Mexican Consulate of San Diego

Service is horrible. They make you go in circles, no forms online and some of the people that help are RUDE.

I went to the consulate with my dad to get his passport renewed and it was SUPER easy! We brought his expired passport and an ID card. It only took us an hour. No long lines. Super nice staff.
We had an appointment at 7:15 am on a Tuesday and it was so easy breezy. There was plentiful meter parking all around that doesn’t require money until 8:00 am. One guy told us if you park a few blocks away, you wouldn’t have to pay at all. We got there at 7:05 am and there was already a line of about 15 people waiting outside. I thought «oh geez… this is gonna take us 4 hours for sure!» Nope. Took only an hour. Here’s how our day went:
1) They let us in at around 7:10 am and we told the first guy at the counter we were here to renew a passport.
2) He gave us a form to fill out.
3) We filled out the form then stood in a line for about a minute to turn it in.
4) Went upstairs and sat in a waiting room for about 10 minutes before my dad’s name got called to one of the open windows.
5) The woman gave him a piece of paper to take to another window (only across the room) to pay for the passport.
6) We paid. (if you’re 60+ in age, let them know and you get 50% off!)
7) We went back to the other window to take a photo and do fingerprints.
8) Waited about 25 minutes for the passport to get processed.
9) We got it and left by 8:05 am!
You can’t bring any water or snacks in, but they’ll let you initial your bottle and snacks and keep it by security to retrieve later. There’s a water fountain by the bathroom as well.

Upity, unhelpful a-​holes. Super rude. Don’t know A THING bout customer service. They were dealing with an illiterate individual and lashed out at him and the person trying to help stating that it was their job to help — but guess what? They were failing at that as well.
We were watching all of this, waiting for over an hour WITH an appointment, but when these other individuals were trying to apply for their Mexican citizenship they were escorted upstairs and helped right away (of course they were Caucasian and looked $$$). So bias and unfair? Yes. Rude? Yes.
This may be the Mexican consulate, but learn some American manners in customer service. They weren’t even any help when we tried asking for it. They looked as if it was a chore to answer any questions and when they tried answering questions, they would respond in very VERY fast Spanish (and I’m Mexican American) and mumbled.
Such a shame to the Mexican government who try to help their people. They truly are just being set back by these idiots.

Have been trying to get a resident card. Staff is very rude and unhelpful. They act as if it is torture to help. The process is difficult and not having help is making it worse. Everyone in line is having the same experience.

The young man at the information desk is awesome! He’s very informative and does it with a smile! Parking is awful! I brought my parents and aunt to get a Mexican passport so they could take a cruise to Mexico with us! You will need a legal gift certificate, 2 forms of ID, and your expired passport. Your passport will be issued THAT SAME DATE! The wait can be long, but we got there early and they took us before our scheduled appointment time!!! You MUST make an appointment. If you are married you will also need a valid marriage license. If guy are traveling you will need to bring your travel documents. A copy for each passport you are trying to get.
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Purpose: Tourist Visa to visit nearby cities in Mexico from San Diego
About me: I am on H1-​B with valid stamping (3yrs) and my wife who is dependent on H4 visa. (note am not going for h1 stamping or extension, its just for tourism)
We both visited the consulate to obtain tourist visa, the Visa Officer clearly stated that residents in US with valid visa/​GC are eligible to visit Mexico for 180 days without the need for a Mexico Tourist Visa. On entering the border I need to head for Mexican immigration and obtain FMM permit. I shall update this review post my visit to Mexico.
See this notes from Mexican Consulate Website:
US or Canadian Citizen or Legal Residents in the USA and Canada
Citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America or Canada and US Those with a valid visa can enter Multiplies entries into Mexico if the purpose of His visit is tourism, transit or Business with the presentation of your valid passport at the port of entry (air, sea or land), your permanent residence card of of the United States of America or Canada or US visa Multiplies valid entries.
Source:
(you may have to use google translate)
——
Here in updating the review post my trip to Tijuana from San Diego by walk.
Me and wife have valid US visa, parked the car at Border Station Parking lot and walked into Tijuana, Mexico around afternoon. While passing through, you would see few customs officers, let them know the purpose of your visit and they would let you fill a form and voila you are all good. We took the visitor pass for 7 days which was free. We returned the same day around 10pm and there was no rush and made it back easy.

anyone know how hard it is for my son who has mexican citizenship to get me mexican citizenship?

This was one of the worst experiences… I was trying to get a permanent resident card for Mexico and the woman working there could not have been ruder not only to me but apparently to all Americans. She gave me incorrect information but luckily a friend was doing the same thing in Phoenix and gave me a list from that office for what I needed. Yes you do need an FMM canje and Mexican visa to get the process rolling. Thank goodness I didn’t listen to the San Diego woman. Paperwork was never correct, even though I brought everything on THEIR list, so of you are trying to do anything associated with obtaining a Mexican visa/​resident card spend the extra time and go to Phoenix, you will save time and frustration in the long run! The puerto penasco Immigration office handled everything very politely though so it all worked out in the end despite the San Diego office…

This is the only consulate that I have ever been to. I have no other comparason besides to other government buildings of which to draw similarities from. I decided to write a review because of all the negative reviews I read prior to going to the Mexican Consulate of San Diego and wanted to share my experience.
Not pretty. Is it supposed to be? I don’t know. Is a post office attractive, or a courthouse? It is not like that. Should it be? Who am I to judge, but I didn’t know what to expect. It is one room, a lot of people waiting, chairs, television, signs and lines. In this sense, very much like a post office, a courthouse, or even a DMV though at the same time not at all.
And just like when I have had to get forms and documents at a courthouse I still manage to get in the wrong line, despite signs and what should seem obvious become illusive because reasons for me being in government buildings to begin withis not because I want to be, so generally I am sleep deprived from stress, with my tired head in the clouds .
I am then kindly directed to the waiting list where I need to be to get a work and or visiting visa. The visa application was explained very thoroughly. If I missed anything it is on my behalf .
If you have problems waiting in line it is your problem, not theirs. Bring a book. Does that sound old fashioned, well patients is a virtue so deal with it. And seriously. Are governement buildings supposed to be fun? Ofcorse not.
The employees are polite. Perhaps I am just used to the brash attitudes in Los Angeles, but actually I think it is just that they are genuinely nice at the Consulate Of Mexico in San Diego.

List of documents required for Tourist Visa not posted on official website.
This list is only for nationals that require a visa to enter MX.
Here is the list from my experience.
1. Valid Passport + Copy of each and every page with a stamp (visa or arrival/​departure)
2. H1-​B visa (I-​797 form) or EAD/​AP or any other visa, original + 1 copy
3. Bank statements (3 months), copy
4. 1 photograph
5. Tourist visa form filled out
6. $ 36 cash/​card
Get there early in the morning for fast service. It takes 24 hours to get the visa.
It’s very hard to get them to answer the phone.
Hope this helps!

The Mexican consulate and employees are a piece of SHIT! They don’t help and give the correct information to there own people!!! INS is not as picky as these motherfuckers. I cannot wait for Oct. 2013 to become an American citizen and NEVER have to deal with them again!!!

You know how you always hear in Biology class, books and on the Discovery Channel that as humans, we share 98% of our DNA with Chimpanzees? So only 2% separates me from Bubbles the Chimp? I hope not but in my case, it may be even less!
You know what else separates me by 2%? Americans and me. Why? Well, for one thing I am forced to march down to the Mexican Consulate every five years and go through a torpid, triple jointed, slow and rather tense process to renew my passport. Imagine getting your Driver’s License for the 1^st time X5, all facilitated by passive/​aggressive beurocrats who are looking for half a reason to send you to the back of the line, to start all over again like Sysiphus rolling the rock up the hill, getting it almost to the very top and then having the rock roll right back down. I know I may have just described the DMV to a tee in the process but I welcome the DMV next to my ordeal today.
Word of advice for my Paisanos in case you need to renew or get your Mexican passport for the 1^st time; pack-​a-​lunch. No seriously, pack a lunch. Appointment or not, you will go through a series of lines only to be sent to another series of lines like an endless day at Disneyland minus Nemo, Goofy, Pirates or a fireworks show at the end. There are no rides here, only more lines. When you finally get your passport (pray there’s nothing wrong or misspelled on any of your documents or forget to make umpteenth copies of your DL), then you realize… I can’t afford to travel, I’m broke!

I’ve gotten my FREE tourist visa here 3 years in a row 2004-​06. Always in and out quickly and they were nice. Gotta go again this year so we’ll see how it goes. Don’t get your visa at the border for $$ do it here free!

i had my appt. to obtain a mexican passport. i figured that since i’m able to get one, i might as well. Now it’s a little weird to carry my US and Mexican Passport, so I leave them both at home. I was thinking it would take me an hour, two tops to get out of there, but boy was I wrong. they send you to the second floor where you have to get a number and the fact that you had an interview doesn’t really matter. When you finally get to the window, so is always wrong with your paper work — too big, too small, need more copies. And they conveniently send you to the copy place 3 doors down. I’m sure they’ve worked out some sort of system. You have to go to a million different windows — to have paperwork checked, to pay for the passport, and to take another photo. And just when you think you’re done and you tell them that you want them to mail it to you, they tell you no, you must sit and wait for another hour to pick it up. Damn. I was there for 4 hours… But they were all cool.
One word of advice — it’s CASH ONLY. Be ready.

I came to the Mexican Consulate to obtain a document from the wife of a client who is in federal custody. There is a lightly maintained security check point at the front door, then a large, DMV-​like waiting area– spruce that up, Mexico! Then on the second floor, there is ANOTHER antiseptic waiting area with clerks behind glass. In the back of the second floor there are offices staffed by well scrubbed Mexican government workers. My sense is that they are «Mexican» in that they speak spanish more fluently then English and don’t consider themselves to be «Americans» any more then they would at the French consulate. None the less they were courteous and efficient. No complaints!