- Mexican citizens with a DSP-150 Border Crossing Card can enter some land and sea inspections without a passport.
- Travel limits are strict: Texas and California allow 25 miles from the border, while Arizona allows 75 miles.
- Without Form I-94, stays are limited to 30 days, and air travel still requires a valid passport.
Mexican citizens carrying a DSP-150 can cross from Mexico without showing a passport in some land and sea inspections, but the card does not open all of Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona. Not even close.
The Border Crossing Card works as a B-1/B-2 visa in card form, so it can satisfy the visa requirement for certain short border trips. It is not a substitute for every journey. Air travel is different. A valid passport still rules those crossings.
The geographic limits are narrow, and they change by state. Texas and California allow movement only 25 miles from the border, New Mexico reaches 55 miles from the border or up to Interstate 10, whichever is farther north, and Arizona reaches 75 miles. Those are not open-ended travel rights. They are border corridors.
The stay limit is just as tight. Without the arrival record, the visit tops out at 30 days. Once a traveler needs to go farther or stay longer, Form I-94 returns, and the total fee is $30 as of September 30, 2025. The card does not erase that second step.
The document itself is built for repeat crossers. It is a laminated, credit-card-sized biometric card, and the current fee is about $185 USD. Its validity lasts 10 years. Some travelers also call it the Laser Visa.
Border officers still inspect each traveler at the port of entry. Admission remains a decision at the border, not a promise the card itself makes. The document opens a lane. It does not guarantee the outcome.
The card fits routine border traffic. Residents of Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez and Matamoros use it for short runs into San Diego, El Paso and Brownsville. Those trips can be ordinary. The limits are not.
The card stops at 25, 55 and 75 miles
| State or territory | Distance limit without the arrival record | Stay limit |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 25 miles | up to 30 days |
| California | 25 miles | up to 30 days |
| New Mexico | 55 miles from the border or up to Interstate 10, whichever is farther north | up to 30 days |
| Arizona | 75 miles | up to 30 days |
A valid Mexican passport sits at the start of the application process. It is required before the document is issued. The card comes later, after that first step is done.
