Updated November 6, 2026

What Is Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record? Admit Until Date, CBP Lookup, and How to Fix Errors

Form I-94 is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Arrival/Departure Record given to foreign visitors who enter the US, adjust status, or extend their stay. Your US visa stamp only lets you travel to the border and ask to enter, while the Admit Until Date on your Form I-94 sets how long you can legally stay.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) creates this 11-character record electronically when you arrive, and you must leave the US by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on your Admit Until Date.

What is Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record?

Form I-94 is the Arrival/Departure Record issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to nonimmigrant travelers entering the United States for tourism, business, employment, or study, as well as to people adjusting status or extending their stay inside the country. It is your primary proof of legal visitor status. For Form I-9 employment verification, a foreign passport paired with an unexpired Form I-94 containing an endorsement to work for a specific employer serves as a List A document establishing both identity and employment authorization.

Every Form I-94 records four pieces of information that govern your stay: your arrival date, your class of admission (such as B-2, F-1, or H-1B), your departure deadline (the Admit Until Date), and a unique 11-character I-94 number. USCIS also calls this 11-character code your Departure Number or Admission Record Number.

Starting in May 2019, CBP switched from 11-digit numeric I-94 numbers to an 11-character alphanumeric format made up of 9 digits, 1 letter in the 10th position, and 1 digit in the 11th position (such as 012345678A1). Unexpired numeric-only I-94s issued before May 2019 remain valid until their Admit Until Date.

Two DHS agencies issue Form I-94:

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issues Form I-94 electronically when you are inspected and admitted (or paroled) at an air, sea, or land port of entry.
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues a replacement paper Form I-94 attached to the bottom of a Form I-797A approval notice when it approves your application to extend or change nonimmigrant status inside the United States. See our guide on what CBP officers ask at the US border so you know how the officer sets your admission terms.

Visa expiration date vs. Form I-94 Admit Until Date

According to the USCIS Glossary, a U.S. visa issued by the Department of State at an embassy or consulate abroad does not grant the right to enter the United States or decide how long you can stay. The expiration date on your visa sticker only tells you when you may travel to a U.S. port of entry and ask for admission. A CBP immigration inspector decides whether to admit you and records your authorized length of stay on Form I-94.

You must leave the United States on or before the Admit Until Date on your Form I-94, even if your passport visa sticker is valid for years. CBP rules state that if you are still in the United States on the last day of your authorized admission, you must depart by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on your Admit Until Date.

Some nonimmigrant travelers receive "D/S" (Duration of Status) instead of a calendar date on Form I-94. USCIS defines Duration of Status as authorization to remain in the United States for as long as you maintain a valid status. CBP lists examples of D/S classes of admission as F-1 and F-2 students and dependents, J-1 and J-2 exchange visitors, A-1 and A-2 diplomats, G-1 through G-4 international organization representatives, I foreign media representatives, and Compact of Free Association classes (FSM, MIS, PAL).

Staying past a calendar Admit Until Date carries automatic penalties under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA):

• Automatic visa cancellation (INA Section 222(g)): Staying past your I-94 Admit Until Date on a nonimmigrant visa (such as a B1/B2 tourist visa) automatically voids your visa.
• Permanent loss of ESTA: Overstaying under the Visa Waiver Program permanently disqualifies you from ESTA and requires a nonimmigrant visa for all future U.S. travel.
• 1 to 180 days of unlawful presence: Does not trigger a multi-year statutory bar, but cancels your visa and requires you to apply for a new nonimmigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
• 3-year reentry bar (INA Section 212(a)(9)(B)(i)(I)): Remaining unlawfully for 181 to 364 days bars you from traveling to the United States for 3 years.
• 10-year reentry bar (INA Section 212(a)(9)(B)(i)(II)): Remaining unlawfully for 365 days (1 year) or more bars you from traveling to the United States for 10 years.

Who needs Form I-94 (and who is exempt)?

USCIS and CBP state that all persons entering the United States need a Form I-94 except U.S. citizens, returning resident aliens (Lawful Permanent Residents), aliens entering on immigrant visas, and most Canadian citizens visiting or in transit. Dual citizens who hold U.S. citizenship are ineligible for a Provisional I-94 and must travel on their U.S. passport under 22 CFR Part 53.

Three groups follow special border or document rules:

• Canadian citizens: Canadian citizens without a U.S. visa seeking admission as visitors for business or pleasure only need a valid, unexpired Canadian passport for stays of up to 180 days. If entering for employment or school status, a CBP officer issues Form I-94 at the port of entry upon determining admissibility.
• Mexican Border Crossing Card (BCC) holders: Mexican citizens entering with a valid BCC do not need an I-94 if they stay inside the border zone: within 25 miles of the border in California and Texas, within 55 miles (or up to Interstate 10, whichever is further north) in New Mexico, and within 25 miles in Arizona (or within 75 miles in Arizona if entering through the Sasabe, Nogales, Mariposa, Naco, or Douglas land ports).
• Working vessel and aircraft crewmembers (Form I-95): Working alien crewmembers receive Form I-95 (Crewman's Landing Permit) in person at the airport or seaport instead of Form I-94, granting up to 29 days in the United States or until their vessel or aircraft departs, whichever comes first.

How Form I-94 is issued: air, sea, land borders, and the $30 Provisional I-94

CBP automated Form I-94 at air and sea ports on April 30, 2013, and now issues I-94s electronically at land borders as well instead of paper stubs. If you request a paper Form I-94 during inspection, CBP handles it in secondary inspection.

1. Arriving by air or sea. Do not apply in advance. Your I-94 fee is built into your airline or sea ticket, and CBP generates your electronic I-94 automatically at arrival inspection.

2. Arriving by land border or selected ferry (Provisional I-94). If you arrive by land or via the CBP Victoria Preclearance ferry port, CBP encourages you to apply for a Provisional I-94 online at i94.cbp.dhs.gov or on the free CBP Link mobile app up to 7 days before arrival. Visa Waiver Program travelers entering by land must also hold an approved ESTA before arriving.

• Fee increase to $30.00: Effective September 30, 2025, at 1700 EST, the land border I-94 fee increased from $6 to $30.00 ($6 land border fee plus the $24 HR-1 fee) under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) enacted in July 2025. You pay via Pay.gov by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), debit card, or PayPal.
• Group applications and session timeouts: You or a third party can submit and pay for up to 100 Provisional I-94 applications at once interactively or by uploading a .csv file. Each traveler is linked to their own passport or BCC and does not need to cross together. The portal times out after 19 minutes of inactivity, so use "Export Applications" to save a .csv backup.
• In-person appearance within 7 days: A Provisional I-94 is only a receipt and does not guarantee admission. You must appear before a CBP officer within 7 days of applying to give biometrics, complete your interview, and show evidence of your residence, employment, and travel plans. If you do not appear within 7 days, or if your passport or biographical data does not match your application, it expires and you must reapply and pay the non-refundable $30 fee again.

Short trips to Canada or Mexico and USCIS status extensions

3. Short trips to Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands (Automatic Visa Revalidation). Under 8 CFR 214.1(b) and 22 CFR 41.112(d), an unexpired Form I-94 issued under most classes of admission permits multiple entries by land or sea after trips of 30 days or less to Canada, Mexico, or (for F and J visa holders) adjacent islands excluding Cuba. Provided you do not apply for a new visa abroad and retain your original I-94, you do not pay for a new I-94 upon reentry, and the trip does not extend your current Admit Until Date.

4. Changing or extending status inside the U.S. (USCIS Form I-797A). When USCIS approves a change of status, extension of stay, or re-parole request (such as via Form I-129, Form I-539, or Form I-131), it issues a replacement paper Form I-94 attached to the bottom of your Form I-797A approval notice. CBP states that USCIS status updates and extensions do not appear in CBP's online travel history or compliance tools, making that paper tear-off I-94 your controlling record.

How to look up, print, and troubleshoot your electronic Form I-94

You can retrieve and print your electronic Form I-94 for free at i94.cbp.dhs.gov by selecting "Get Most Recent I-94/I-95," or in the CBP Link mobile app using Login.gov. You can print unlimited copies.

Lawfully admitted or paroled travelers can look up their most recent Form I-94 going back to 1983 for most classes, and indefinitely for Duration of Status (D/S), diplomats, and Compact of Free Association classes. However, the portal only shows your single most recently created I-94. Once you re-enter on a later trip, earlier I-94s cannot be retrieved online.

"View Travel History" displays your U.S. arrival and departure dates and ports for the past 10 years, including travel on an expired passport. CBP notes this is an informational tool for nonimmigrants, not a legal record. U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents must submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request at cbp.gov/FOIA (records available from 1982 onward).

How to fix a "No Results" error on the CBP portal, followed by a 5-point arrival audit checklist:

• 1. Use Document Capture or MRZ scan: Click "CAPTURE DOCUMENT" on the site (or "Document Scan" / "Search by photo" in CBP Link) to scan the Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) at the bottom of your passport.
• 2. Match passport MRZ zones: If typing manually, copy your Last/Surname and First (Given) Name exactly from Zones 3 and 4 of your passport MRZ. Replace each chevron (<) between names with a space, include all multiple first or last names, and omit special characters like tildes (~), accent marks (`), or umlauts.
• 3. Check Passport Country of Issuance (MRZ Zone 1): Select the country code in Zone 1 of your MRZ. The country of citizenship on the passport is the issuing authority, even if obtained in a third country.
• 4. Check document numbers: Enter the passport number used at entry (even if expired) and do not swap zero (0) with the letter O, or one (1) with the letter I. Mexican BCC entrants enter their BCC number. Travelers paroled with Form I-862 (Notice to Appear) under class "DT" enter their A-Number in Document Number and "USA" in Country of Citizenship.
• 5. File a CBP Information Center inquiry: If still missing, go to help.cbp.gov, click "Ask Us a Question," select Topic "I-94/Traveler Compliance," choose "Issue with my I-94/Travel History" (or "CHNV" / "Operation Allies Refuge"), and upload a copy of your current passport.
• Arrival audit check (right after entry): Save a PDF and paper copy of your I-94, verify your Class of Admission and Admit Until Date (or "D/S"), confirm your name, birth date (MM/DD/YYYY), and passport number match your MRZ, and contact a CBP Deferred Inspection Site within 30 days of entry if anything is wrong.

How to fix an I-94 error, replace a lost I-94, extend your stay, or record a land exit

1. Fixing a CBP entry error (Deferred Inspection). If CBP recorded wrong information on your Form I-94, I-94W, or I-95 (misspelled name, wrong birth date, improper visa class, or wrong period of admission), USCIS instructs you not to file Form I-102. Contact a CBP port of entry or one of the 70+ CBP Deferred Inspection Sites within 30 days of admission, or submit an inquiry via help.cbp.gov. Any Deferred Inspection Site or airport CBP office can assist you regardless of where you arrived, and several sites accept emailed requests.

2. Replacing a lost paper I-94 or fixing a USCIS error (Form I-102). Electronic air or sea I-94s can be reprinted free at i94.cbp.dhs.gov. If your record is unavailable online, if a paper I-94/I-94W/I-95 was lost, stolen, or mutilated, or if USCIS made an error on a USCIS-issued I-94, file Form I-102 (04/01/24 edition) with a USCIS lockbox. On October 7, 2026, USCIS updated Form I-102 direct filing addresses (with a 30-day grace period accepting forms postmarked on or before November 9, 2026, at prior addresses). Include your passport biographic and admission pages, a police report or explanation letter if stolen, the damaged form if mutilated, or the original form and proof of the USCIS error.

3. Extending your stay (Form I-539 or Form I-129). File Form I-129 (nonimmigrant workers) or Form I-539 with USCIS before your authorized stay expires. USCIS recommends applying at least 45 days before expiration. Travelers admitted under the Visa Waiver Program, as crewmembers (D), in transit (C or TWOV), as a fiancé(e) or dependent (K), or as an informant (S) cannot extend their stay. In extreme emergencies, a local USCIS director or CBP officer at a Deferred Inspection Site may grant Visa Waiver travelers up to a 30-day "Satisfactory Departure" period.

4. Recording a land or sea departure. Airlines report air exits automatically, but land or ferry exits (especially into Mexico) may be missed. If you get CBP's "10 Days Remaining" email after leaving and your exit is missing from "View Travel History," file a redress request with departure proof via help.cbp.gov (Topic "I-94/Traveler Compliance") or DHS TRIP (submit to only one channel). To record a land or sea exit:

• Paper Form I-94: Surrender the stub to your commercial carrier, to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) when entering Canada, or to CBP before entering Mexico.
• Electronic Form I-94 (CBP Link / CBP Home app): Use the voluntary "Verify Departure" feature on the day you exit once you are at least 3 miles outside the U.S. border with location services enabled, a selfie, and your biographical data.
• Backup proof: If you are not a resident of Canada or Mexico and depart by land without returning before your admission expires, keep a CBSA or Mexican INM passport stamp, tickets, pay stubs, or dated receipts.

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This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or any government agency.