I-94 Card: Arrival-Departure Record

I-94 card is a nonimmigrant visitor's Arrival-Departure Record. If you hold a nonimmigrant visa and enter the U.S. through a port of entry (POE), either by air, sea or land, you must complete CBP Form I-94 and present it to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer during inspection. If admitted, you will receive the lower portion of Form I-94 back, which is usually stapled to your passport. The processed I-94 card contains vital information including your:

Full name
Date of birth
Nationality
Date of entry
Visa status, and
Authorized stay

Regular form I-94 is white, for visitors holding nonimmigrant visas. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) participants must use I-94W, a green form. Crewmen need to fill out Form I-95 (Landing Permit).

How to fill out Form I-94?

You must complete both sections of Form I-94: the top portion is your arrival record and will be retained by CBP after your admission. The bottom portion is your departure record (so-called I-94 card), which will be returned to you after inspection and must be submitted to U.S. officials when you leave the United States.

To fill out the form you will need the following information:

Your name, DOB, Nationality, Sex (Male or Female), country of residence and Passport Number;
Airline and Flight Number, if you flew to the US;
The city where you boarded the flight;
The city where your visa was issued;
The date when your visa was issued; and
The address where you will stay in the U.S.

CBP officials will stamp the I-94 card, and write down your immigration status and authorized period of stay, before returning it to you. See an example above.

How do I return my I-94 card?

If you are departing by air or sea, return your I-94 to the airline or shipping line during check-in. The carrier representative is supposed to annotate the back of your I-94 with your departure date and turn it to CBP.

If you are departing by land, turn your I-94 in to Canadian or Mexican authorities at the border. Please note that in most cases, if your trip to Canada or Mexico is 30 days or less, and you intend to return to the U.S., you don't have to turn in your I-94. At the end of your visit, you may re-enter the US with your I-94, and resume your authorized stay.

Due to the importance of I-94, you should keep digital scans and/or copies of all I-94 cards you ever received in a safe place.

How do I know if the airline turned in my I-94 to CBP?

This is a common concern for many passengers. Unfortunately there is not much you can do. Just remember that airline personnel have been collecting I-94 cards and delivering them to CBP for years, on a daily basis, so normally it should be OK. However, you should still keep your boarding pass and any other document that may prove your departure from the US in case a problem arises later on.

Does USCIS issue I-94 cards too?

Yes. When you extend your stay, or change your status to another nonimmigrant status while in the US, you will receive a USCIS approval notice that contains a new I-94 card. If your extension or change of status application is denied, USCIS will return the old I-94 card to you along with the rejection notice.

How to correct errors on my I-94 card?

It is critical to carefully check your I-94 card while you are still at the port of entry. If any error, such as misspelling of your name or wrong visa classification, is found on the card, contact a CBP office at the airport or border immediately. This is the easiest way to fix an I-94 error.

If you find the error after entering the US, you may contact any CBP office or deferred inspection location - it doesn't have to be the international airport or border where you entered - and request correction of the inaccurate information. You must provide sufficient documents to support your claim, obviously.

There is no official form to request error correction on CBP issued I-94 cards. There is no fee either.

For USCIS issued I-94 cards, you must contact USCIS (not CBP) to correct the problem. You may do so at your local USCIS office, by making an infopass appointment.

To replace a lost, stolen or damaged I-94 card, or apply for a new I-94 card if you were not issued one upon entry, you must file Form I-102 with USCIS. There is a $320 filing fee.