Old Mexican Border Crossing Cards Are Valid Until October 1, 2002

As part of the Enhanced Border Security Act, the INS announced that the older, non-biometric Mexican Border Crossing Card will be valid until October 1, 2002. The U.S. Department of State has issued over five million new cards since April 1998 and encourages Mexican nationals to apply as soon as possible for the new biometric BCC, Form DSP-150. The new biometric BCC was mandated by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. With the enactment of the Enhanced Border Security Act, holders of the old border crossing cards, Form I-186 or I-586, now have until October 1, 2002, to replace them with the new biometric, machine-readable cards (DSP-150). This document has a photo and machine-readable biometric information. Beginning October 1, 2002, the old BCC will no longer be a valid entry document.

With passage of the new law, those persons seeking admission to the United States must possess one of the following:

• The old border crossing card, Form I-186 or I-586 (until October 1, 2002);
• A valid biometric, machine readable, B1-B2 visa/BCC (DSP-150);
• A B1/B2 visa and BCC combination document issued by DOS before 1998, where the visa is still valid, along with a valid passport; or
• Other valid visa and passport.

The U.S. Department of State has been accepting applications for the new document since April 1, 1998. To schedule an appointment for issuance of the card, applicants must call a toll fee number in Mexico (01-900-849-4949). The posts that are accepting biometric BCC applications are located in Mexico City, Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Merida, Matamoros, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana, and at the Tijuana and the Mexicali Temporary Processing Facilities. Visa information is available at no charge on the U.S. Embassy homepage.

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