Updated November 11, 2026

B-2 visitor visa: entry rules, Form I-94 status, and how to extend your stay

The B-2 classification is for temporary visitors for pleasure in the United States, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers determine your admissibility and authorized stay upon arrival, recorded on your electronic Form I-94. If you need more time in the US, USCIS recommends applying to extend your stay using Form I-539 at least 45 days before the expiration date shown on your Form I-94. If you were admitted under B-1 business visitor status and want to stay for pleasure before your authorized stay expires, USCIS states you do not need to apply to change your status.

How B-2 visitor status compares to B-1 and the Visa Waiver Program

Nonimmigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals who intend to remain in the United States for a temporary period. The State Department explains that B-2 visitor visas are for individuals traveling temporarily for tourism, vacation, or visiting family and friends. Within the visitor categories, USCIS identifies B-2 as a temporary visitor for pleasure and B-1 as a temporary visitor for business, including B-1A, B-1B, B-1C, and B-1D classifications.

By comparison, the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), administered by the Department of Homeland Security in consultation with the State Department, permits citizens of 42 countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. In return, those 42 countries must permit US citizens and nationals to travel to their countries for a similar length of time without a visa for business or tourism.

VWP travelers must use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), an automated system that determines eligibility to travel under the program. For VWP travelers arriving at a US land border, an approved ESTA is required for entry and must be obtained prior to arrival. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel, though CBP recommends applying as soon as you begin preparing travel plans or prior to purchasing airline tickets.

Comparison of B-2, B-1, and Visa Waiver Program rules from uscis.gov and cbp.gov

What happens at the US port of entry

Holding a visa or an approved ESTA does not guarantee entry into the United States. All persons arriving at a US port of entry are subject to inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. CBP officers conduct the immigration, customs, and agriculture components of the inspections process, as referenced in 8 CFR 235.

Travelers seeking to lawfully enter the United States must establish their admissibility to the satisfaction of the CBP officer during this inspection. The grounds under which a traveler applying for admission could be found inadmissible are set out in INA section 212(a). If you have questions about whether you will be deemed admissible before you travel, CBP advises seeking legal counsel, as the agency cannot provide legal advice to the public.

If a CBP officer determines that you are inadmissible, you could, in certain circumstances, be placed into removal proceedings. Alternatively, an officer may, in their sole discretion, permit you to withdraw your application for admission. A determination of inadmissibility may impact your future admissibility and may result in the cancellation of your visa, if you have one.

• Health-related grounds: Under INA section 212(a)(1)(A), travelers with certain health-related issues may be inadmissible. If necessary, a CBP officer may refer an arriving traveler to a panel physician and provide a list of panel physicians for a physical or mental evaluation before the traveler again presents themselves for admission.
• One-year validity for medical evaluations: The panel physician notifies CBP of the examination results so CBP can make an admissibility determination. A panel physician evaluation is valid for only one year, so if more than a year has passed since a previous examination, a new examination will likely be necessary.
• Deferred inspection: If your documentation requires additional review or possible correction upon arrival, CBP operates more than 70 Deferred Inspection Sites throughout the United States and outlying territories where incoming travelers may be referred.

Checking your Form I-94 arrival and departure record

Your authorized status and the exact date your authorized stay expires are shown in the lower right-hand corner of your Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record, or on the admission stamp in your travel document. Foreign visitors to the US no longer need to complete paper CBP Form I-94 cards, including at land borders, where CBP issues I-94 records electronically rather than handing out a paper stub.

CBP gathers arrival and departure information automatically from electronic travel records. Travelers who need to prove their legal visitor status to employers, schools, universities, or government agencies can retrieve their I-94 number and record online through the CBP I-94 website or by using the CBP Link mobile application. Visa Waiver Program travelers are also encouraged to use the I-94 website or CBP Link mobile app to apply for an I-94 in advance.

Beginning in May 2019, CBP switched I-94 numbers from numeric-only to an alphanumeric format to prevent the depletion of numbers. I-94 numbers remain 11 characters long and follow a format of 9 digits, followed by a letter in the 10th position, and a digit in the 11th position. Unexpired numeric-only I-94 records continue to be valid until the Admit Until Date printed on a paper I-94 or displayed on the I-94 website.

• How to get a printout: If you want a paper copy of your Form I-94, you can print your own from the CBP I-94 website using the Get Most Recent I-94 option, or access the same option in the CBP Link mobile app. You may also request a paper form during inspection, which CBP accommodates in a secondary setting.
• Leaving by air or sea: When you depart the United States by air or sea, CBP records your departure electronically through manifest information provided by the commercial carrier or by CBP.
• Leaving by land: If you received an electronic I-94 upon arrival by air, sea, or land and then depart via land, your departure may not be recorded accurately unless you re-enter the United States prior to the expiration date stamped in your passport.
• Evidence of land departure: If you are not a resident of Canada or Mexico, hold an electronic I-94, depart by land, and do not re-enter the US before the expiration date stamped in your passport, CBP advises traveling with evidence of your departure into Canada or Mexico. Acceptable evidence includes entry stamps in a passport (which you can request from the Canada Border Services Agency or Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migracion), transportation tickets, pay stubs, or other receipts.
• Surrendering a paper I-94: If you were issued a paper Form I-94, you should surrender it to the commercial carrier, the Canadian Border Services Agency, or CBP upon departure. CBP also offers the Verify My Exit (VME) mobile capability for non-US citizen travelers to biometrically record their departure.

How to extend your B-2 stay with Form I-539

If your original reason for coming to the United States changes or you want to extend your stay, you must file a request with USCIS before your authorized stay expires. B-2 visitors apply to extend their stay using Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. USCIS recommends that you apply at least 45 days before your authorized stay expires, or as soon as you determine you need to extend or change your status.

Pursuant to a September 14, 2026 order by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, et al., v. DHS, 26-cv-13799), USCIS continues to accept the 08/28/24 edition of Form I-539 and is not accepting the 09/15/26 edition. If you mail a paper form, make sure the 08/28/24 edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages, that all pages belong to the same edition, and that you sign the form. USCIS rejects unsigned forms or applications missing required fields.

If you remain in the United States longer than authorized, or violate the terms of your status such as by working without authorization, you fall out of status. Staying beyond the period granted at admission may negatively affect your ability to obtain other benefits or return to the US later, and you may be barred from returning or removed (deported) from the United States. If you fall out of status, USCIS recommends leaving the United States to limit the possible impact on your ability to come back in the future.

• Core eligibility for a B-2 extension: You were lawfully admitted into the United States with a nonimmigrant visa, your nonimmigrant visa status remains valid, you have not violated the conditions of your admission, you have not committed any crimes that make you ineligible for a visa or immigration benefit, and your passport is valid and will remain valid for the entire requested period of stay.
• Categories that cannot extend stay: You may not apply to extend your stay if you were admitted under the Visa Waiver Program (WT or WB), as a crew member (D visa), in transit through the US (C visa), in transit without a visa (TWOV), as a fiance(e) of a US citizen or dependent (K-1 or K-2 visa), or as an informant on terrorism or organized crime (S visa).
• Required fields to avoid automatic rejection on Form I-539: You must complete Part 1 (Family Name, Mailing Address, Date of Birth, and Current nonimmigrant status) and Part 2 (Application Type item 1, 2, or 3.a, the status requested in 3.b or 3.c, and Total number of People Included in This Application). On Supplemental Form I-539A, Part 1 must include the person's Family Name.
• When USCIS may excuse a late filing: Failure to file before your Form I-94 expiration date may be excused only if you demonstrate when filing that the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control, the length of the delay was reasonable, you have not otherwise violated your status, you are still a bona fide nonimmigrant, and you are not in removal proceedings.

Filing Form I-539 online versus by mail, and how to pay

USCIS allows eligible B-1 and B-2 visitors to file Form I-539 online or by paper mail. Filing online puts your application into the processing queue faster than mail delivery, ensures you are using the right form edition, gives you a near-instant receipt notification in your USCIS online account, and lets you receive biometrics notices, check status updates, and respond to requests for evidence online.

However, online filing has a strict single-applicant condition. You may file Form I-539 online only if you are applying solely for yourself, without co-applicants (or if you are a legal or accredited representative filing for a single client without co-applicants). If you apply as part of a family, you have two choices: apply together on a paper Form I-539 (using Form I-539A for each co-applicant) and pay a single filing fee, or apply online as separate individuals and pay a filing fee for each application.

You can verify the exact filing fee on the USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055, edition 10/26/26). Each application must include the proper fee unless you are fee-exempt (listed with no fee on Form G-1055) or eligible for a fee waiver on Form I-912. If the fee is wrong, USCIS rejects the filing, and filing fees are not refunded if a case is denied. For most forms, you cannot request a fee waiver when filing online and must mail a paper Form I-912 along with a paper application.

• Paying online: Online Form I-539 applications are paid through Pay.gov during submission.
• Paying by mail: When mailing a paper application to a USCIS Lockbox, you can pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions), or directly from a US bank account using Form G-1650 (Authorization for ACH Transactions). If you qualify for an exemption from electronic payment, you must include a completed and signed Form G-1651 (Exemption for Paper Fee Payment).
• Paying at a USCIS office: Cash can never be used to pay a filing or biometric services fee. Office payments must go through Pay.gov by card or by electronic funds transfer from a US bank using Form G-1650.
• Public Law 119-21 fees: Form G-1055 notes that certain forms carry additional statutory fees under Public Law 119-21 that adjust annually, cannot be waived, and must be paid by separate concurrent payment where applicable.

Changing from B-1 or B-2 to another nonimmigrant status

If you arrived in the United States in B-1 business visitor status and wish to remain in the United States for pleasure before your authorized stay expires, USCIS states that you do not need to apply to change your nonimmigrant status. Your existing admission covers the switch to pleasure for the remainder of your authorized stay.

If you are in B-2 tourist status and want to change the purpose of your visit, such as becoming an academic student (F-1) or vocational student (M-1), you must file an application to change your status with USCIS before your authorized stay expires. Do not assume your new status is approved while you wait, and do not change your activity until USCIS grants approval. Specifically, if you are currently a nonimmigrant tourist, you must not begin attending school as a student until you have received authorization from USCIS to change your status.

Even if you are approved for another status that begins in the future, USCIS requires that you file a Form I-539 to bridge any gap that might arise between the expiration of your current B-2 status and the start date of your future status. Certain employment-based extensions or changes of status (including E-1, E-2, E-3 principals, H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, L-1, O-1, O-2, P, Q-1, R-1, and TN principals) must be filed by an employer on Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, rather than on Form I-539, though eligible dependents of E, H, L, O, P, R, and TN principals do use Form I-539.

• Spouses and children who can study without changing status: You do not need to apply to change status to attend school if you are the lawfully admitted spouse or child of an A, E, G, H, I, J, or L nonimmigrant. Spouses and children of F or M students may attend elementary, middle, or high school without changing status, but must apply for a change of status to attend post-secondary school full-time.
• Categories barred from changing status on Form I-539: Travelers admitted under the Visa Waiver Program, or in C, D, K, or S status, cannot apply to change nonimmigrant status (unless applying for T status on Form I-914 or U status on Form I-918). Vocational students (M-1) cannot change status to F-1, or to any H status if their US vocational training provided the qualifications for the H position.
• J-1 exchange visitor restrictions: A J-1 visitor admitted for graduate medical training cannot change status without a special waiver, and a J-1 visitor subject to the foreign residence requirement without a waiver may only apply to change to A or G status (unless filing for T or U status).

Customs, agriculture, and currency declarations at arrival

Every B-2 visitor undergoes customs and agriculture checks during CBP inspection at the airport, seaport, or land border. All travelers entering the United States are required to declare meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, animals, plant and animal products (including soup or soup products), and any biological materials. Your declaration must cover all items in checked baggage, carry-on luggage, on your person, or in a vehicle, and can be made orally to CBP personnel or in the CBP mobile application.

Prohibited agricultural items that are not declared are confiscated and disposed of by CBP agriculture specialists, and civil penalties for failing to declare prohibited agricultural products for non-commercial quantities may range up to one thousand dollars per first-time offense (cbp.gov, as of April 2026). Commercial quantities carry much higher rates, and the same fines apply to prohibited items sent through international mail. No soil or earth of any kind is allowed into the US without an advance USDA permit, though pure decorative beach sand in a small container is usually allowed. If you visited a farm or ranch abroad, agriculture specialists may examine and disinfect your shoes or clothing.

For money and monetary instruments, it is legal to transport any amount into or out of the United States. However, if you transport, attempt to transport, or cause to be transported currency or other monetary instruments in a combined amount exceeding ten thousand dollars or its foreign equivalent at one time into or out of the United States, you must declare it on your Customs Declaration Form (CBP Form 6059B) upon entry and file a FinCEN Form 105 (Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments) on paper or electronically with CBP. Family members residing in one household who submit a joint declaration must declare if they collectively carry more than ten thousand dollars, and are prohibited from dividing currency among group members to avoid having any single member carry more than ten thousand dollars.

Practice example

What is the purpose of your visit to the United States, how long are you staying, and what are you bringing with you today?

State the specific pleasure or tourism purpose of your trip in one clear sentence, and give your exact departure date so the CBP officer can see that your planned stay is temporary and fits the B-2 visitor category. Have your passport valid for the duration of your stay and your return or onward travel details ready to show if requested. If you have visited the US before and departed by land into Canada or Mexico, keep proof of that timely departure (such as border entry stamps, transportation tickets, or receipts) in your carry-on folder in case your electronic I-94 exit was not recorded automatically. Next, answer the customs and agriculture part of the question directly. Declare out loud any meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, soup products, or other food and biological items in your bags, and let the officer know if you or your household members are carrying currency or monetary instruments totaling more than the reporting threshold so you can complete CBP Form 6059B and FinCEN Form 105.

CBP officers conduct immigration, customs, and agriculture checks during the port-of-entry inspection to verify your admissibility under INA section 212(a), set the expiration date on your electronic Form I-94, and confirm you have declared all restricted items and reportable currency.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.