Your US visa number is the red eight-character code printed in the bottom-right area of the visa sticker (the “foil”) inside your passport. It’s the number US government forms are asking for when they request a “visa number,” and it’s easy to confuse with several other identifiers printed on the same sticker. Each foil carries its own unique number, so if you’ve held more than one visa, each one has a different number.
Where to Find It on the Visa Foil
The visa foil is the machine-readable sticker a US consulate places on a blank page of your passport once your visa is approved. Federal regulations require every machine-readable visa to include specific data elements including your name, visa class, passport number, and a visa control number.1eCFR. 22 CFR 41.113 – Procedures in Issuing Visas The visa number itself sits in the bottom-right portion of the sticker, just above the machine-readable zone (the two lines of coded text at the very bottom that electronic scanners read).
The number is printed in red ink, which sets it apart from the black text used for your name, nationality, date of birth, and other biographical details. Most visa numbers are eight digits. Some include a letter followed by seven digits. When a form asks for your “visa number” or “visa foil number,” this red number is what you need.
Numbers on the Foil That Are Not Your Visa Number
The visa sticker is crowded with identifiers, and picking the wrong one is the most common mistake. Here is how to tell them apart.
The control number is a longer string of digits, usually near the top of the foil. The Department of State uses it to track internal processing of your application. Forms almost never ask for it.
Your passport number appears on the foil as part of your biographical data, but it comes from your passport itself, not from the visa issuance. Don’t treat them as the same thing just because they sit on the same sticker.
If you hold an immigrant visa, the foil also shows a Registration Number in the upper-right area. That is your Alien Registration Number (A-Number), a nine-digit identifier that follows you across your entire immigration file, unlike the visa number, which is tied to one specific document. Immigrant visa holders also see an IV Case Number. The DOS Case ID is that number minus the last two trailing digits, formatted as three letters followed by nine or ten numbers.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigrant Fee Payment Tips on Finding Your A-Number and DOS Case ID
Students and exchange visitors on F, M, or J visas have a SEVIS ID starting with the letter “N” followed by nine digits. It is managed by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program and lives on your Form I-20 or DS-2019, not on the visa foil.
Your I-94 admission number is an 11-character arrival/departure record assigned by Customs and Border Protection when you enter the country.3U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Website It proves lawful admission, but it is not the visa number.
When a form asks for a “visa number,” check that you are reading the red number near the bottom right of the foil and not any of these other identifiers. Entering the wrong one can cause processing delays or outright rejections.
If You Entered Without a Visa
Not everyone who visits the United States has a visa foil in their passport. Travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries enter using an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), so no visa is issued and there is no visa number to report. Canadian citizens entering for short visits likewise may not have a visa foil.
If a form asks for a visa number and you genuinely don’t have one, read the form instructions. Many USCIS and CBP forms tell you to leave the field blank or write “N/A” when you entered without a visa. Putting a random number in that space is far worse than leaving it empty.
Retrieving Your Visa Number Without the Physical Passport
If your passport is lost, stolen, or expired and you no longer have the foil in front of you, retrieving the visa number takes some work. The CBP I-94 website lets you look up your most recent admission record and a limited travel history, but it shows your I-94 admission number, not your visa number.3U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Website
For visa-specific records, CBP’s own guidance sends travelers to the Department of State, which issued the visa in the first place.4U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Request Records Through FOIA You can file a Freedom of Information Act request with CBP through the SecureRelease portal or by mail, but those records cover arrivals, departures, and inspections rather than visa issuance data. If you need the actual visa number, contact the US consulate that issued your visa or the Department of State directly. The simplest insurance against this whole problem is keeping a photocopy or scan of your foil saved somewhere separate from the passport itself.
Where You Will Need Your Visa Number
Several common immigration and employment forms ask for the visa number. Form I-9, which every employer in the United States must complete to verify a new hire’s work authorization, may require it when you present your visa as an identity or authorization document. Entering an incorrect visa number can trigger a mismatch during E-Verify checks.
You may also need the number when filing a change-of-status or extension application with USCIS, applying for reentry after travel abroad, or completing arrival records. Writing it down separately from your passport keeps you from scrambling to find it under deadline pressure.
When Your Visa Expires or You Get a New One
Your visa number is permanently tied to one specific issuance. When that visa expires, the number does not carry over. If you apply for and receive a replacement visa, you get an entirely new number on the new foil.
One detail catches people off guard: the expiration date on your visa is not the end of your authorized stay. The visa expiration date controls how long you can use the visa to travel to a US port of entry. Your authorized stay is set by the CBP officer at entry and shown on your I-94 record.5U.S. Department of State. What the Visa Expiration Date Means You can be lawfully present in the United States with an expired visa as long as your I-94 status has not lapsed. If you leave the country, though, you will generally need a new valid visa to come back in.