Hidalgo, Texas, USA to Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico | Customs and Immigration

April 13th, 2024 by Jim Wooden

I crossed from USA into MX here on 4/6/24.
The interstate I-2 on the USA side is under SERIOUS reconstruction and there are delays.
See image below for a routing suggestion
It looks like the construction will take some time, so avoid crossing here or expect delays.
I was traveling by motorcycle. came out of the USA. There is an EZ-pass lane but it apparently requires and special "membership" which I did not have, but I may look into it.
I entered one of the "nothing to declare" lines. The camera system took my picture and the bike's picture and I rode across the bridge without any interactions with customs.

Construction present on the other side of the bridge as well. There was some signage more or less straight out from the bridge with city names, but no one was going that direction so I followed the crowd and turned right. I was dumped out into a main street in MX with no clear indication of what to do next. I turned left (away from the border) and a short distance up the road were signs for immigration. I turned left into the compound. take your first right and you can park in front of the large concrete bldg. with the bulging aluminum roof line (see pics from other post). There is a large sign there at the far end that says "entrance". Take all your paperwork and head inside. Show passport get an FMM fill it out. They don't care where you are staying you can leave that blank.
Take it back pay your tourist fee, i forget exactly how much it was but not eye-popping. Get copies of the completed FMM and move along to a desk on the right side of the main aisle and a person will help you start the TVIP process.
Go further down and the pay the deposit at the bank window (they need the copies you had made). At that point the process is complete. While traffice on the bridge was backup badly (partly due to construction) There was almost no one in the bldg. I was one of less than 10 overlanders processing paperwork, pretty effortless. Continue on out the other end of the parking area and you are in MX.

I found out that the little white bldg with the green roof that is out in the middle of the parking lot is only for CANCELLATION of your TVIP. There is no reason to stop there on the way into the country. (Things might have been different in the past).

Hope this helps!

March 5th, 2019 by Marcou

F**k this was complicated to get out of Mexico, especially with the Vehicule Importation Permit.

1. Don’t cross the bridge if you don’t have you’re money from the deposit.
2. If you’re in the right lanes, you are already wrong.
3. Don’t enter the right lanes, take the further left, and pass next to the small white cabin. Peal off your sticker permit. Give the paper to the random guy working in that cabin.
4. Park your car after that.
5.
- Bring that paper with the bill he gave to you,
- bring the receipt for the deposit of the permit (200$ to 400$),
- bring your Passport or an actual copy of your passport (5 pesos for a copy inside), don’t thrown your money on the counter,
- bring your FMM,
- bring patience.
6. Go inside the building.
7. You know the rest for paperworks, Insituto de migracion for the FMM and Banjercito for the Vehicul Permit.
8. Cross the bridge, you can pay US $ or MXP, no card accepted.

July 7th, 2017 by LaTortugaOverlanders.com

We had good experiences, the people were helpful and pleasant to deal with. Brought in La Tortuga RV with motorcycle on back rack! Truck "RV" in both of our names so Wife imported truck and I was on motorcycle papers worked well! Watch Out on highway 97 to get to # 180 you might get stopped by Zetas as we did and pay passage fee/ toll heavily armed with no plates on car! Can't argue much just pay 50$ us, gave him three 20's $$ wife demanded change and he gave us 200 p back!!! They were less hassle than some of the cops down here! At least they admit to being CROOKS! Local suggest # 2 to Matamoros then to 180! Also said it is better to go to Cuidad Victoria as we did to avoid more Cartel on Shortcut 180!

January 11th, 2014 by borderhelper.com

I crossed the Hidalgo/ Reynosa border the  Monday of Thanksgiving week.  No traffic, granted the high for the day was 44 degrees.  I had to search around for motorcycle liability insurance in McAllen.  There are many car insurance places, but none for motorcycles.  I suggest getting it online before hand.  Leaving the US border is like going through a toll booth, no stops, next thing I knew I had entered Mexicon no one stopping me.  Had to park the bike and ask about importation.  You need to ride another 1500 meters south, til you see big signs in english and spanish for Aduanas, Customs, importation of Autos.  Here you enter a secure area, and there is a building that houses everything in one go.  If you have copies in advance this helps of Title, Passport, Registration, though there is still copies that need to be made after they have given you some papers. A deposit of $400 US can be put on your credit card, to be returned when you leave the country.  Cash too, but it will be returned in Mexican pesos.  Immiration is done in the same building. 

I asked what happens if I total the bike.  A police report is not enough to get the deposit back.  You must physically show the bike with the vin number to get deposit returned. I was only one of 2 people that day, though the place is large enough for 100 people.  Process took  30 minutes and i was headed south. Once again, after many horror stories, it was a breeze. 

January 11th, 2014 by ioverlander.com/blogs/1082-sjoerd-bakker/

This is a guest post from  Sjoerd Bakker http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=752824

Subject: Reynosa  City Center border crossing  from Hidalgo TX
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This is a  small sketch of the layout of the REYNOSA layout  of the border bridge and  customs  facility. Note the DIRECT ACCESS lane  to the  customs terminal where  you must go to  get any documents you may not already have  gotten online.
 
Next picture is the KLR  at  the  entrance  to the actual bridge from Hidalgo TX  to  downtown Reynosa in an  early afternoon.
Note how light  the traffic is.
 
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Then  a  view  back north  from the  Reynosa  end  with  the  customs  inspection  gates. You need  to stop  and  proceed having pushed a button.You have a  choice  here, either hold to  the  left  lanes   to enter  the DIRECT ACCESS  to the  Customs terminal, or  ride  straight ahead  and  enter  the  downtown  streets  to go  there  or  to  follow  Echeverria  east  to the  customs  terminal.
 
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This view is  of the parallel  bridge  which carries traffic back to the USA, note the mass crawling cars  at the same hour .  
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This is  the  view  of the  DIRECT ACCESS lanes  east to the  Customs terminal beneath the blue signs. It is also the entry lane for the heavy traffic waiting to go to Texas.
 
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After traveling east on that Direct Access lane you will come to the entry to the huge parking lot at the north side of the equally huge Customs building. Enter the parking lot and park anywhere,  or as directed, and go inside up the short steps in the distance. Take in all your documents and their photocopies and go through the simple process of obtaining the Tourist Card (FMM) the TVIP and pay the Security Deposit. If you are leaving Mexico you enter this same parking lot and first pass through the lane beside the small green and white kiosk where the TVIP canceling process is started. Then to park, go inside and finalize cancellation of the FMM, the TVIP and the REFUND of the Security Deposit. 
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You may forego the DIRECT ACCESS lane if you have already obtained the  documents on an earlier. visit or online, or if you wish to do it later. Simply ride straight through and enter city traffic on Echeverria. If you missed the Direct Access lane you can simply turn east on Echeverria and proceed to the entrances of the Customs terminal from that street, or come back the next day to do so after a night in a Reynosa hotel.