Form I-94 is the official U.S. arrival/departure record that documents when a nonimmigrant visitor entered the country and how long they are allowed to stay. For travelers arriving by air or sea, the record is generated electronically from carrier passenger data and no longer takes the form of a paper card stapled into a passport. The date on your I-94, not the expiration date printed on your visa stamp, controls how long you can legally remain in the United States.
What the Record Shows
Every I-94 includes an 11-character admission number that identifies your specific entry, along with your date of entry, the port where you arrived, and your class of admission (B-1 for business visitors, F-1 for students, H-1B for specialty workers, and so on).1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94 and I-94W
The field that matters most is “Admit Until.” That is the deadline by which you must leave the country, extend your status, or change to a different visa category. Your visa controls whether you can seek entry at a port; your I-94 date controls how long you can remain once you are in. The two dates are often different, and mixing them up is one of the most common ways people fall out of status.
Who Receives One
Not every traveler gets an I-94. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are not issued one and cannot use the I-94 website to look up travel history. Working crew members on vessels or aircraft receive Form I-95 instead.2U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Frequently Asked Questions
Everyone else admitted as a nonimmigrant has an I-94 tied to that admission, and government agencies, employers, and state motor vehicle offices routinely ask for it as proof of legal presence and work authorization.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification4U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Applying for a Drivers License or State Identification Card
When Your I-94 Says “D/S” Instead of a Date
Students on F-1 visas and exchange visitors on J-1 visas typically see “D/S” in the Admit Until field, which stands for Duration of Status.5U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 Fact Sheet Your authorized stay is not tied to a calendar date on the I-94 but lasts as long as you maintain the conditions of your visa program.
For F-1 students, the controlling document is Form I-20. Your authorized stay runs through the program end date on the I-20, plus a 60-day grace period to prepare for departure, transfer schools, or change status.6Study in the States. Maintaining Status Here is where D/S catches people off guard: dropping below a full course load, working without authorization, or otherwise violating your status ends your authorized stay immediately, with no expiration date on the I-94 to warn you.
Retrieving Your I-94 Online
The official retrieval site is i94.cbp.dhs.gov. Choose the option to view your most recent I-94, then enter your full name exactly as it appears on your passport’s biographical page, your date of birth, your passport number, and the country that issued the passport.7U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Official Website A small typo or a missing middle name is enough to produce a “no record found” error. Keep your passport in front of you as you search.
Once the system locates your record, you can print it or save it as a PDF. That printout is your lawful record of admission and is what you provide when anyone requests proof of status. The same site offers a “View Travel History” tool covering the past ten years, which CBP treats as informational rather than as an official legal record.2U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Frequently Asked Questions
Renewed or Multiple Passports
If you renewed your passport after entering the U.S., search using the passport number from the document you actually presented at entry, even if that passport is now expired. The system links your I-94 to the specific travel document used at admission. Dual citizens who entered on one passport will not find their record by searching with the other. If you no longer have the passport number from your entry, submit a redress request through the CBP Information Center.
Entering by Land From Canada or Mexico
Land border travelers follow a different process than air and sea arrivals. You must apply for an I-94, and the current fee is $30, made up of a $6 land border processing charge plus a $24 fee added by federal legislation effective September 30, 2025.8Federal Register. CBP Immigration Fees Required by HR-1 for Fiscal Year 2025 Air and sea travelers do not pay a separate I-94 fee.
CBP encourages travelers to submit a provisional I-94 application online up to seven days before arrival. After you pay the fee, you must present yourself for inspection at a land port of entry within seven days, or the provisional record expires.9U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Use CBP Home From the Comfort of Home for Your Provisional I-94 At the port, a CBP officer reviews your documents, scans your biometrics, and finalizes the admission.
Visa Waiver Program travelers arriving by land no longer complete a paper I-94W. You need an approved ESTA before you arrive, and an ESTA obtained for air or sea travel works at land borders too. The approval generally lasts two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and the ESTA application fee is $40, separate from the $30 land I-94 fee.10U.S. Customs and Border Protection. ESTA Land Requirements Frequently Asked Questions
Confirming Your Departure Was Recorded
When you leave the U.S. by air or sea, CBP records your departure electronically using carrier manifest data. You do not need to do anything extra. Land border departures are less reliable, because there is no exit inspection when you drive into Canada or Mexico.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Arrival/Departure Forms: I-94 and I-94W
Check the “View Travel History” tool at i94.cbp.dhs.gov after any trip to confirm your departure was captured. A missing departure record can make it look like you overstayed the next time you apply for a visa. If you find a gap, gather evidence of your departure, such as boarding passes, passport stamps from the country you entered, or airline records, and file a correction through the CBP Information Center or a Deferred Inspection Site.
Extending Your Stay Before the Admit-Until Date
If you need more time than your I-94 allows, file Form I-539 with USCIS before your admit-until date passes. USCIS will generally excuse a late filing only if you can show extraordinary circumstances beyond your control, the delay was reasonable, you have not otherwise violated your status, and you are not in removal proceedings.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-539 Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
USCIS recommends filing at least 45 days before your authorized stay expires. While a timely-filed I-539 is pending, you are generally considered to be in a period of authorized stay even if your I-94 date passes before USCIS decides. If the extension is ultimately denied, your authorized stay ends on the original I-94 date, not the denial date.
What Happens If You Overstay
Staying past your I-94 date without a pending extension triggers a chain of consequences that scale with how long you overstay.
- Visa cancellation. Once you overstay, your existing nonimmigrant visa is effectively voided. You will need a new visa to re-enter even if the old one has not expired on its face.
- Three-year bar. More than 180 consecutive days of unlawful presence followed by a voluntary departure bars you from re-entering for three years from the date you left.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 Inadmissible Aliens
- Ten-year bar. One year or more of unlawful presence followed by any departure raises the bar to ten years.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 Inadmissible Aliens
- Deportability. Any nonimmigrant present in violation of law or who has failed to maintain status is subject to removal.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1227 Deportable Aliens
These bars apply even when the overstay was accidental or caused by an error on the I-94 itself. The government counts unlawful presence from the I-94 date regardless of intent, which is why correcting errors quickly and filing extensions on time matters so much.
Fixing Errors on Your I-94
A misspelled name, wrong visa classification, or incorrect admit-until date needs to be fixed promptly. Who made the mistake decides where you go for the correction.
If CBP Made the Error at Entry
Contact a Deferred Inspection Site (DIS). These offices sit at major international airports and CBP regional offices, and any DIS can help you regardless of where you originally entered.14U.S. Customs and Border Protection. What Is a Deferred Inspection Site Bring your passport, visa, and any supporting documents showing what the record should say.
Some DIS locations accept correction requests by email, typically requiring scans of your passport biographical page, visa page, most recent admission stamp, and a brief description of the error. Procedures vary by location, so check the specific DIS listing before visiting or emailing.15U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Deferred Inspection Sites Mail-in requests are generally not available.
If USCIS Made the Error During a Status Change
File Form I-102, the Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document.16U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-102 Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document The general filing fee is $560, but the fee drops to $0 if you are correcting an error that was not your fault and you were admitted at an airport or seaport after April 30, 2013 with an electronic I-94, or if you are correcting a DHS error.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule Read the I-102 instructions carefully and pick the right filing category; the wrong choice means paying $560 when you might owe nothing.
Short Trips to Canada, Mexico, or Adjacent Islands
If you take a brief trip of 30 days or less to Canada, Mexico, or an adjacent island and return, you may not need a new visa or a new I-94. Under the automatic revalidation rule, certain nonimmigrants can re-enter on their existing I-94 even if their visa has expired, as long as they were in valid status when they left, they hold a valid passport, and they did not apply for a new visa while abroad.18U.S. Department of State. Automatic Revalidation
F and J visa holders returning from short trips also need their program documents (Form I-20 for students, Form DS-2019 for exchange visitors) endorsed and ready to present.19eCFR. 8 CFR 214.1 Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status Automatic revalidation does not apply to nationals of certain countries or to travelers who applied for a visa and were refused during the trip. When it does apply, it is one of the more useful provisions in immigration law.