Crossing the Border
Although the ticket agent at the Tucson TAP Royal told me that we would not have to get off the bus in Nogales, she was incorrect.
On my first bus trip to Navojoa, which was at night, we crossed the border at the DeConcini Border Crossing in downtown Nogales. On my second trip, which was during the day, we crossed at the Mariposa Port of Entry, a couple miles north of DeConcini.
I don’t know how often which bus crosses at which crossing, or what the inspection routine typically is, but I think that in the two trips I got a good idea of what you might expect from a Mexican Customs border crossing inspection..
Everything Off
On my first trip, the bus stopped at the Mexican customs station located just across the border. Everyone had to disembark, all of the luggage was removed from the baggage storage area, and everyone had to place their suitcases and bags on the conveyor belt of an x-ray machine.
After everything had been inspected, the bags were loaded back into storage and everyone got back onto the bus for the short ride to the Nogales, Mexico bus station.
Everybody Off, with Selective Inspection
On the second trip, with what I think is the more typical cross-border bus inspection, everyone got off the bus at the Mexican Customs inspection station located just past the toll booths on the Nogales toll highway.
We all lined up behind a stoplight to push the button, after which a green light (Pase) or red light (Revision) was displayed. For anyone who got the red light, their bags were removed from the bus for a manual inspection by the customs official.
After that, we all got back on the bus for the trip to the Nogales, Mexico bus station.