Everything international patients need to know about traveling to Soulya, safely, confidently, and with no surprises.
Each year, thousands of patients from the United States and Canada cross into Tijuana for world-class plastic surgery at a fraction of home-country prices. For many, the hardest part isn’t the decision to have surgery. It’s knowing what to expect when that surgery happens in another country.
This guide walks you through every step: how to get here, what to bring, how long to stay, where you’ll recover, and how to verify you’re in safe, qualified hands. At Soulya, transparency is part of the care, so you can focus on your transformation with complete peace of mind.
Soulya is located in suite 2105 of New City Medical Plaza (Av. Paseo del Centenario 9580, Zona Urbana Río), the most important medical complex in the region, just minutes from the San Ysidro border, the busiest land crossing in the world and one of the easiest to navigate.
Driving across the border
Drive to San Diego, then cross at the San Ysidro Port of Entry by car or on foot. You can park on the U.S. side or at our clinic's parking facility in Tijuana. Border crossings typically take 10 to 30 minutes, and our team can advise you on the best times to cross.
Flying in
Fly into San Diego International Airport (SAN) and cross by ground, or fly directly into Tijuana International Airport (TIJ), a short distance from the clinic.
Getting to the clinic from the border
Once you cross the border, you can reach the clinic through New City Medical Plaza's shuttle service. Our team helps you coordinate the available departure times, both to the clinic and back. Airport pickup from San Diego is also available for an additional fee. Our team is fully bilingual, so there's no language barrier at any point.
Traveling from California & San Diego
If you're in Southern California, Soulya is exceptionally convenient. The clinic sits roughly a 40-minute drive from the border crossing, depending on traffic, and patients from San Diego, Los Angeles, and across the state make the trip easily for both consultation and surgery. In fact, an initial consultation can be done as a single-day visit: you can cross, meet your surgeon, and return home the same day.
Entering Mexico
(U.S. citizens)
You'll need a valid passport or passport card to enter Mexico for treatment and to re-enter the United States. We recommend confirming your passport is valid well before your travel date.
Returning home
You'll cross back through San Ysidro the same way you came. To make any follow-up care at home easier, we send you home with your prescription, written post-operative instructions, and your post-op care guidelines, documentation you can share with a local physician if needed.
Express Border Crossing for Post-Surgical Patients (FastLane)
Recovery shouldn't mean waiting hours in a border line. For patients returning across the border after surgery, Soulya provides complimentary FastLane access, an expedited crossing that spares you the standard wait during the days when comfort matters most. This service is offered free of charge to our post-surgical patients.
Before You Travel
A smooth surgery starts with good preparation. In the weeks before your procedure:
To help you arrive in the best possible condition, Soulya also offers a Pre-Op Boost IV drip: vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants formulated to strengthen your immune system and reduce inflammation before surgery.
How Long Should You Stay in Tijuana?
Most international patients stay in Tijuana for 5 to 7 days, though the exact length depends on your procedure and how your recovery progresses. Staying for the recommended period lets your surgical team monitor your healing, remove drains or stitches when appropriate, and clear you for travel home. Your surgeon gives you a personalized timeline during your consultation.
Recovering in a calm, comfortable environment is part of healing well.
The night before your surgery, you can stay at the Quartz Hotel, located within the same complex, steps from the clinic.
Your post-operative recovery takes place at Soulya Recovery House: a supervised space designed specifically for post-surgical patients, where you’ll have nursing support during the most important days of your recovery.
Accommodation and recovery-house support are arranged separately from your procedure price, so you can choose the option that best fits your needs and budget.
During your stay, our nursing team guides you through the early days of recovery: managing swelling, caring for incisions and surgical drains, fitting your compression garments, and beginning gentle movement. You’ll receive detailed, written aftercare instructions tailored to your procedure, and your first follow-up appointment takes place before you head home.
To support healing, Soulya also offers a Post-Op Recovery IV drip designed to reduce inflammation, improve tissue regeneration, and restore energy after surgery. Lymphatic drainage massages are available on-site to reduce swelling and speed recovery.
One of the most common concerns for international patients is what happens if a problem arises once they’re back home. Soulya supports you at every stage, even after you’ve crossed back:
This continuity of care is a core part of why patients trust Soulya with surgery performed away from home.
Your safety depends on choosing the right surgeon and facility. Here’s how to verify any clinic before you book, including ours.
Verify Board Certification (CMCPER)
In Mexico, plastic surgeons should be certified by the CMCPER (Consejo Mexicano de Cirugía Plástica, Estética y Reconstructiva), the only board recognized as equivalent to the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). You can verify any surgeon’s certification directly on the official CMCPER registry.
At Soulya, both surgeons are board-certified, trained at UNAM, and completed their residencies in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery at the General Hospital of Mexico “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga”:
Together they bring 20+ years of combined experience and over 3,500 procedures performed in the last five years.
Our Accreditations & Memberships
What Makes Surgery Safe at Soulya
Our procedures are performed in accredited hospitals with rigorous safety protocols, including anti-embolism stockings, pneumatic compression boots, continuous temperature control, and constant patient monitoring throughout surgery. Anesthesia is administered by licensed anesthesiologists on our medical team.
Questions Every International Patient Should Ask
Before booking surgery with any clinic in Tijuana, ask:
If a clinic hesitates to answer any of these, consider it a warning sign.
A Note on Pricing and Safety
Tijuana’s prices are lower than U.S. prices for sound economic reasons: lower overhead, lower cost of living, and lower administrative costs, not because of inferior materials or shortcuts in safety. That said, if a quote seems dramatically lower than the typical range for a procedure, treat it as a red flag rather than a bargain. Safe surgery is never the cheapest option; it’s the one where certified surgeons, licensed anesthesiologists, and accredited facilities are non-negotiable.
Book Your Consultation and our medical team will assess your goals and guide you through every detail of your journey to Tijuana.