How to Get Your Official Travel History Records

To get your official U.S. travel history records, foreign visitors can pull their I-94 arrival and departure data instantly from the CBP website, and anyone — citizen or not — can file a Freedom of Information Act request with Customs and Border Protection for a complete, legally authoritative entry-and-exit history going back to 1982. Which route you use depends on your citizenship, how far back you need to look, and whether you need a quick reference or a document that will stand up in an immigration filing or court proceeding.

The Fast Route for Foreign Visitors: The I-94 Website

The I-94 is the arrival and departure record CBP issues to foreign visitors admitted to the United States. It proves lawful admission and shows when your authorized stay expires. Since 2013, CBP has generated it electronically by scanning your passport at the port of entry, so there is no paper form to hunt down.

Go to i94.cbp.dhs.gov and enter your name, date of birth, passport number, and issuing country. You’ll see your most recent admission date, class of admission (for example, B-1/B-2 for business or tourism), and your “admitted until” date. You can print the record and give it to employers, schools, or agencies as proof of status.¹

The same site has a Travel History tool that lists your U.S. arrivals and departures over the past ten years. It’s useful for counting days in the country or reconstructing a timeline for an immigration application. One important limit: CBP labels this travel history as a tool to help you, not an official record for legal purposes. If you need something authoritative, file a FOIA request instead.²

Most I-94 records reach back to 1983 for standard admission classes. Some categories, including diplomats and people admitted under Compacts of Free Association, may have older records available.²

The Full Official Record: Filing a FOIA Request With CBP

A FOIA request to CBP gets you the most complete record available: entries and departures back to 1982, plus any apprehension, detention, or secondary inspection records CBP holds. It works for both U.S. citizens and non-citizens. CBP does not have entry or exit records for travel before 1982.³

How to File

As of January 22, 2026, CBP no longer accepts FOIA requests by mail, fax, or email. Requests must go through the CBP SecureRelease portal or through FOIA.gov.⁴

When you’re asking for your own records, provide your full name, mailing address, and date of birth. You also need to submit either a signed Certification of Identity form or a written statement under penalty of perjury with your signature or notarized verification. Adding identifiers like your Alien Registration Number, previous addresses, and every passport number you’ve held will help CBP find your file faster.³

How Long It Takes and What It Costs

Federal agencies must make an initial determination on a FOIA request within 20 business days, though that clock can be extended for unusually large requests or ones that require searching field offices or coordinating with other agencies.⁵

Real-world timing is different. CBP’s most recent published data shows simple requests averaged about 7 working days, and complex requests averaged roughly 127 working days. If a visa renewal or immigration filing has you on a deadline, submit the request well in advance.⁶

For personal record requests, the first two hours of search time and the first 100 pages of duplication are free. Most travel history requests come in under those limits and cost nothing. If yours is unusually large, CBP will notify you of estimated fees before proceeding.⁷

Having an Attorney or Someone Else File for You

An attorney or other authorized representative can file on your behalf using USCIS Form G-639 (Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request). The form has a third-party requestor section, and USCIS generally requires proof of your consent before releasing records to anyone else. You can give that consent by signing a declaration under penalty of perjury on the form itself or by providing a notarized affidavit of identity.⁸

Options for U.S. Citizens

U.S. citizens don’t get I-94 records, since those are only issued to foreign visitors. The FOIA route above still works and is the way to get your actual entry and exit history from CBP.

You can also request copies of your passport records from the Department of State, which maintains records back to March 1925. These confirm when passports were issued to you and the personal information on file at the time. They do not include travel stamps, visas, or evidence of specific trips, so treat them as proof you held a valid passport during a given period, not proof you went anywhere in particular.⁹

Send a written request to the State Department’s Office of Records Management in Sterling, Virginia. Include your full name and any former names, date and place of birth, contact information, passport number if you have it, a copy of both sides of a government-issued photo ID, and either a notarized signature or a signed declaration under penalty of perjury. A standard copy is free. Certified copies cost $50. Processing runs about 12 to 16 weeks.⁹

Fixing Errors in Your Records

Mistakes in an I-94 (wrong admission class, wrong “admitted until” date, missing departure) can derail immigration petitions, employment authorization, or your next entry. Catch them early.

For I-94 corrections, CBP directs travelers to the CBP Information Center rather than the general FOIA process. Before you contact them, gather your passport biographical page, visa stamp, the I-94 entry record showing the error, and any immigration documents (such as Form I-20 or DS-2019) used for the trip in question.¹⁰

If the problem is broader screening trouble rather than a data-entry mistake (repeated secondary inspections, denied boarding, delayed entry), use the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program at dhs.gov/dhs-trip. The system assigns a seven-digit Redress Control Number you can track and, once your case is resolved, add to future reservations to prevent a repeat.¹¹

Filling the Gaps Official Records Don’t Cover

Government records have limits. CBP data stops at 1982, State Department passport records don’t show trips, and the I-94 website only covers ten years. For older travel or missing details, personal records are your evidence.

Passport stamps and visa stickers are the most direct proof of entry and exit dates for international travel.¹² Keep old passports for exactly that reason. Boarding passes, airline confirmation emails, and hotel receipts can pin down specific dates.

Credit card and bank statements often capture the trail: airline purchases, foreign transaction fees, hotel stays, car rentals. Airline and hotel loyalty accounts hold booking histories that can stretch back years, and email archives usually still contain the original confirmations. Airlines and travel agencies may provide historical booking records on request, though retention policies vary and very old bookings may be gone. Combining these with whatever CBP and the State Department give you produces the fullest picture you can assemble.

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 Automation Fact Sheet
2
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 Official Website – Travelers Visiting the United States
3
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Request Records Through the Freedom of Information Act
4
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 552 – Public Information, Agency Rules, Opinions, Orders, Records, and Proceedings
6
FOIA.gov. U.S. Customs and Border Protection
7
FOIA.gov. Freedom of Information Act – Frequently Asked Questions
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-639, Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request
9
Travel.State.Gov. Get Copies of Passport Records
10
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Information Correction Form
11
Department of Homeland Security. Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP)
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary I-551 Stamps and MRIVs