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Border crossing · San Diego

How busy is Otay Mesa – Passenger right now?

Otay Mesa – Passenger is a border crossing in San Diego, at Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Before you head over, here's the live wait — from the official published feed — plus the best times to go.

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Google's “popular times” is a guess from last year. Tempo shows the live wait at Otay Mesa – Passenger from the official published feed — never a fake number.

Best time to cross Otay Mesa – Passenger

Weekdays
Quietest 10pm 40 min
Worst 11am 140 min
Going at the right hour saves about 100 minutes.
Weekends
Quietest 2am 20 min
Worst 9pm 170 min
Going at the right hour saves about 150 minutes.

Weekday and weekend behave like two different crossings here — the quiet hour moves and the peak is a different height. Plan each one on its own numbers, not on a single "best time".

Typical wait by hour, 29 days of readings

Local timeWeekdaysWeekends
midnight 50 min 60 min
1am 45 min 55 min
2am 50 min 20 min
3am 55 min 22 min
4am 60 min 20 min
5am 75 min 35 min
6am 90 min 65 min
7am 90 min 65 min
8am 110 min 75 min
9am 110 min 90 min
10am 120 min 110 min
11am 140 min 115 min
noon 130 min 118 min
1pm 120 min 128 min
2pm 140 min 140 min
3pm 140 min 140 min
4pm 130 min 140 min
5pm 130 min 145 min
6pm 115 min 145 min
7pm 90 min 165 min
8pm 70 min 165 min
9pm 60 min 170 min
10pm 40 min 170 min
11pm 40 min 140 min

Median published wait per hour, measured by Tempo from the official CBP feed in Pacific time. Typical, not a forecast — a holiday or an incident beats any pattern. The wait right now is in the app.

Common questions about Otay Mesa – Passenger

How long is the wait at Otay Mesa – Passenger right now?
Tempo reads the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection feed and refreshes it about every ten minutes. Open Otay Mesa – Passenger in the Tempo app for the current number, free.
What is the best time to cross at Otay Mesa – Passenger?
On weekdays the quietest hour is around 10pm (typically 40 minutes) and the worst is 11am (140 minutes), and at weekends it's 2am (20 minutes) against 9pm (170 minutes). Median of 867 readings recorded by Tempo over the last 29 days, in local time.
Is Otay Mesa – Passenger busier on weekends?
Yes, and on a different schedule. The weekday peak is 140 minutes around 11am; the weekend peak is 170 minutes around 9pm. Weekend mornings before dawn are often the emptiest the crossing gets all week.
How often does the Otay Mesa – Passenger wait time update?
Tempo reads the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection feed and refreshes it about every ten minutes. Tempo can also alert you when the wait drops below a number you pick, so you can leave when the line is short instead of watching it.

See live waits on Tempo →