The long-familiar Border Crossing Card (BCC), issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to Mexican citizens, will be replaced by a new document to be known as a "laser visa." The laser visa will be issued only by the U.S. Embassy and its Consulates in Mexico. INS-issued Border Crossing Cards, popularly known as "micas" or "passports locales," will continue to be valid until September 30, 1999, but cannot be used after that date.

The INS stops accepting applications for Border Crossing Cards at Border Ports-of-Entry along the U.S.-Mexico border on February 13. The INS will process all applications received through February 13. Mexican citizens who intended to apply at INS offices should instead apply at the U.S. Embassy or a U.S. Consulate, bringing with them a valid passport.

The U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua (across the border from El Paso, Texas), begins issuing the new cards April 1 for residents of the State of Chihuahua. The new cards feature compact disk technology and will be known as "laser visas." Within several months, all U.S. consulates in Mexico and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City will issue the laser visas. Additionally, the Department of State will seek permission from the Mexican government to open temporary offices in several locations to handle the replacement of existing INS Border Crossing Cards.

The laser visas, like Border Crossing Cards, will be issued only to Mexican citizens. Details about when and where to apply for the new document will be announced by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City in the near future.