An I-94 number is the 11-character identifier that U.S. Customs and Border Protection assigns to your Arrival/Departure Record each time you enter the country as a nonimmigrant. It records when you arrived, the immigration status you were admitted under, and how long you’re authorized to stay. If you hold a work visa, a student visa, or you’re visiting under the Visa Waiver Program, this number ties together nearly every interaction you’ll have with employers, government agencies, and immigration authorities while you’re in the United States.
What the Number Looks Like
The I-94 number is 11 characters long. Older records use a purely numeric format: a nine-digit sequence followed by a two-digit series. Newer records are alphanumeric — nine digits, then a letter, then a final digit.1ICE. Changes to Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Numbering Each number identifies one specific entry. Every time you leave and re-enter the U.S., CBP issues a new I-94 number, even when nothing else about your visa has changed.
Federal regulations define the I-94 as the arrival, departure, and admission information the Department of Homeland Security keeps on you, in paper or electronic form.2eCFR. 8 CFR 1.4 – Definition of Form I-94 Since 2013, CBP has generated most I-94 records electronically from airline and ship manifest data. If you arrive by air or sea, no card is stapled into your passport. You can generate a printed copy from the CBP I-94 website or the CBP Link mobile app. Paper forms can still be requested during inspection at a port of entry, but CBP handles those in secondary inspection.3U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94 and I-94W
Who Gets One
Nearly every foreign visitor admitted to the United States receives an I-94 record: tourists, business visitors, students, exchange visitors, temporary workers, and travelers entering under the Visa Waiver Program. If you need a visa or ESTA to enter, you get an I-94.
A few groups are exempt. U.S. citizens, returning lawful permanent residents, and people entering on immigrant visas do not receive one, because their right to remain comes from other documentation. Most Canadian citizens visiting for short-term tourism or business are also exempt.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, Information for Completing USCIS Forms
What Your I-94 Is Used For
The I-94 is proof that you were lawfully admitted. That single fact makes it central to almost everything you’ll do while in the U.S. as a nonimmigrant.
Employment
Every U.S. employer must complete a Form I-9 for each new hire to verify identity and work authorization.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification For visa holders, the I-94 record is one of the documents used to establish that you’re authorized to work. Without it, you can’t finish the employment verification process.
Social Security and State ID
When you apply for a Social Security number, the Social Security Administration accepts the I-94 paired with an unexpired foreign passport as evidence that you’re lawfully present.6Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card State agencies issuing driver’s licenses follow a similar process, using the I-94 to confirm your immigration status before issuing identification.
Extensions and Status Changes
To extend your stay or switch to a different visa category, you file Form I-539 with USCIS. The critical deadline is the “admit until” date on your I-94, and you must file before it expires. Filing late can result in denial unless you can show the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances beyond your control.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status When USCIS approves an extension or change of status, the Form I-797A approval notice includes a replacement I-94 attached to the bottom, and that new record becomes your current one.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797 Types and Functions
The Admit-Until Date
Your I-94 shows an “admit until” field that tells you the last date you’re authorized to remain in the United States. This date controls your legal stay regardless of what your visa stamp says. A visa is permission to travel to a port of entry; the I-94 date is how long you can actually stay once admitted. Plenty of people get tripped up by this distinction.
Some visa categories don’t get a specific date at all. F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and certain other categories are often admitted for “Duration of Status,” abbreviated “D/S” on the I-94. D/S means you can stay as long as you maintain the conditions of your visa category, such as being enrolled full-time in your degree program. For F-1 students, the program end date on Form I-20 effectively governs the authorized stay, plus a 60-day grace period after the program or optional practical training concludes.9Study in the States. What is My Duration of Status?
What Overstaying Costs
Staying past your I-94 expiration date triggers what immigration law calls unlawful presence, and the penalties escalate quickly. Your visa is automatically voided the moment you overstay, so you would need a new one to return, even for a short trip.
The bigger damage comes from the reentry bars. Accumulate more than 180 days but less than one year of unlawful presence and leave voluntarily before removal proceedings begin, and you’re barred from returning for three years. Accumulate a year or more of unlawful presence and leave at any point, and the bar jumps to ten years.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Unlawful Presence and Inadmissibility These bars don’t start running until after you depart. Someone who overstays by a year and then tries to reenter without inspection can face a permanent bar. Ignorance of your I-94 date is not a recognized defense.
How to Retrieve Your I-94 Online
CBP maintains a free online portal at i94.cbp.dhs.gov where you can pull up your record. You’ll need your full name exactly as it appears in your passport, your date of birth, your passport number, and the country that issued the passport.11Study in the States. How to Access your Form I-94 Online If your passport has multiple surnames, enter them together in the family name field. Small discrepancies in spelling can cause a failed search.
The site offers two main options. “Get Most Recent I-94” displays your current record, including the I-94 number, date of entry, class of admission, and admit-until date. “Get Travel History” shows your entries and departures over the last five years.11Study in the States. How to Access your Form I-94 Online You can print the record or save it as a PDF. Keep a copy handy. Employers, schools, and government agencies ask for it regularly.
Retrieving an existing I-94 record online is free for air and sea arrivals. Applying for an I-94 at a land border port of entry is not. As of September 30, 2025, the fee rose from $6 to $30 per application, reflecting a new $24 fee added on top of the original $6 land border charge.12U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 – Payment Process The same $30 fee applies whether you use the I-94 website or the CBP Link app to apply for a provisional I-94 before arriving at the border.
Fixing Errors on Your Record
A misspelled name, wrong class of admission, or incorrect admit-until date can create real problems with employment authorization, status changes, and future travel. Don’t wait it out. Errors tend to surface at the worst possible time.
CBP’s Deferred Inspection Sites handle corrections. These offices can fix inaccurate biographical information, improper nonimmigrant classification, and incorrect admission dates on arrival documents.13U.S. Customs and Border Protection. What is a Deferred Inspection Site? Any designated deferred inspection location or CBP office at an international airport can help, regardless of where your original I-94 was issued. Bring your passport, visa, and any other documentation showing what the record should say.14U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Deferred Inspection Sites Sites not located in an airport may require an appointment, so call ahead.