San Ysidro Border Wait Time
San Ysidro, CA · Mexico → US (Northbound entry)
Also known as El Chaparral
Current wait
Passenger vehicles
- Standard60 min
- SENTRI15 min
- Ready Lane50 min
Commercial vehicles
- StandardN/A
- FASTN/A
Hours: 24 hrs/day
Latest snapshot: 10/29/2026, 2:55:09 AM UTC
Best & worst times to cross
Typical wait times by day of week + hour, averaged from the last four weeks of data. Times are approximate local at the crossing.
Quietest
- Wed 1am–2am5 min avg
- Wed 2am–3am6 min avg
- Wed 3am–4am6 min avg
Busiest
- Sun 5pm–6pm180 min avg
- Sun 6pm–7pm178 min avg
- Sun 7pm–8pm173 min avg
Nearby crossings
Guides for this crossing
About this crossing
San Ysidro, CA is a US Customs and Border Protection port of entry on the Mexican border. Wait times shown are for travelers entering the United States. Numbers come directly from CBP and update roughly every hour while the port is staffed.
Don't Wait is an independent app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for CBP, CBSA or any other government agency.
Typical waits at San Ysidro
Computed from the waits we recorded at this crossing (standard passenger lane, whenever a wait was reported). Past patterns are not a prediction.
Over the last 90 days (24,619 readings), the standard passenger-vehicle lane at San Ysidro averaged 104 min. Weekdays averaged 98 min and weekends 119 min.
Sundays were the busiest day on average (129 min) and Fridays the quietest (82 min).
The busiest stretch was Sundays 5pm–8pm, averaging 180 min. The quietest was Saturdays 2am–5am, averaging 33 min. Times are local to the crossing.
Waits reached 30 minutes or more in 94% of readings and 60 minutes or more in 81%.
The SENTRI lane averaged 16 min against 104 min in the standard lane over the same hours, about 88 minutes less.
CBP publishes passenger-vehicle wait times here for standard, SENTRI and Ready Lane lanes.
Commercial-truck waits are published for standard and FAST lanes.
Posted hours: 24 hrs/day.
Frequently asked
Do I need a passport to cross at San Ysidro, CA?
Yes. US citizens need a passport, passport card, enhanced driver's license, or SENTRI card. Non-US citizens need a valid passport plus any required visa.
Are SENTRI lanes always faster?
At this crossing over the last 90 days, the SENTRI lane averaged 16 min versus 104 min for standard. SENTRI lanes are typically much faster than standard lanes, especially at peak times, but they can still see delays when traffic is heavy or when a few lanes are open. SENTRI provides expedited US entry for pre-approved low-risk travelers from Mexico. Apply at ttp.cbp.dhs.gov.
What hours is the San Ysidro crossing open?
24 hrs/day. Hours are set by CBP and may change for holidays or staffing.
How often is this wait time updated?
CBP officers at each port update their reported wait time roughly every hour while the port is staffed. We re-poll the CBP feed every five minutes and cache the result for both speed and to be kind to the upstream feed.
Why is the wait time blank or "no data"?
CBP doesn't publish a number for that lane right now — usually because the port hasn't reported in over an hour, the lane is closed, or the port is idle. We show whatever CBP publishes without modification.
When is the best time to cross at San Ysidro, CA?
In our last 90 days of recorded waits, the quietest stretch for standard passenger vehicles was Saturdays 2am–5am (about 33 min on average) and the busiest was Sundays 5pm–8pm (about 180 min). Times are local; today's live wait can differ.