Coming back from Juárez to El Paso: documents, what to declare, the wait

Getting into Ciudad Juárez is quick. Coming back is where the line, the questions and the rules are. This guide covers the trip north into El Paso: what to show, what to declare, what you can bring without paying, and when to cross.

It summarizes official CBP and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) pages, linked below. Rules change, and the officer at the booth has the final word.

The short version

• Have your document out before the booth. A U.S. passport book, passport card, SENTRI card or enhanced driver's license. Children under 16 can use a birth certificate.
• Declare everything you got in Mexico. CBP's rule is that all articles acquired in Mexico must be declared.
• Bringing alcohol or cigarettes into Texas means a stop at the TABC booth to pay state tax, at Paso del Norte, Bridge of the Americas or Ysleta.
• Fresh fruit, raw eggs, raw chicken and pork are the usual problems in a bag from the market. Declaring them avoids a fine even if they can't come in.

Documents CBP accepts by land

• U.S. citizen, 16 or older: U.S. passport book, U.S. passport card, enhanced driver's license, or a trusted traveler card (SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST).
• U.S. citizen under 16: a birth certificate (original, photocopy or certified copy), a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a naturalization certificate.
• U.S. permanent resident: a valid permanent resident card. A passport is not required.
• Mexican citizen: a passport with visa, or a Border Crossing Card.

The full list is on CBP's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative page. A regular Texas driver's license on its own is not on it.

What you can bring back without paying duty

CBP calls this the personal exemption.

• $800 per person, once every 30 days. CBP says the 48-hour minimum stay that applies to other trips does not apply to trips to Mexico, so a day trip counts.
• $200 if you already used an exemption in the last 30 days. Under the $200 exemption you can include only 50 cigarettes, 10 cigars and 150 ml (5 oz) of alcohol. If you go over $200, the whole amount becomes dutiable, not just the extra.
• Gifts count. Gifts you bring back go inside your exemption and must be declared.
• Cuban cigars are prohibited, per CBP's Mexico travel page.

Frequent crossers hit the 30-day limit quickly. If you crossed and declared purchases last week, plan on the $200 rule.

Alcohol and cigarettes into Texas

Two sets of rules apply: CBP's federal ones and Texas's own.

CBP (federal):

• 21 or older for alcohol.
• 1 liter of alcohol fits inside the $800 exemption. More is dutiable.
• No fixed federal limit for personal use, but large amounts raise questions about resale.
• Up to 200 cigarettes fit inside the $800 exemption.

TABC (Texas):

• 21 or older, and not intoxicated.
• No tax-free amount. All alcohol pays state tax plus a $3 fee.
• At most 1 gallon of distilled spirits, 3 gallons of wine and 24 twelve-ounce beers per person, once every 30 days, and you must carry it yourself.
• No quantity limit on cigarettes for personal use. Tax is $1.50 per pack.

How it works at the bridge: tell the CBP officer you have alcohol or cigarettes, and you'll be sent to the TABC booth to pay. TABC lists booths at Paso del Norte, Bridge of the Americas and Ysleta, all taking cash or Visa and Mastercard. The receipt is your proof of tax paid.

Santa Teresa is in New Mexico, so the TABC rules above are for the three El Paso bridges. Ask CBP at Santa Teresa about New Mexico's rules.

Food, plants and the market bag

CBP requires travelers to declare meat, fruit, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil and animal products.

• Need a permit from Mexico: stone fruit (peaches, plums), apples, mangoes, oranges, guavas, zapote, cherimoya and sweet limes. Without a permit, plan on leaving them.
• Prohibited: raw eggs and raw poultry from Mexico, per CBP. CBP has also seized pork and pork chorizo at Texas bridges.
• Declare and you're covered. The USDA says travelers who declare their agricultural items face no penalty, even when the item can't enter. Undeclared prohibited items are taken, and CBP says fines for personal cases typically start at $300.

If you're not sure about an item, declare it and ask at primary inspection.

Cash over $10,000

Carrying money across is legal at any amount. Over $10,000 in total (cash, traveler's checks, money orders and similar), you must report it to CBP on FinCEN Form 105. A family traveling together counts the combined total. CBP lets you file it online up to 72 hours before you cross.

Medicine from a Juárez pharmacy

Keep it in the original packaging, carry any prescription and declare it. U.S. rules on what you can bring back are in Bringing prescription medication back from Mexico.

Which bridge to use

• Downtown Juárez, on foot: Paso del Norte. It connects downtown Juárez to downtown El Paso, and CBP reports a pedestrian lane there.
• Central Juárez, driving: Bridge of the Americas, the central car bridge.
• East Juárez, driving: Ysleta-Zaragoza, the eastern bridge, close to east El Paso.
• Heading to Las Cruces or southern New Mexico: Santa Teresa, west of El Paso in New Mexico. Compare its wait with the El Paso bridges before you choose.

Timing the crossing north

The chart shows the typical northbound wait at Paso del Norte by day and hour, from the last 30 days of CBP reports.

• Check the current wait before you head to the bridge. Each crossing page shows the time CBP last reported.
• Add time for a TABC stop or an agriculture inspection if you're carrying alcohol, cigarettes or food.
• Have everything ready at the booth: your document in hand, purchases where you can reach them, receipts together.

The chart is history, not a forecast. Holidays, weather and lane closures change it.

More for a Juárez trip

• Dental work: Going to a dentist in Ciudad Juárez from El Paso or New Mexico.
• Businesses listed for Juárez: Ciudad Juárez city page.

How this guide was made

The rules come from the official CBP, USDA and TABC pages listed with this guide. Wait patterns come from the official CBP Border Wait Times feed, stored by Border Pulse and summarized as medians. This guide is a summary for planning, not legal advice.