How to Rent a Car and Drive into Baja California
One of the greatest misconceptions with travel into Mexico is that you need to fly into tourist destinations and hire a bus or taxi to get from point A to point B. This limits your experiences to major tourist cities and prevents you from truly experiencing the freedom of Mexico in your own car. This is especially true for Baja California and now more than ever it is extremely easy to drive across the border and explore Baja at your own pace! This post will walk you through how to rent a car and drive to Baja California
Choosing a Rental Company
Let's start in San Diego California because here is where most rental car companies are located that will allow you to drive their cars into Mexico. My favorite company to use is Avis/Budget. They have decent car selection, friendly staff and are very accustomed to the questions people may have with renting and driving into Baja. It is important to note that not all Avis/Budget rental locations will allow travel into Baja so you will need to call and make sure the location that you choose does allow this. As of the writing of this post, the Avis located at the San Diego International Airport does allow travel into Mexico and are well versed in what you will need in order to do so.
Mexican Auto Insurance
Once you have decided on a rental car company to use, you will then need to buy Mexican liability insurance. This is something that is absolutely required in order to take any car into Mexico. Avis/Budget offer their own insurance policies but my favorite company to use is Baja Bound Insurance. They offer the most competitive rates and their customer service is top notch. Make sure you purchase a policy that will cover the full time you are in Mexico to avoid any problems that you may encounter.
Ports of Entry
Now that you have the car and insurance all squared away you can start planning your road trip. There are four main ports of entry into Baja California: San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Tecate and Mexicali. Crossing into Mexico at all of these ports of entry are usually very fast and easy, but coming back into the states can be another story with long wait times and border closures. In order to expedite border crossing times I like to use the Customs and Border Protection's website for border wait times. I personally like crossing at either Tecate or San Ysidro. Crossing at Tecate will place you smack dab in the Pueblo Magico of Tecate and you can explore some great restaurants and even take a tour of the Tecate Brewery when it is open. Crossing at San Ysidro allows you to take a very beautiful and scenic drive down the Pacific coast of Baja on Highway 1. You can't go wrong with either.
FMM Permit
One more thing to consider when planning this trip is to apply for a Mexican FMM permit (multiple immigration form) which allows citizens from the United States and Canada to enter into Mexico. This is not a visa but it is required for all travel into Mexico. Stays under 7 days are free and stays over 7 days cost $38. Make sure to print out the receipt if you chose to pay the fee online otherwise the customs agent will make you pay the fee again when you are being processed at the border. I recommend that anyone traveling into Mexico, whether by plane or land border, fill this out online to expedite the process at immigration. You can fill out an FMM permit application here.
Now that you see how easy it is to rent a car and take a Baja road trip, go ahead and start planning. Feel free to send us a message if you have any questions!
