How to Retrieve and Use Your I-94 Arrival/Departure Record

Your I-94 arrival/departure record is the electronic file U.S. Customs and Border Protection creates when you enter the United States as a nonimmigrant, and you can pull it up anytime at i94.cbp.dhs.gov. That record, not the visa stamp in your passport, sets the date by which you must leave or file to extend your stay. It also does double duty as proof of status for employers, the Social Security Administration, and state DMVs.

What the Record Actually Shows

Federal regulation requires CBP to issue a Form I-94 to each nonimmigrant admitted to the country “as evidence of the terms of admission.”¹ The record lists your name, passport number, date of entry, visa classification, and an Admit Until Date that fixes the outer boundary of your authorized stay. Since April 30, 2013, most I-94s are created electronically when your passport is scanned at an air or sea port of entry.²

The visa and the I-94 do different jobs. Your visa determines how long you may apply for entry at a port of entry. The I-94’s Admit Until Date determines how long you can actually stay once inside. If your visa is valid until 2028 but your I-94 says you’re admitted until March 15, 2026, you must leave by March 15 or file for an extension before then. Overstaying the I-94, regardless of what the visa says, starts the clock on unlawful presence.³

How to Retrieve Your I-94 Online

Go to i94.cbp.dhs.gov and select “Get Most Recent I-94.”⁴ Enter your name, date of birth, passport number, and country of issuance exactly as they appear in your passport’s machine-readable zone. The system matches against the data scanned at inspection, so a single character off in your passport number or a name spelled differently from the machine-readable line returns a “no record found” error.

When the system finds you, it displays your admission date, class of admission, and Admit Until Date. Save the page as a PDF or print it. The portal also offers a travel history covering up to ten years of arrivals and departures, which helps when an immigration form asks for trip-by-trip details.⁴ If you entered by air or sea after April 30, 2013 and the portal cannot find your record, the cause is almost always a data-entry mismatch. Check the machine-readable zone before contacting CBP.

Land Border Entries

Entering by land works differently. You can apply for a provisional I-94 up to seven days before arriving at a U.S. land port of entry, through the official I-94 website or the CBP One mobile application, or in person at the port itself.⁵

The fee is $30, effective September 30, 2025. That total combines the longstanding $6 land-border I-94 fee with a $24 surcharge added under HR-1 legislation.⁶ A land-border I-94 is valid for multiple entries unless the CBP officer annotates it for a limited number.¹ Applying online in advance only creates a provisional record. A CBP officer still makes the final admission decision at the port.

What “D/S” Means for F-1 and J-1 Holders

Students on F-1 visas and exchange visitors on J-1 visas usually see “D/S” on their I-94 instead of a calendar date. D/S stands for duration of status. You are authorized to stay as long as you are actively pursuing the program listed on your Form I-20 (for F-1) or DS-2019 (for J-1), plus any authorized grace periods. Your school or program sponsor tracks your status through SEVIS. F-2 and J-2 dependents receive the same D/S notation.

The practical difference matters. With a fixed date, you know exactly when to leave or file for an extension. With D/S, your authorized stay depends on maintaining a full course of study and keeping your SEVIS record active. Drop below full-time enrollment or let the program end, and your status can terminate even though nothing on the I-94 has “expired.”

How Departures Close Out the Record

If you have an electronic I-94 and leave by air or sea, you don’t need to do anything. CBP records your departure using manifest information from the airline or cruise line, and the system closes out your I-94 automatically.⁷

If you still hold a paper I-94, surrender it to the airline or to CBP when you depart.⁸ Failing to turn in a paper card can make it look like you never left. If you already departed without surrendering it, CBP allows you to submit evidence of your departure after the fact, typically a boarding pass, passport stamps, and flight itinerary.

Fixing an Error CBP Made at Entry

Mistakes happen: a misspelled name, the wrong visa classification, an incorrect admission date. CBP Deferred Inspection Sites handle corrections for errors made at the time of entry.⁹ Any CBP office at an international airport can help, regardless of where you first entered.¹⁰

Contact the site and provide scans or copies of your passport biographical page, visa page, most recent admission stamp, and any other relevant documents. Some sites accept email submissions; the Detroit office, for example, handles requests by email. Many require an in-person appointment, and mail-in procedures are generally not available. Check the specific instructions for your nearest site before showing up.⁹

Deferred Inspection Sites only fix CBP’s own errors from the original admission. They can’t extend your stay, change your immigration status, or replace a lost I-94. Those require separate filings with USCIS.

Replacing a Lost or Damaged Paper I-94

If you received an electronic I-94 at an air or sea port, you don’t need a replacement. Just retrieve it again from i94.cbp.dhs.gov. If you have a paper I-94 that was lost, stolen, or damaged, file Form I-102, Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document, with USCIS.¹¹

The filing fee is $560 for most applicants. If CBP made the error, or you received an electronic I-94 you cannot obtain through the CBP website, the fee drops to $0.¹² USCIS no longer accepts personal checks or money orders for paper filings. Pay by credit or debit card using Form G-1450, or by direct bank payment using Form G-1650.¹¹

Supporting evidence depends on the situation. If the card was lost or stolen, include a copy of your passport’s biographical page and admission stamp, or other proof of identity and admission. For a theft, include a police report or a letter explaining why one isn’t available. For damage, include the original damaged form. If you can’t provide your passport, include a letter explaining why.

Extending Your Authorized Stay

If you need to stay past the date on your I-94, file Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, before your current authorized stay expires.¹³ USCIS recommends filing at least 45 days out. Late filings are excused only in narrow circumstances: the delay resulted from extraordinary circumstances beyond your control, you haven’t otherwise violated your status, and you remain a genuine nonimmigrant.

Certain employment-based changes, including switching to H-1B, L-1, O-1, or TN classification, require Form I-129 rather than I-539. Filing on the wrong form can result in rejection.¹³

When USCIS approves the extension or change, you receive a Form I-797A Notice of Action with a new I-94 attached at the bottom. That replacement I-94 becomes your current record of authorized stay.¹⁴ Keep the I-797A with your passport for employment verification, benefit applications, and reentry after short trips to Canada or Mexico.

Short Trips to Canada or Mexico

If you leave the U.S. briefly for Canada or Mexico (or nearby islands, for students and exchange visitors), you may reenter without a valid visa stamp under automatic visa revalidation. Federal regulation treats your expired visa as automatically extended to the date you apply for readmission, if you meet every requirement.¹⁵

To qualify, you must carry a valid I-94 showing an unexpired period of admission or extension of stay, hold a valid passport, return within 30 days from contiguous territory only, reenter within your authorized admission period, not have applied for a new visa during the trip, and not be inadmissible under INA section 212. If you’re in a petition-based category like H-1B or O-1, bring your current I-797 approval notice. Nationals of countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism are excluded from this benefit.¹⁵ Applying for a new visa at a consulate during the trip, even one that is denied, ends your eligibility.

What an Overstay Costs

Staying past the Admit Until Date triggers unlawful presence. If you accumulate more than 180 days but less than one year and then leave voluntarily, you’re barred from reentering for three years. Accumulate a year or more, and the bar extends to ten years.¹⁶ The bars apply when you seek readmission after departing and are measured from the date you leave or are removed.³

Even short overstays carry risk. An overstay can void your existing visa, weaken future visa applications, and complicate employer-sponsored petitions. Waivers exist for the three- and ten-year bars, but they are difficult to obtain and usually require showing extreme hardship to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse or parent. Verify your I-94 date early, and file for an extension before it lapses.

Using the I-94 Outside Immigration

Employment Verification (Form I-9)

When you start a new job, your employer completes Form I-9. A foreign passport paired with your I-94 qualifies as a List A document, proving both identity and employment authorization in one combination, as long as the I-94 contains an endorsement of your nonimmigrant status, the endorsement hasn’t expired, and the job doesn’t conflict with any restrictions on the form.¹⁷ For certain categories such as asylees and T or U visa holders, the I-94 alone can serve as a List C employment authorization document.¹⁸

Social Security Numbers

The Social Security Administration accepts a current I-94 with an unexpired foreign passport as proof of immigration status when you apply for a Social Security number.¹⁹ International students must show the admission stamp and I-94 as part of the SSN application.²⁰

Driver’s Licenses

State DMVs verify your legal presence through immigration documents before issuing a license, and the I-94’s Admit Until Date typically sets the license expiration for a nonimmigrant. Requirements vary. Some states require a minimum number of days remaining on your authorized stay before they will issue a license. Bring your passport, a printed I-94, and any USCIS approval notices.

Health Coverage

Nonimmigrants in lawful status and individuals paroled into the U.S. may qualify for coverage through the ACA Marketplace, using the I-94 to prove current status and authorized presence.²¹

Note for Visa Waiver Program Travelers

If you enter under the Visa Waiver Program with an approved ESTA, you receive an I-94 record with a 90-day admission period. VWP travelers cannot extend their stay or change their immigration status while in the United States.²² A short trip to Canada, Mexico, or a nearby island does not reset the 90-day clock. You are readmitted for the remainder of the original 90 days, and once that period ends, there is no extension to file for.

1
eCFR. 8 CFR 235.1 – Scope of Examination
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, Information for Completing USCIS Forms
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Unlawful Presence and Inadmissibility
4
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. DHS Form I-94
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USAGov. Form I-94 Arrival-Departure Record for U.S. Visitors
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Federal Register. CBP Immigration Fees Required by HR-1 for Fiscal Year 2025
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94 and I-94W
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 Fact Sheet
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Deferred Inspection Sites
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. What Is a Deferred Inspection Site?
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USCIS. Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document
12
USCIS. G-1055 Fee Schedule
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
14
USCIS. Form I-797: Types and Functions
15
eCFR. 22 CFR 41.112 – Validity of Visas
16
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens
17
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents
18
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – Eligibility Requirements
19
Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
20
Social Security Administration. International Students and Social Security Numbers
21
HealthCare.gov. Immigration Status to Qualify for the Marketplace
22
U.S. Department of State. Visa Waiver Program