Nogales is located 60 miles south of Tucson, Arizona and 140 miles north of Hermosillo, Sonora on the US/Arizona-Sonora and Mexico border. The US Consulate in Nogales is most convenient for persons staying in Arizona (such as Phoenix, Tucson) or any nearby states for visa stamping.

Before making arrangements to go to Nogales, check out the consular holidays. Consulate office hours are from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday, except on U.S. Federal holidays and on Mexican holidays.

If you are not from the Phoenix or Tucson area, you can fly to any of those airports. It is best to take a rental car from there and drive to the US/Mexico border.

The nearest town to the US border is Nogales, AZ on the US side. Interstate I-19 goes to Nogales, AZ. When you are near the end of I-19, you will start noticing signs directing you to the international border. You will also see pay & park spots. Most of them charge around $4/day. There is plenty of parking space available. However, it is best to park as close to the border as possible. The closest parking lot is the UETA parking, which is pretty safe.

You can stay overnight at nearby hotels, such as Best Western, on the US side and cross the border to Mexico in the morning after parking car on the US side. Signs to the border are posted everywhere. You can also ask the parking lot attendant to guide you.

Make sure to eat a breakfast before going to Mexico. Many hotels, such as Best Western, even provide a complementary breakfast.

The US Consulate is about 5 kilometers from the border. It may cost you around $7 in a cab. You can tell the cab driver to take you to "Americano Consulado." As US Dollars are accepted everywhere, you don't need to do a currency exchange.

As most people in Mexico don't speak English, it is advised to make a cheat sheet with translations for common words and numbers. As it is generally hot and dusty, it is advisable to drink lots of water and try to remain under a shade.

Crossing the border into Mexico is straightforward and easy. Generally, no documents are required or checked. If you have a visa, enter the immigration and get it signed. You can also just pay $22 and walk into Mexico.

Banamex (bank for getting the demand draft) is located right next to the border. There is also another one conveniently located right next to the US Consulate in Mexico.

The bank opens at 9:30 AM. Even if your interview is scheduled at 9:00 AM, you don't have to worry about arriving one day in advance to make it to the interview on time. You can go to the bank at 9:30 AM, and if you reach the consulate around 10:00 AM, that is fine. You should not have any trouble with that.

You will see a huge Coca-Cola sign on the left of the Banamex (it was there at the time of writing this. It may not always be there.) Walk in that direction, cross the road, stay on the right and turn right at the first intersection. As you walk further, you will see Banamex on the right. If you think you are lost, you can just ask someone about "Banamex Banco" and they will guide you. After reaching Banamex, you collect a token and wait for your turn. You should let the person at the counter know that you want to pay for the US Visa fee and hand over the money and passport. Keep the receipt in the passport to give at the consulate.

Alternatively, you can get the demand draft in advance by using the services provided from agents like Victor Garcia.

Whether you should stay overnight in Mexico for a morning appointment or stay overnight in Arizona and cross the border the next morning really depends upon how comfortable you are staying in Mexico.

You can practically walk to the consulates from these hotels in Mexico, if you wish.

Marque's D'Cima Hotel
Carr. Internacional KM 4.5,
Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
Phone: +52-631-311-2000

Hotel Granada
Av. Lopez Mateos
Y Calle Gonzalez
Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
Phone: +52-631-311-3000

Caribbean Hotel
This costs around $50 and rooms are good. The restaurant in the hotel is good as well.

Fray Marcos is closer to the border and there are petty shops there.

Another hotel towards the end of the city is Fiesta Inn. This hotel is comparatively expensive; around $80 per night. Rooms are pretty good and they also provide a shuttle service to the US Consulate, which drops you off in front of the consulate at 8:30 AM.

A cab ride to the consulate to or from this hotel is around $8. It is always wise to fix the rates before you get into the cab.

You should either leave all electronics items at the hotel or expect to pay the security personnel to hold onto things like your cell phone. Alternatively, you can ask the nearby stall person to hold your bags and pay them $1.

Your belongings (like your transparent bag for visa papers, etc.) will be scanned through the X-ray as you walk through the metal detector. You will be given a token number once you are inside. You can sit in the group facing "biometrics". When your number flashes, you can go to the respecitve counter, like in DMV. Once your number is called, you will be finger printed, photographed and will be asked to wait for the interview. You then have to sit in the next group facing the interview counters. When your number flashes, go to the respective counter and hand over the stapled documents to the visa officer.

If your visa is approved, you will be given a blue slip and you will be asked to return the same day at 3:00 PM to collect the passport with stamped visa. However, you will get a letter that says:
"Your visa has been approved. Normal processing time after approval for your category of visa is up to three business days. Please return today at 3:00 PM at the reception window, as visas are sometimes available earlier than the third business day. There is no waiting space available inside the building. You will have to leave and return to pick up your visa. If your visa is not ready today, please return tomorrow or the next business day at 3:00 PM."

Don't go to the consulate too much in advance of 3:00 PM as security will not let anyone stand near the consulate, and they don't understand English. You can sit in the bus station near the consulate or walk around the "LEY" supermarket. If you are a vegetarian, you will have to walk to the Peter Piper Pizza place to get a vegetarian pizza for $16. Even though the area is relatively safe, it is dusty like in India. As you will be carrying all your documents, which can be very heavy, walking up and down the elevations may be very tiring.

Crossing the border back into the US is quite time consuming. You may have to wait for an hour or more in line to get your I-94. You will be asked for your current address, fingerprinted, and photographed. You will be issued a new I-94. The fee is $6 for each I-94. Please remember to keep exact change. Also, make sure to check the I-94 for accuracy as errors are quite possible.

By the time you cross the border after collecting the I-94, it will be around 5:30 PM. The drive to the nearest airport in Tucson is around an hour and fifteen minutes. Don't book any flights out of Tucson before 7:30 PM. There are many more flights from Phoenix than Tucson.