If your I-94 is not showing your latest entry, the record almost always exists — the CBP website just can’t match what you typed to what’s stored. The system pulls from the machine-readable zone of the passport you used at the border, plus data the airline sent ahead, so a small mismatch in name, passport number, or date of birth returns nothing. A minority of cases involve a real gap: a data-entry error at the port, an I-94 issued by USCIS rather than CBP, or a land-border departure the system never captured. Each has a fix.
Try These Search Fixes First
Before assuming the record is missing, work through the search itself. The name field causes more failed lookups than every other field combined, because the name in CBP’s system often comes from the airline’s passenger manifest rather than your passport.
Name Variations
Try the name exactly as it appeared on your airline ticket or boarding pass, not just your passport. If you have multiple surnames or given names, try entering only the first surname, removing spaces, or adding or removing hyphens. Each name field caps at 25 characters, so long compound names may have been truncated on entry. If you go by a single name, put it in the surname field with “FNU” (First Name Unknown) in the given name field, or the reverse with “LNU.” Officers use these placeholders for travelers with one name.
Passport Number
Use the passport number from the MRZ at the bottom of the biographical page, not any handwritten number elsewhere in the document. If you renewed your passport after your last entry, the record is still tied to the old number — search with the passport you actually handed to the officer. Same logic if you entered on a border crossing card or another travel document.
Try the CBP Link App
The CBP Link mobile app lets you scan your passport’s MRZ with your phone camera instead of typing. That skips most data-entry mistakes on your end, so it’s worth trying when the manual search comes up empty.
Wait a Day or Two After Arrival
New entries don’t always appear right away. The system can take hours, and sometimes a few days, to update after you clear customs. If you just arrived, wait 24 to 48 hours before treating the record as missing.
When the Record Really Isn’t There
If none of the above surfaces your entry, the cause usually falls into one of three buckets.
A Data-Entry Error at the Port
CBP officers and automated kiosks occasionally mistype a passport number, a name, or a date. The record exists, but it’s filed under information that doesn’t match yours, so nothing on your end will find it. You can’t fix this through the portal — the system doesn’t know the record belongs to you. This is the case that needs a Deferred Inspection Site.
USCIS Issued Your Current I-94
If USCIS approved a change of status or extension of stay, your current I-94 is printed at the bottom of your Form I-797A approval notice.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 4 – Documentation The CBP website only shows records CBP itself generated, so a USCIS-issued I-94 will never appear there no matter how you search. The I-797A is your valid I-94, and it’s what you present to employers, schools, and agencies.
You Left Through a Land Border
If you entered by air or sea and later departed through a land border, your departure may not have been recorded at all.2U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94 and I-94W The record updates automatically if you re-enter the United States before the admitted-until date in your passport. If you don’t re-enter, CBP may show no exit, and it can look like you overstayed. Keep whatever proves you left: entry stamps from Canada or Mexico, transportation tickets, receipts, or pay stubs from abroad. You can ask for an entry stamp from Canada Border Services Agency when crossing into Canada, or from Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Migración when entering Mexico.
How to Get the Record Corrected
Three paths cover almost every situation. Which one you use depends on who issued the I-94.
Visit a CBP Deferred Inspection Site
For any I-94 issued by CBP at a port of entry, a Deferred Inspection Site is the most direct fix. More than 70 offices across the United States and outlying territories are staffed by CBP officers who can review your documents and correct errors in classification, biographical information, or the admitted-until date.3U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Deferred Inspection Sites Schedule an appointment when the site allows one, and bring everything that shows what your entry details should be.
File Form I-102 With USCIS
If USCIS issued your I-94 and it contains an error, the correction goes through USCIS, not CBP. File Form I-102 with the applicable fee, the incorrect I-94, a copy of a government-issued ID showing your name and date of birth, a written statement explaining what’s wrong, and documents supporting the correct information.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them
Submit a FOIA Request
When neither the online system nor a Deferred Inspection Site can locate your record, you can submit a Freedom of Information Act request for your arrival and departure history.5U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Request Records Through the Freedom of Information Act CBP accepts FOIA requests through its SecureRelease portal or by mail. It’s slower than the other routes, but it can surface records that aren’t turning up through normal channels.
What to Bring
Gather as much of the following as applies to your case:
- The passport you used to enter, even if it’s now expired.
- The visa that was valid at the time of entry.
- Boarding passes or flight itineraries showing the date and port of entry — often the piece CBP needs to locate a misfiled record.
- Your I-20 or DS-2019 if you hold F-1 or J-1 status.
- Form I-797A if USCIS approved a change of status or extension.
- A brief written statement explaining what’s wrong and what the correct information should be.
Everything should be legible and in English. Include a certified translation for any document in another language. Employment or enrollment letters can help if the dispute involves your authorized period of stay.
Why You Shouldn’t Leave This Alone
The I-94 is your proof of lawful admission, and every nonimmigrant who enters gets one as evidence of the terms of that admission.6eCFR. 8 CFR 235.1 – Scope of Examination A missing or wrong record causes real problems.
You Can Look Like You Overstayed
If CBP’s system shows no departure or an incorrect admitted-until date, it can appear that you overstayed even when you didn’t. An overstay automatically voids your nonimmigrant visa.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7, Part B, Chapter 8 – Inapplicability of Bars to Adjustment More than 180 days but less than a year of unlawful presence followed by voluntary departure triggers a three-year bar to reentry; a year or more triggers a ten-year bar.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens Those consequences can attach based on wrong records until the records are fixed.
Immigration Applications Can Be Denied
Extensions of stay, changes of status, and adjustment of status all rely on accurate I-94 data. USCIS officers check the I-94 to confirm lawful admission and current status, and a wrong class of admission or wrong admitted-until date can lead to denial.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them
Benefits and Employment Verifications Stall
The Social Security Administration requires a current I-94 or a passport admission stamp to prove immigration status when you apply for a Social Security number.9Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card Agencies that verify status electronically use the SAVE system, which checks against DHS records. When the electronic check fails because the I-94 isn’t in the system, SAVE falls back to manual review that takes about 18 federal workdays as of early 2026.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. SAVE Verification Response Time Driver’s licenses, financial aid, and public assistance that depend on status verification wait in the meantime.
Habits That Prevent a Repeat
Check the I-94 website or CBP Link app within a day or two of every entry. Fixing a bad record is far easier while boarding passes are still in your inbox and the entry is fresh. Save a PDF or screenshot of every I-94 you retrieve. If you travel by land, collect departure evidence every time you leave, because the system doesn’t capture land exits reliably. A stamp from Canadian or Mexican immigration takes a minute at the border and can save months of trouble later.