23 replies to this topic

[Sandra]

Last Sunday I moved the bulk of the big items across the border from San Diego - the entire process was much smoother than I had anticipated. Hopefully, some of the following information will be of use to others.

Can you move your things across the border legally? yes - there are numerous ways of doing it, but if you are chosing not to make your move under an FM3 duty-free move, you will need to declare at customs and pay a small tax.

How much tax did I pay? 40.00 USD for a 10 foot moving truck - completely loaded.

How does the process work? If you are traveling across in anything larger than a passenger van, you need to go through Otay Mesa. Pull into the declare lane and you will be guided around back. Someone will come out to look at your items - this process took all of about 2 minutes. I came prepared with a list in Spanish (this is not required, but I felt it might avoid the agent digging through the entire truck). They used my list to make their reciept (though I was not required to turn it in - unlike a FM3 move). I took the reciept inside - paid the cashier - and exited back out into Mexico. Total time spent - less than 15 minutes. I have attached my list so you can see how much I brought in as compared to the amount of tax I paid. Even if you don't know a lot of Spanish - Buenas Tardes, grácias... go a long way.

1 televisor - marca Sony - año 1998
1 microondas - marca LG - año 2004
1 refrigerador - marca GE - año 1999
1 cama matrimonial y armadura
1 mesita de noche
1 burro con espejo
1 estante chico
2 sofas
1 mesa de comedor
4 sillas
1 caja - vasos, platos y cubiertos
1 cesta - cosas de la cocina/baño
1 bolsa con almohadas
1 recipiente con sabanas y toallas
2 sillas de playa
4 cajas de ropa

Small appliances, electronics and the rest of my personal stuff was brought down in my Jeep in small bunches.

Can you bring a rental truck over the border? YES!! After much research, Rent 4 Less in San Diego will allow any of their vehicles to go over the border if you purchase their extra insurance. For the moving truck it was 25.00 - worth the piece of mind. They also rent vans...if you don't need something so large. A word of advice if you rent a moving truck from them as they can't be kept at the San Diego location - they must be brought down from Vista or El Cajon. Definitely give a call an hour before your pick-up time and ask for it to be ready. They can be booked at 619-233-6577. The cost is 19.99 plus .79/mile for the 10 foot moving truck.

The only hassle was the 2 hour wait to cross back and return the truck.

[richsinc]

Sandra;

Glad to hear your move went so well and great advice to share. Are you going to post your "Spanish for Renters" or should I? I'll give you full credit; it helped me out a lot.

1 burro con espejo

???

Didn't know you were into livestock; a donkey with what?

[Sandra]

Richard - I am sure Tijuana would not appreciate me bringing in yet another donkey (though some tourists sure seem to like them)

Yes, the word "burro" can be quite confusing if you don't know the idiomatic use. I had always referred to a dresser as el tocador (which also has other translations, but I believe it is the word you would find if you looked it up in the dictionary)

You tend to pick up the usage that you hear in your home - some of the Spanish I learned in the classroom years ago, I have tossed out the window. Not that it was a waste, but having the wonderful opportunity to live in the midst of another language, you can truly appreciate (and sometimes be totally frustated by :wink: ) the nuances you won't find in a book or dictionary. When I was in Oaxaca, my teacher told me toss the dictionary - stop translating and just live it. If anything, it has made me a better listener and more aware of my own word choices not only in Spanish, but in English too.

[richsinc]

Very insightful Sandra;

I was shipped to Germany not knowing a word of German but caught on pretty quick out of necessity just by listening but then German is very similar to English in sentence structure and some words. Not quite the same for Espanol.

And there were misunderstandings and mis-pronunciations to be sure; my landlord thought that haus/house was pronounced hoose in English and I thought he was telling me it was pronounced hoose in German, so we called it hoose, only to discover it is pronounced the same as English.

Didn't take an elective in German till I came back to US and realized all I could read in German were menu's and road signs.

[Sandra]

My Spanish classes were definitely invaluable in helping me understand the mechanics - but it wasn't until I let go of my own insecurities about "Am I saying it the right way, choosing the right verb tense... what if someone laughs at me...what if someone doesn't understand me...what if I forget the words...and so on" I was doing more worrying than speaking.

Learning and living a second language meant that now and then I would have to be able to laugh at myself - Carlos will attest to the fact that living with someone who speaks a different native language can bring about some strange misunderstandings, but more than that, lots of laughs.

[sugarpaws]

Right on Sandra! A lot of great advice though. Good for you for being so confident and I find your way of learning and speaking works for me as well.

[Sandra]

Oh I'd say were both saying the same thing :wink: - confidence for me is still something I struggle with all the time, but if I don't try, much of the time spent in Mexico would be in silence.

Like anything else in life, books alone don't do it, but certainly give great structure and a base to really become a part of what's going on.

[Sandra]

...and you are right, as I have used many a post to understand and navigate through the basics of life here. Funny the things you once took for granted, but now can give you such a sense of pride to accomplish.

[KuKo]

Hi

I am thinking of moving to Tijuana soon, but have many doubts and concerns. Crime being one of them, but I have gone to tijuana on many many occasions and nothing has happened. Thing is, I dont know where to move. I have a couple of friends that live in Cumbres Cacho, and somet hat live over in Agua Caliente. Other major concern is crossing the border for work. How tough is it in the AM?

thanks and any info you can provide would be much appreciated!!

[KuKo]

Hi

where is La Perla located? I think I have narrowed my search down to Cacho and Lomas Agua Caliente...

[andy]

Hi

I am thinking of moving to Tijuana soon, but have many doubts and concerns. Crime being one of them, but I have gone to tijuana on many many occasions and nothing has happened. Thing is, I dont know where to move. I have a couple of friends that live in Cumbres Cacho, and somet hat live over in Agua Caliente. Other major concern is crossing the border for work. How tough is it in the AM?

thanks and any info you can provide would be much appreciated!!

You really need to think about why you want to move and what you are expecting. If you are just trying to save money, then you are in for a surprise (and most likely won't be happy).

Your life WILL change if you move to Tijuana. Some things for the better, some things for the worse. If you have an open mind and like to learn new things, etc, you will be OK. But living in Tijuana is NOT AT ALL like living in San Diego.

Some things to think about:

Good Things

* Housing is less expensive
* Fruits and veggies are less expensive
* Many people are very friendly in Mexico. I have better friends here than in San Diego
* You can live comfortably for much less than in San Diego
* There are great places to eat and drink for much less than in San Diego
* You get to learn a new culture and life

Bad Things

* Mexico is a third world country - more petty crime, more corruption, poorer infrastructure - and a lot of people are concerned about the rash of kidnappings recently
* If you don't speak Spanish you will be a bit isolated, but if you go out of your way there are a lot of people here that speak English... and of course you can learn Spanish
* If you are planning to raise a family, do you really want to shuttle the kids to San Diego for school? Or are you comfortable with them going to school in Tijuana... probably will need to think about private schools
* The commute to San Diego for work is going to be more time consuming
* You need to learn to watch out for yourself... you can't count on the government organizations to be watching out for you
* Limited 'mall' shopping... if you like to walk around Fashion Valley every weekend, Plaza Rio is not going to suffice... you will find yourself itching to be in San Diego for shopping
* Isolation from family and friends - keep in mind that lots of people will NOT step a foot in Mexico. You may find that your family and friends do not want to visit with you.
* The US Government is stuggling with how to deal with the number of illegals and immigration. It is possible in the future that they may tighten the borders more which could make it more difficult to cross into the US on a daily basis.

Just some food for thought. I love it here in Tijuana. But I know many people who would hate it.

[richsinc]

I generally disagree with Andy's bleak picture... but I am retired and a bit of a couch/computer person and love it here. People are great; willing to help; willing to teach you Espanol; share, etc... but do be careful of petty ripoffs!

Agree, housing is cheaper but not much other things. I think Mexico is a second world country (at least close to the border; don't know about the interior.)

And would question any 'friend. family member' afraid to cross a border.
Friends like that I don't need.

[andy]

Everyone is titled to their own opinion for sure. I don't consider my input bleak, but practical and of experience. Just trying to offer a more complete picture. I don't think the simple advice of 'move to Mexico, you will save a lot of money' is complete enough to advise others to take that step without learning more about the pro's and cons of living in Tijuana.

Being retired in Mexico is a bit less complicated than living in Mexico at a working age. I surely agree that retiring in Mexico is a very feasable option for many people. In fact, there are many other places to retire in Mexico other than Tijuana that would offer a very different retirement life. I am trying to offer the prospective of a 'Gringo' that grew up on the East Coast of the US and has adopted Mexico as his home while still in the workforce.

[richsinc]

When in Rome........?
duh!

[cathart]

I am finding this topic fascinating right now, since my husband and I are planning to move, in June, from Los Angeles to La Mision. I was amazed to hear that Sandra paid only $40 in duty for her moving truck! Our move is quite a bit more complicated, due to the fact that we have a lot of art to move which needs to be crated, and really professionally packed, and also we have exercise equipment which is too large for us to move ourselves. We are also not young, and would need help moving the stuff into our house--and some of it needs to actually go into storage on the way to our house. And, of course, we are not moving to Tijuana, but further south, about 45 minutes further....

But that said, I just got an estimate from a moving company that absolutely knocked me out! $18,000! I just couldn't believe my ears! And we don't really have that much furniture, just a bed, futon, diningroom table and chairs, some office furniture, books, and china. We can probably get most of the books and china down ourselves anyway in the car, trip by trip--but what do you think my other choices are, and does anyone have any moving companies they have worked with that are actually reasonable, that they might recommend.

[andy]

I am finding this topic fascinating right now, since my husband and I are planning to move, in June, from Los Angeles to La Mision. I was amazed to hear that Sandra paid only $40 in duty for her moving truck! Our move is quite a bit more complicated, due to the fact that we have a lot of art to move which needs to be crated, and really professionally packed, and also we have exercise equipment which is too large for us to move ourselves. We are also not young, and would need help moving the stuff into our house--and some of it needs to actually go into storage on the way to our house. And, of course, we are not moving to Tijuana, but further south, about 45 minutes further....

But that said, I just got an estimate from a moving company that absolutely knocked me out! $18,000! I just couldn't believe my ears! And we don't really have that much furniture, just a bed, futon, diningroom table and chairs, some office furniture, books, and china. We can probably get most of the books and china down ourselves anyway in the car, trip by trip--but what do you think my other choices are, and does anyone have any moving companies they have worked with that are actually reasonable, that they might recommend.

I believe the pricing you are receiving is because moving companies in the US don't want anything to do with moving you to Mexico. The may not have the proper experience to clear Mexican customs, comfortable to be driving their expensive truck in Mexico, drivers who want to go to Mexico, etc. They are quoting you a price so high that you would never hire them instead of just telling you they don't want to do it. You should call some other moving companies that advertise and promote moving to Mexico.

A better option may be to find a moving company in Tijuana that is willing to do the move from LA. Here is a list of some moving companies in Tijuana. Make sure you do your research and make sure they are reputable etc... http://www.portal-ti...r/mudanzas.html

[cathart]

That was dollars! And no, I couldn't sell everything, because I have a lot of excercise equipment, and also a large digital printer. Does anyone have any actual experience with a moving company that they might recommend?

[andy]

That was dollars! And no, I couldn't sell everything, because I have a lot of excercise equipment, and also a large digital printer. Does anyone have any actual experience with a moving company that they might recommend?

From the list I linked I used:

Mudanzas Ambas Californias - move from San Diego to Tijuana, apx $800 for a 2 bedroom condo international move, very good. Don't know if they are in business any longer.

M y M - local move in Playas. Same stuff + some that I moved from San Diego. $450.

[cathart]

Thank you, Andy--that was helpful. Any other recommendations would be very much appreciated, especially since that link is in Spanish, and my Spanish is in need of improvement....

[fatboy]

so only $40 for all of that?
that is pretty good.