Liz&Nate
Difficulty:  | Review Topic: Port of Entry Review
This is my review of POE by the Ysleta (Zaragoza) international bridge, entering from CDJ.
Things you need to know:
-You will need 50 cents American to pay the toll before entering into the bridge per person who is crossing.
-You will need 6 bu to pay for you I-94
-You can bring your bags and belongings along but they will be scanned by an airport-type scanner, so plan accordingly.
First off, wear comfortable clothes. If you are going to walk across the bridge, the pedestrian path is long and steep for a long stretch. We chose to cross at 6pm on a Saturday, which meant there was very little wait all along. If you go early on a weekend there will be a long line. Doubly so if it's a major Mexican or American holiday.
After crossing the tollbooth the bridge is pretty safe. Mostly fenced in. It's about a quarter of a mile long. At the end you will enter the administrative offices. On any given day there will be a line of daily commuters so try to check the CBP page to see the waiting times.
As you enter the offices there will be a staircase divided into three parts. The right one was closed off, the middle one was the one that lead to the inspection port and the right one led to the administrative offices. We took this line and walked into the processing office. You'll see two lines, one for people obtaining I-94's for tourist visas and one for immigrant visas. If you have a K1, though, your line is the "non-immigrant" one. Once you get there, just hand your pack and passport. In my case the CBP officer was very pleasant and asked me and my fiance about the wedding. He did explain very clearly to us that we only got one entry and that we needed to get married.
The CBP officer will stamp your passport, take your fingerprints and your picture Afterwards you will need to pay 6 dollars to get your stamped I-94 issued. I don't know if the offices give change so better safe than sorry. When we were done, the officer directed us to walk directly to the inspector, even though there was a line. Even if you are crossing with someone, each person has to walk up the inspector individually, present the visa and put their belongings on a conveyor belt. This is fairly painless. I was admitted with no problems.
Afterwards, there are taxis waiting for commuters. There is also a pay phone bank in case you need them. The whole process lasted about 10 minutes for us.
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Port of Entry Member Review #15018
Entry Date: 2011-10-01