What Does an I-94 Look Like? Electronic Record and Paper Card

An I-94 today looks like a formatted webpage: the U.S. Customs and Border Protection seal and logo sit at the top, and your admission details are printed in black type on a white background, laid out more like a certificate than a form. That is what most travelers see when they wonder what does an I-94 look like, because CBP now creates the record electronically from your passport and travel data and you retrieve it online rather than receiving anything at the airport. The older version, a small paper card stapled into your passport, still exists in some travelers’ hands but is no longer issued at air, sea, or land ports of entry.

The Electronic I-94 On Screen

When you open your record on the CBP I-94 website or in the CBP Link mobile app, it loads as a single print-ready page. The CBP seal and agency name run across the top. Below that, your biographical and admission information is arranged in labeled fields, all in clean typed text. There are no handwritten entries and no ink stamps to squint at; every date and code is legible.

The page includes two buttons: one to save the record as a PDF, and one to print it on standard letter-sized paper. Keeping both a digital copy and a paper printout is worthwhile, because employers, schools, and government agencies routinely ask to see the I-94 as proof of lawful status.

The Fields You’ll See On It

Whether you view the electronic version or hold an older paper card, the record contains the same core information. The arrival portion shows your full name, date of birth, country of citizenship, sex, passport number, passport issuance and expiration dates, airline and flight number when applicable, the country you boarded from, and your U.S. address. The admission stamp area, reproduced digitally on the electronic version, shows the port and date of arrival, your class of admission (such as B-1, F-1, or H-1B), and the “Admit Until” date, which is the last day you may lawfully remain in the country.¹

Every record carries a unique eleven-character admission number. Since May 2019, that number has been alphanumeric: nine digits, then a letter, then a final digit, rather than eleven digits.² That number is what USCIS forms, employers, and other agencies ask for when they request your I-94 number.

Duration of Status Instead of a Date

Students on F or M visas and exchange visitors on J visas will usually see “D/S” in the “Admit Until” field instead of a calendar date. D/S stands for Duration of Status, meaning the authorized stay lasts as long as you keep meeting the requirements of your visa category (such as full-time enrollment) rather than expiring on a fixed day.³ For most other visa categories the record shows a specific end date.

Where The Printed Data Comes From

For air and sea arrivals, CBP populates most of the fields automatically from the Advance Passenger Information System, which collects your biographical details from your passport during airline or cruise line check-in.¹ Visa issuance city and date are drawn from State Department records. An officer at inspection may update your U.S. address, phone number, or email.

The Old Paper I-94 Card

Before automation, every arriving traveler filled out a small white card, roughly three by five inches, with a perforated edge where it detached from the arrival form. An officer stamped the entry date and handwrote the class of admission and the “Admit Until” date in the boxes provided. The card was typically stapled into the traveler’s passport, and it stayed there until departure. Travelers entering under the Visa Waiver Program received a similar card printed on green paper, called the I-94W, which has since been discontinued.²

CBP first replaced the paper card at air and sea ports of entry with an electronic record.⁴ Automation has since been extended to land border crossings, and paper stubs are no longer printed at land ports either. If you want something on paper, you print it yourself from the website or the CBP Link app, or you can ask CBP for a printout during inspection, which is handled in secondary.²

If you entered the U.S. years ago and still have a stamped white card in your passport, that card is your I-94. There is no need to convert it to an electronic version so long as it is intact and reflects your current admission.

How To Pull Up Your Own I-94

Two places display the same record: the CBP I-94 website at i94.cbp.dhs.gov, and the CBP Link mobile app.² Both ask you to enter your name, date of birth, passport number, and country of citizenship exactly as they appear on the biographical page of the passport you used to enter.⁵ A single mismatched character, such as a hyphenated last name typed without the hyphen, can keep the system from finding your record. Keep the passport in front of you as you type.

Once the fields match, your most recent I-94 appears on screen in the layout described above. From there you can save it as a PDF or send it to a printer. The CBP Link app also shows your I-94 expiration date at a glance and lets you apply for a new I-94 in advance of a land border crossing.⁶

Travel History Is A Separate Screen

The website also has a “Get Travel History” feature that lists your arrival and departure dates and the port for each trip in the past ten years. It looks similar to the I-94 page but is a different record, and it may not capture every land border crossing, closed-loop cruise, or status change processed by USCIS.⁷ If you are trying to identify your I-94, use the “Get Most Recent I-94” option instead.

One Note On Land Border I-94s

An I-94 issued at a land port of entry looks the same on screen as one issued at an airport, but there is a fee attached to it. Under 8 CFR 235.1(h)(1), a land border I-94 requires payment and is generally valid for multiple entries unless an officer limits it.⁸ For fiscal year 2026, the total is $30, made up of a $6 processing fee and a $24 statutory fee.⁹ Payment can be made through the CBP Link app up to seven days before you arrive at the border.

When Your I-94 Doesn’t Look Right

Sometimes the record on screen shows a misspelled name, wrong date of birth, or an incorrect class of admission. The correct place to fix it depends on where the mistake came from. Errors introduced by a CBP officer at entry are handled by the nearest CBP Deferred Inspection office, which you can find under the “Ports” link on the CBP site.⁷ Errors introduced by USCIS, such as after a status change or extension, are corrected by filing Form I-102 with USCIS or visiting a local field office. Where the mistake was the government’s fault rather than yours, the I-102 filing fee is waived, and the fee is also $0 for travelers admitted at an air or sea port after April 30, 2013, who received an electronic I-94 and need a correction through no fault of their own.¹⁰

If your electronic I-94 exists in the system, you never need to “replace” it: reprinting from the website or app is free and produces the same document. A formal replacement on Form I-102 applies only when you held an older paper I-94 card that has been lost, stolen, or damaged and no electronic version is on file. That filing carries a $560 fee, and you submit a copy of a government-issued ID, your passport’s biographical page, any pages showing your admission stamp, a police report if the card was stolen, and the damaged original if it was physically damaged.¹¹

1
Federal Register. Definition of Form I-94 To Include Electronic Format
2
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94 and I-94W
3
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 Expiration Dates
4
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 Automation Fact Sheet
5
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. What To Do If Your I-94 Is Not Found Online
6
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP Link Mobile Application
7
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Frequently Asked Questions
8
eCFR. 8 CFR 235.1 – Scope of Examination
9
Federal Register. Certain DHS Immigration Fees Required by HR-1: Fiscal Year 2026 Adjustments for Inflation
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Fee Schedule
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-102 Instructions for Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document