Tijuana (TIJ) and the Cross Border Xpress: an airport with a door in San Diego
CBX is a pedestrian bridge from a terminal in San Diego straight into the Tijuana terminal. You need a ticket and the right documents.
- The Cross Border Xpress (CBX) is a pedestrian bridge connecting Tijuana International Airport directly with its own terminal in San Diego.
- The San Diego terminal is at 2745 Otay Pacific Drive, San Diego, California 92154.
- It exists to avoid the queues at the ordinary land border, and it is only for people with a boarding pass for a flight at TIJ.
- You need a CBX ticket, bought on the website or the app.
- Book more than two calendar days before crossing to get the advance rate. Buy later and you pay the seasonal last minute rate.
- Six-person group tickets are sold at a lower per-person price.
- Assisted crossings are available, with wheelchair-accessible bridge transport, help with luggage and with documents.
- You must meet the immigration requirements of both Mexico and the United States. CBX is a border crossing, not a shortcut past one.
- 48 bus routes serve CBX to Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas.
- Parking at the San Diego side is reservable, with valet and 24/7 security.
An airport with a door in another country
- The Cross Border Xpress is a covered pedestrian bridge running from a terminal building in San Diego, over the border fence, into the terminal at Tijuana International Airport.
- The San Diego end is at 2745 Otay Pacific Drive, in the Otay Mesa district.
- It is only for air passengers. You cross with a boarding pass for a flight departing from or arriving at TIJ, and you clear immigration in the bridge building.
- The point is time. The ordinary San Ysidro and Otay Mesa land crossings can take hours; CBX is a walk.
The ticket
- A CBX ticket is required and is separate from your flight. Buy it on the website or in the app.
- Buy more than two calendar days before you cross and you get the advance booking rate. Anything later is treated as last minute and charged at the current seasonal rate with no discount.
- Prices move with the season, and the site shows the current one.
- Six-person tickets bring the per-person price down and suit families and groups - but the whole group must be at the e-gates together when the ticket is scanned.
- Assisted crossings are sold for travellers who need them, including wheelchair-accessible bridge transport, luggage help and documentation help, and a version with a CBX Ambassador as a crossing companion.
The paperwork
- This is a real border. You must satisfy the immigration requirements of both countries: a passport, a visa or ESTA where required for the United States, and Mexico's Multiple Immigration Form (FMM) where it applies.
- CBX publishes a Requirements section and it is worth reading before you book, because being turned back at the bridge is expensive.
Getting to and from CBX
- 48 bus routes serve CBX, reaching Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas. For a lot of travellers that is the whole journey: coach to CBX, walk across, fly.
- Parking on the San Diego side can be reserved, with valet and 24-hour security.
- Tijuana's own airport terminal is served by city taxis and buses, and Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico runs the airport and publishes the parking rates - 60 pesos for the first hour or part of it at Terminal 1.
Why people use it
- Domestic Mexican fares from Tijuana are far cheaper than US fares to the same cities, and TIJ has a large network across Mexico.
- For anyone in San Diego flying to Mexico, this is often the fastest and cheapest route, and it does not involve driving into Tijuana.
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