so it might be helpful to be there 10 mins before.
6. Pay the visa application fee and DO NOT FORGET to keep your Banamex Receipt properly. You need it in order to enter the consulate. If you reach early, plan on dropping your luggage at the hotel lobby. Luggage and stuff is not allowed inside the consulate.
7. Walk over to the consulate around the time of your appointment.Tell the guard that you have a appointment and he'll tell you when to go to the Window Outside The Consulate.
8. Show your DS-160 Confirmation Page, Banamex Receipt and Original I797 (3 things in total) to the person at the counter.
9. Once she verifies the documents, she'll ask you to leave all your Electronics like cell phones etc., food items in a home office kind of structure next to the consulate. This structure has a RED board board that says "Visas" and something else
10. Check your stuff in and collect a Token for it
11. Go back to the Consulate and follow the instructions
12. You're normally given a number. Once your number comes up on the displays, go to the window number shown against your Number for Finger Prints.
13. You'll be asked to take a sit following this
14. Go to the window when the officer calls your name.
15. If things go well, he'll ask you to collect your passport the following business day at 3pm.
16. Come out, collect your belongings. YOU'RE DONE.

VISA FEES:
The visa fees for H type visa is $2025 MXP but depending on the exchange rate on the day of your appointment, you might have to pay a different amount is USD. Normally, its around $170 USD.