What Does an I-94 Look Like and Where to Find It?

An I-94 is a one-page electronic record that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) creates each time a foreign visitor is admitted to the United States, and if you want to see what an I-94 looks like, you can pull up your own at i94.cbp.dhs.gov and print it. The page carries the Department of Homeland Security logo at the top, lists your biographical details and admission details in the middle, and shows a generation timestamp at the bottom.¹

The Layout of a Printed I-94

CBP now generates almost every I-94 electronically, including at land border crossings where paper forms were once standard. The record is built automatically from passport scans and carrier manifests, and if you need a physical copy you print it yourself from the CBP I-94 website or the CBP One mobile app.²

The printed page is straightforward. The header shows the DHS seal and CBP identification. Below that, your biographical information (name, date of birth, nationality) sits separately from your admission information (visa class, entry date, and authorized stay). A timestamp at the bottom records when the document was pulled from the federal database. The standardized format is what lets an employer, school, or landlord look at the page and quickly confirm it is a real CBP record.³

The Older Paper Cards

Before CBP automated the process, land border travelers received a small white card (Form I-94) or a green card (Form I-94W for Visa Waiver Program travelers) stapled into the passport. You may still have one of these tucked into an old passport. Visa Waiver Program travelers now need an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before arriving at a U.S. land border and no longer receive the green I-94W card.²

What Each Field on the I-94 Means

Every I-94 record contains a handful of fields that together define who you are, how you were admitted, and how long you can stay.

Admission (I-94) Number. An 11-character identifier near the top of the page. Since May 2019, this number is alphanumeric: nine digits followed by a letter and then a final digit.²
Class of Admission. The visa category you entered under, such as B-2 for a tourist or H-1B for a specialty worker.⁴
Most Recent Date of Entry. The exact day you cleared customs at a port of entry.
Admit Until Date. The last day you are allowed to remain in the country, in month-day-year format. This is the date that controls your authorized stay.
Duration of Status (D/S). If you were admitted as a student (F-1) or exchange visitor (J-1), your I-94 may say “D/S” in place of a calendar date. That means you can stay for the length of your program rather than until a fixed date. For F-1 students, the program end date is listed on Form I-20.⁵

Do Not Confuse the Visa Sticker With the I-94

The single most consequential mistake people make when reading an I-94 is confusing the visa expiration date with the admit-until date. Your visa is permission to travel to a U.S. port of entry and request admission; it does not control how long you can stay once you are inside the country. The I-94 date (or the D/S notation) set by the CBP officer at the port of entry is the official record of your authorized stay.⁶ A visa can still be valid for years while your I-94 expires next month, and the reverse is also possible. Look at the admit-until date on the I-94, not the visa sticker in your passport, to know when you need to leave.

How to Get a Copy of Your I-94 Online

You can pull up your most recent I-94 at any time through i94.cbp.dhs.gov. Records go back to 1983 for most admission categories.³

Accept the security notice about federal computer systems.⁷
Enter your first and last name exactly as printed in the machine-readable zone at the bottom of your passport, along with your date of birth, passport number, and country of issuance.⁸
Select “Get Most Recent I-94.” The record appears on screen, and from there you can print or save the document.

Type carefully. Even a minor spelling difference, such as a missing middle name or a hyphen that doesn’t match the machine-readable zone, can prevent the system from finding your record.

The CBP One App

The CBP One mobile app offers the same I-94 features as the website. You can retrieve your most recent I-94, check your admit-until date, review your travel history, and get proof of your electronic I-94 directly from your phone.⁹ The app also lets land border travelers apply for an I-94 up to seven days before arriving at the border. The fee for a land border I-94 application is $30 for fiscal year 2026, which includes a $6 base fee and a $24 supplemental fee.¹⁰

If Your Record Is Not Found

If the website or app returns a “Record Not Found” message, the most common reason is a mismatch between what you typed and what your passport actually says. Check every character against the machine-readable zone at the bottom of the passport, not the printed name area above it. If your passport lists more than one first or last name, enter both exactly as they appear.¹¹

If everything matches and the record still won’t load, you have two options. You can visit or contact a CBP Deferred Inspection Site, which can look up and correct records the public-facing website cannot locate.¹² Or you can file Form I-102 with USCIS to request a replacement arrival/departure document.⁴

Fixing an Error on the Record

If CBP recorded your name, date of birth, visa class, or authorized stay incorrectly at the time of entry, do not file Form I-102. Instead, bring the error to a CBP Deferred Inspection Site, where officers can review and fix mistakes tied to your classification, biographical details, or admission period.¹² Any designated deferred inspection location or CBP office at an international airport can help, regardless of where you originally entered the country.

Many CBP locations accept correction requests by email. You will typically need to send a brief description of the error along with scans of your passport biographical page, your visa page if applicable, and your most recent U.S. admission stamp.¹² Offices outside international airports may require an appointment, so call ahead. There is no fee for correcting a CBP error.

Replacing a Lost Paper I-94

If you just need the electronic I-94, reprinting it from the website or the CBP One app costs nothing.¹³ Replacement through USCIS applies to the older situation where you held a physical I-94 card that was lost, stolen, or destroyed. In that case, file Form I-102, Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document. The filing fee is $560, with a $50 discount for online filing.¹⁴ Include a copy of your passport biographical page and the page showing your admission stamp, or other evidence of your identity and claimed entry. If the card was stolen, include a copy of the police report or explain why one is unavailable. Any documents in a foreign language must include a certified English translation.

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Definition of an I-94
2
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94 and I-94W
3
I-94/I-95 Website. Travel Record for U.S. Visitors
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Information for Completing USCIS Forms
5
Study in the States. F-1 Students: Remember to Check for D/S on Your Form I-94
6
U.S. Department of State. What the Visa Expiration Date Means
7
Department of Homeland Security. Privacy Impact Assessment Update for the I-94 Website Application
8
Study in the States. How to Access Your Form I-94 Online
9
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP Announces the Addition of I-94 Features to CBP One Mobile App
10
Federal Register. Certain DHS Immigration Fees Required by HR-1 Fiscal Year 2026 Adjustments for Inflation
11
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. What to Do If Your I-94 Is Not Found Online
12
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Deferred Inspection Sites
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document
14
eCFR. Part 106 USCIS Fee Schedule