Checking a US border crossing card: 4 checkpoints

The U.S. Border Crossing Card is an identification document used by Mexican citizens to enter the United States. This standalone document allows its holder to visit designated U.S. border areas when entering by land or sea directly from Mexico, for a maximum duration of 30 days. (source Wikipedia).

So, how can you verify a U.S. Border Crossing Card and ensure the presented document is authentic? Find the answer in this article!

The first step when verifying a U.S. Border Crossing Card, if you have access to the original document, is to assess its overall appearance: it should not show any signs of cutting, peeling, alteration, or correction.

Pay close attention to the area around the photo in particular.

The U.S. Border Crossing Card follows the ID-1 format, the size of a credit card, similar to the new biometric identity cards.

The second step when verifying a U.S. Border Crossing Card online is to check the consistency of the information displayed on the document.

The document number can be found on the first line of the MRZ band:

The U.S. visa number can also be found on the first line of the MRZ band:

The holder’s date of birth can be found in two distinct locations: in the middle of the front side of the card, and at the beginning of the second MRZ line in YYMMDD format:

Same goes for the holder’s full name, which can be found on the front of the card and on the third line of the MRZ:

The holder’s gender is denoted by “M” for male and “F” for female. This information is available on the front side and in the second MRZ line:

Lastly, the expiration date is another piece of information that appears twice on the card: once on the front and once on the second MRZ line in YYMMDD format:

The lower part of the U.S. Border Crossing Card consists of three lines that repeat the information shown on the card, with control keys that help prevent reading errors or forgeries.

1. Document Type: 2 characters, code indicating the document type, represented by the letters “VB”.
2. Issuing Country: 3 characters, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the issuing country, “USA” for the United States.
3. Card Number: 9 characters, unique identifier of the card.
4. Check Digit: 1 character, checksum for the card number.
5. End of Line: 15 characters, internal administrative codes, padded with the “<” symbol.

1. Date of Birth: 6 characters, year, month, and day in YYMMDD format.
2. Check Digit: 1 character, checksum for the date of birth.
3. Gender: 1 character, “M” for male, “F” for female.
4. Expiration Date: 6 characters, in YYMMDD format.
5. Check Digit: 1 character, checksum for expiration date.
6. Country Code: 3 characters, ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the holder’s nationality (i.e., “MEX”).
7. Internal Number: 11 characters, internal number used by the administration.
8. Final Check Digit: 1 character, checksum for a combination of line 1 (positions 6–15), line 2 (positions 1–7 and 9–15).

1. Holder’s Full Name: last name followed by first name(s), separated by double chevrons (<<). Compound names or multiple first names are separated by a single chevron (<). Spaces and apostrophes are replaced with a chevron (<), names are truncated to 30 characters if needed, and any accent marks are removed. The line is then padded with chevrons to complete it.

A U.S. Border Crossing Card contains 4 control digits (also called check digits or security keys) that validate the preceding data fields.

These keys help prevent transcription errors or tampering, whether accidental or deliberate.

The algorithm used to generate and validate check digits is standardized across all identity documents: each character has a numerical value, which is multiplied by a position-based weight (7, 3, or 1).

Digits retain their natural value (“0” = 0, “1” = 1, …, “9” = 9), the chevron “<” has a value of 0, and letters have values starting from 10 (“A” = 10, “B” = 11, …, “Z” = 35).

Let’s take the check digit for the date of birth shown in the example above:

The string to validate is: “810505”.

To compute the check digit, proceed as follows:

– “8” has a value of 8 and is in the first position, so multiply by 7: 8 * 7 = 56

– “1” → 1 * 3 = 3 → 56 + 3 = 59

– “0” → 0 * 1 = 0 → 59 + 0 = 59

– “5” * 7 = 35 → 59 + 35 = 94

– “0” * 3 = 0 → 94 + 0 = 94

– “5” * 1 = 5 → 94 + 5 = 99

We then calculate the modulo 10 of 99 (i.e., the remainder of the division of 99 by 10), which equals “9”.

The check digit is therefore valid as it matches the value printed on the document.

The document includes various security features that help confirm its authenticity.

This is the last and most time-consuming step in verifying a U.S. Border Crossing Card.

A next-generation holographic device is used to protect the cardholder’s photo.

This element changes color depending on the viewing angle:

An embedded electronic chip allows for contactless reading of the document’s information.

Laser-engraved raised characters can be found on the upper left of the front side:

Some features are visible only under UV light, which requires specialized equipment (not suitable for online verification).

This ink changes color depending on the viewing angle.

Laser-engraved raised characters appear on the top right of the back side:

Some elements on the back are also visible only under ultraviolet light.

You now have all the keys to verify a U.S. Border Crossing Card online and ensure it is authentic!

No need for specialized equipment—just some vigilance and time to avoid the most common frauds encountered in daily use.