Gastric Sleeve in Tijuana: 2026 Prices and Clinics for U.S. Patients
A gastric sleeve in Tijuana is sold as a short package: a clinic driver picks you up in San Diego, you have surgery the next day, a leak test, and are driven back across the border, four days in all on Hospital Azar's published itinerary. The CDC advises waiting longer than that before flying, so plan the trip home with care.
Flights and extra hotel nights are not included in either price. Final quotes depend on your case.
Gastric Sleeve (Sleeve Gastrectomy) clinics in Tijuana: prices and independent ratings
Prices are each clinic's own quoted range in USD, as of October 2026. Ratings come from independent review platforms and link to the source.
| Clinic | Price | Independent ratings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIDA Wellness and Beauty Center xcuro partner Tijuana · QUAD A | $4,300 - $5,000 From about $4,300 (restrictions may apply); typically about $5,000. Per VIDA website, https://www.vidawellnessandbeauty.com/weight-loss-surgery/gastric-sleeve/, checked 2026-10-19 | ||
| Hospital Azar Tijuana | From $4,495 All-inclusive package from $4,495. Per Hospital Azar website, https://hospitalazar.com/procedures/gastric-sleeve-surgery-in-mexico/, checked 2026-10-19 | not enough reviews yet | |
| Tijuana Bariatric Center Tijuana | From $4,580 All-inclusive package from $4,580. Per Tijuana Bariatric Center website, https://tijuanabariatriccenter.com/about/financing/bariatric-surgery-tijuana-cost/, checked 2026-10-19 |
How clinics get listed: our methodology. Clinics do not pay for position on this page.Compare the clinics side by side.
Your trip, day by day
Typical, from the “Your sleeve trip in Tijuana, day by day” section of this guide. Your clinic’s schedule may differ — ask for it in writing.
- Day 1Pickup in San Diego, drive across the border, pre-op tests. Night in a hotel or the hospital (Hospital Azar).
- Day 2Laparoscopic surgery through small incisions. Night in the hospital. Hospital Azar says the operation typically takes under an hour and it offers more than 30 hours of hospital care (Hospital Azar); VIDA's package includes one hospital night and one night in its recovery boutique (VIDA).
- Day 3Leak test before discharge. Hospital Azar says it runs three, one of them a contrast X-ray (Hospital Azar).
- Day 4Driver to San Diego. If you can, stay nearby a few more days or drive home rather than fly the same day.
- Day 5–14The CDC advises delaying air travel for 10 to 14 days after major surgery because flying raises the risk of blood clots (CDC). Ask your surgeon how to lower that risk if you must fly sooner.
Gastric Sleeve (Sleeve Gastrectomy) in Tijuana: pros and cons for U.S. patients
- All three clinics we list pick patients up on the U.S. side, so you never drive in Mexico.
- From San Diego you are within reach of the clinic if something feels wrong in the first days.
- If you live in Southern California, you can drive home instead of flying soon after surgery.
- CDC has reported drug-resistant infections after surgery in Tijuana, mostly after weight-loss operations.
- Typical packages send you home on day four, sooner than the CDC's 10 to 14 days before flying.
- Sitting in the border line after abdominal surgery can mean hours in a car.
- Complications after you are home are treated, and paid for, in the U.S.
How xcuro works
- Free for you
You don't pay xcuro anything. If you go ahead with treatment at an xcuro partner clinic, that clinic pays us a referral fee.
- Rankings aren't for sale
Clinics can't pay to be listed, to appear higher or to change their reviews.
- Ratings you can check
Clinic ratings come from Google and Trustpilot, and each one links to its source.
- Prices with sources
Every U.S. price we compare against names its source. Your own quote comes from the clinic in writing.
Gastric sleeve in Tijuana: the short answer
In a sleeve gastrectomy the surgeon removes about 80% of the stomach, leaving a tube about the size and shape of a banana. It cannot be reversed and may cause or worsen reflux (ASMBS). The three Tijuana clinics we list all build their packages around a pickup on the U.S. side.
- VIDA Wellness and Beauty Center (xcuro partner), in Fraccionamiento El Paraíso, says a representative picks you up at San Diego International Airport at no extra cost (VIDA).
- Tijuana Bariatric Center, with offices in Zona Río, operates at CER Hospital and lists ground transportation from San Diego to Tijuana and back (TBC).
- Hospital Azar, in Colonia Aviación, asks for a copy of your passport in advance "to ensure crossing the border is smooth" (Hospital Azar).
Getting there
Fly into San Diego and let the clinic's driver take you across; you do not need a car. Cross Border Xpress, the bridge into Tijuana airport, is only for people flying in or out of Tijuana airport (CBX). Hospital Azar asks patients to land before noon and book the flight home after 2 pm (Hospital Azar).
On the way back, you will cross at San Ysidro or Otay Mesa, both open 24 hours (CBP). Waits can be long and you will be sitting the whole time, so ask the driver to check CBP wait times and whether they use a Ready or medical lane. Ready Lanes need an RFID document, such as a passport card, for everyone 16 and older (CBP); a passport card is not enough to board a flight home from Mexico (CBP).
Your sleeve trip in Tijuana, day by day
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Pickup in San Diego, drive across the border, pre-op tests. Night in a hotel or the hospital (Hospital Azar). |
| Day 2 | Laparoscopic surgery through small incisions. Night in the hospital. Hospital Azar says the operation typically takes under an hour and it offers more than 30 hours of hospital care (Hospital Azar); VIDA's package includes one hospital night and one night in its recovery boutique (VIDA). |
| Day 3 | Leak test before discharge. Hospital Azar says it runs three, one of them a contrast X-ray (Hospital Azar). |
| Day 4 | Driver to San Diego. If you can, stay nearby a few more days or drive home rather than fly the same day. |
| Day 5–14 | The CDC advises delaying air travel for 10 to 14 days after major surgery because flying raises the risk of blood clots (CDC). Ask your surgeon how to lower that risk if you must fly sooner. |
The ASMBS also warns that "prolonged traveling after bariatric surgery may increase the risk of deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and other perioperative complications" (ASMBS). A San Diego hotel for a few nights, within reach of the clinic, is a reasonable middle ground.
Is Tijuana safe for weight-loss surgery?
The State Department rates all of Mexico Level 2, “Exercise Increased Caution” (May 29, 2026), for terrorism, crime and kidnapping. The advisory says some areas have higher risk, notes that conditions "can vary widely from state to state and even within a state", and asks U.S. citizens to use Uber or regulated taxis and to avoid travel between cities after dark (State Department). A clinic driver from San Diego straight to the hospital and back keeps you inside that advice.
The full advisory also rates each Mexican state. It puts Baja California, the state that includes Tijuana, at Level 3, “Reconsider travel”, because of terrorism, crime and kidnapping, and it notes “high homicide numbers in the non-tourist areas of Tijuana”, most of which “appear to be targeted”. It sets no extra travel restrictions for U.S. government employees in Tijuana. (State Department, archived June 30, 2026).
The medical record matters more. Since July 2020, CDC has received eight reports of a highly drug-resistant Pseudomonas infection after procedures in Mexico; six were in Tijuana, at different facilities, and most patients had weight-loss surgery (CDC). CDC says there is no evidence of an ongoing outbreak linked to one facility, but ask every clinic how it prevents and treats surgical-site infections. Read Is it safe to get a gastric sleeve in Mexico? and our Tijuana city guide.
How to check a bariatric surgeon and hospital in Tijuana
- Licence. Look up the surgeon's cédula profesional in the national registry of professionals (SEP), and ask for the specialist cédula in general surgery.
- The hospital. Ask which hospital you will be in and whether it has an intensive care unit, imaging and interventional radiology: the ASMBS says some medical-tourism facilities lack them (ASMBS).
- Your records. Ask for the operative report in English. The ASMBS notes that U.S. surgeons may be reluctant to treat complications when no operative report is available.
- Complications. Ask in writing who pays, and where you are treated, if you have a leak after you are home.
Our list of questions to ask a clinic has more.
After the sleeve: follow-up at home
About a third of patients need another procedure, operation or hospital stay within five years of weight-loss surgery, according to the NIDDK (NIDDK). Find a U.S. doctor or bariatric program that will see you before you book, and bring your records home. The CDC warns that follow-up care for complications can be expensive and may not be covered by insurance (CDC).
Medicines bought in Mexico are a separate problem: CBP says that in most cases it is illegal for U.S. citizens to bring back drugs bought abroad (CBP). Ask for a prescription you can fill at a U.S. pharmacy, especially for acid reducers and vitamins you will take for months.
Related guides
Gastric Sleeve (Sleeve Gastrectomy) doctors in Tijuana
If something goes wrong after gastric sleeve (sleeve gastrectomy) in Mexico
Emergency? In the U.S., call 911; in Mexico, call 911 (not all operators speak English). Then tell the clinic in writing.
Get help now if you notice these after weight-loss surgery
- Trouble breathing, chest pain or a racing heart: call 911.
- A temperature above 100°F for more than 4 hours: call your surgeon today.
- Not able to drink enough fluids, or not able to eat or drink: call your surgeon today.
- Vomiting after eating, or pain your medicine does not help: call your surgeon today.
- Yellow skin or eyes, or a swelling leg: call your surgeon today.
Where to complain in Mexico
- CONAMED (Comisión Nacional de Arbitraje Médico): Complaints about care from public or private doctors, hospitals and clinics; free conciliation and, if both sides agree, arbitration.Fill in CONAMED's PDF complaint guide (Guía para presentar una queja) and email it with ID and copies of medical documents to primera_atencion@conamed.gob.mx, or file in person or by post in Mexico City. Spanish only. For care in another state, CONAMED points you to that state's commission. Nothing on its pages excludes non-residents, but we could not confirm that it accepts complaints from patients living abroad.
- State medical arbitration commissions (for Tijuana: Comisión de Arbitraje Médico del Estado de Baja California, CAMEBC): Medical complaints about providers in that state, by conciliation and arbitration.Find the state commission in CONAMED's directory. CAMEBC first refused a complaint from an Oregon patient, saying it lacked jurisdiction; a district judge ordered it to hear the case in September 2026. We could not confirm an official CAMEBC website or online filing route.
- PROFECO (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor): Consumer disputes with businesses, including billing and refunds; the State Department says PROFECO may be able to help resolve disputes over medical services.Online conciliation through Concilianet (registration required) or at a PROFECO office. Spanish only. We could not confirm the procedure for consumers who live outside Mexico.
- COFEPRIS (Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios): Sanitary complaints (denuncia sanitaria) about establishments, including public or private hospitals and clinics operating without proper licensing or in unsafe conditions. It does not award compensation.Online form in the Denuncias Sanitarias section of gob.mx/cofepris (official guide dated May 28, 2026); the complainant's details are kept confidential from the clinic. Spanish only.
The U.S. embassy keeps a list of local doctors and hospitals.
What to do if something goes wrong: the full guide for U.S. patients →
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need in Tijuana for a gastric sleeve?
Hospital Azar's itinerary runs four days, from pickup in San Diego to the drive back; VIDA's package includes one hospital night and one recovery night. The CDC advises delaying air travel for 10 to 14 days after major surgery, so consider staying near San Diego or driving home.
Do Tijuana sleeve clinics pick you up in San Diego?
The three Tijuana clinics we list say they do: VIDA from San Diego airport, Tijuana Bariatric Center and Hospital Azar with ground transportation from San Diego.
Is gastric sleeve surgery in Tijuana safe?
It depends on the surgeon and hospital. CDC has linked drug-resistant infections to procedures in Tijuana since 2020, mostly after weight-loss surgery, so check the surgeon's licence, the hospital's ICU and how complications are handled.
Can I fly home right after a gastric sleeve in Tijuana?
Packages often book a flight on day four, but the CDC advises delaying air travel 10 to 14 days after major surgery because of blood-clot risk. Ask your surgeon how to lower that risk.
What happens if I have a leak after I get home?
You would need emergency care in the U.S., which can be expensive and may not be covered by insurance, according to CDC. Ask the clinic in writing what it covers and arrange a local bariatric doctor before you go.
Getting to Mexico from the U.S.
Visa. U.S. passport holders travel without a visa for up to 180 days. A passport book is required for air travel, and a tourist permit (FMM, issued digitally at airports) is required on arrival.Official source.
Flights and time zone. The shortest trip of any destination we work with. Nonstop flights to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Cancun from most large U.S. hubs, 2 to 5 hours; Tijuana is reachable on foot from San Diego.
U.S. State Department advisory. Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution (May 29, 2026), due to terrorism, crime and kidnapping. Level 3 – Reconsider Travel: Baja California (Tijuana, Los Algodones) and Jalisco (Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta). Quintana Roo (Cancún): Exercise Increased Caution.Read the advisory.
Before you travel: what the CDC recommends
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes guidance for Americans traveling abroad for medical care. These are its recommendations, not ours.
- Check the qualifications of the clinician who will perform the procedure and the credentials of the facility.
- Bring copies of your medical records, including lab and other test results related to your condition.
- Make sure you can get follow-up care in the United States. Care for complications can be expensive and might not be covered by your health insurance.
- Obtain international travel health insurance that covers medical evacuation back to the United States.
- See your own healthcare provider 4–6 weeks before the trip to discuss risks specific to your health.
Sources
- Bariatric surgery procedures — American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
- Weight-loss surgery travel packages — VIDA Wellness and Beauty Center
- Bariatric surgery Tijuana cost — Tijuana Bariatric Center
- Gastric sleeve surgery in Mexico — Hospital Azar
- About CBX — Cross Border Xpress
- Border wait times and port hours — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Ready Lanes — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Gastric sleeve — VIDA Wellness and Beauty Center
- Medical tourism — CDC Travelers' Health
- Medical tourism — American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
- Mexico Travel Advisory (Level 2, May 29, 2026) — U.S. Department of State
- VIM-CRPA infections after surgery in Mexico — CDC (archived)
- Cédula profesional and Registro Nacional de Profesionistas — Secretaría de Educación Pública (gob.mx)
- Bariatric surgery: side effects — NIDDK, National Institutes of Health
- Prohibited and restricted items: medication — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Mexico Travel Advisory: state summaries (Baja California Level 3), archived copy — U.S. Department of State (via Internet Archive)