Arrivals and departures of foreign citizens at the US Port of Entry are tracked by the I-94 form. It used to be a physical form in the past until April 2013. Now, the arrival & departure info of foreigners arriving in the US is fully automated and captured electronically without the need for filling out a physical form at airports and seaports, except at land entry points.
Read full info on What is I-94 form, its importance, and what is it used for? In this article, you will find how to find and retrieve I-94 online, how to get corrections done, or if you have any issues, common FAQs on the I-94 form.
How to Find and access Electronic I-94 Online? Download?
The Electronic I-94 form can be checked online at DHS.gov Website. Below is the step-by-step guide on how to find the same and download a copy of the I-94 for your records.
Step by Step Guide to Find Electronic I-94 form online
- Step 1 – Navigate to DHS – I94 Website: Visit CBP DHS.gov I-94 Website
- Step 2 – Go to the menu to get the most recent I-94: From the navigation menu, select the Get Most Recent I-94 menu item or click on the tile that shows the “Get Most Recent I-94” button in the tiles as shown in the below screenshot.
- Step 3 – Agree to the DHS Terms of Service: You will get a pop-up asking for consent and a big disclaimer indicating that you are entering a US Govt website and cannot do anything wrong and they will monitor it. You need to click on “I Acknowledge and Agree” as shown in below screenshot to proceed to next steps.
- If you do not want to consent or if you select ‘Decline & Exit’ , then you will get a different pop-up saying you did not agree to terms like below. You cannot print your I-94 if you do not consent to the terms.
- If you do not want to consent or if you select ‘Decline & Exit’ , then you will get a different pop-up saying you did not agree to terms like below. You cannot print your I-94 if you do not consent to the terms.
- Step 4 – Enter Your Personal Information: You will need to enter your personal information as it appears in your passport.
- You need to enter the personal details as it appears on the passport that you have your valid US Visa.
- If you have multiple passports, with your Valid US Visa in Old Passport, then you will need to enter the old passport details.
- If you have used a APC Kiosk on B1/ B2 Visa , you would have scanned the same old passport with valid visa stamping on it, you need to use the same passport details to print your I-94 form online.
- Sometimes, the old passport details may not work, then you need to enter the current passport that is valid. Once you enter the below details, click on Next as shown below.
- You will be asked to enter the below details :
- First name: Your Given Name or first name as it appears in your passport with a valid US Visa.
- Last Name: It is your family name or surname that appears in your passport with a valid US Visa.
- Birth Date: it is your Date of Birth as it appears in your passport with a valid US Visa.
- Passport Number: This is the passport number of your passport with valid US Visa. If it does not work, then you enter the current passport number that is valid.
- Passport Country of Issuance: Country where your current passport was issued. It is not always the same as the country of citizenship. This would be listed on your passport, check and enter the same.
- Step 5 – Display Electronic I-94: Once you click on Next, you will get your Electronic I-94 Online, and will look like in the below screenshot.
- You have the option to print or save the I-94 as PDF as well. Click on the ‘PRINT’ button on the bottom right-hand corner
- Once you download it or print it, it will look like in the below screenshot. It has all the details on validity, number, etc.
You can check out Sample Electronic I-94 retrieved online using the above steps.
What is an I-94 Number or I-94 Card Number?
The I-94 Number or Card number is the ‘Admission Record Number’ that is generated by the CBP system for tracking your arrivals and departures. It used to be on the physical form number in the past. See the below screenshot to see where it is on the physical I-94 card. This number is used by other agencies to validate your status in the US. You can check out Samples of I-94 Arrival Departure Cards Stamped by CBP for more samples and info.
I-94 Not found, No Record Found For Traveller?
Sometimes you may get a status such as “I-94 Not Found” or an error saying “No Record Found for Traveller” or any such message as shown below, it all means that you cannot find I-94 online for your details. First, you need to check the below if you cannot find your I-94.
- Double check, if you entered all your details from your passport correctly such as first name, last name, date of birth, Passport issue country, and passport number.
- If you have multiple passports with your valid US visa in your Old Passport, then you should try changing the Passport details from the US visa passport to your current passport or the passport that was in between your old and current one.
- If you have entered all your details correctly and still cannot find information online, then you need to get your information corrected by visiting a Deferred Inspection Site.
How to do I-94 Correction Online? How to fix your I-94 Not Found Online Issue?
Unfortunately, you cannot correct your I-94 details online. You will need to visit a Deferred Inspection Site to get your I-94 Corrected. There are about 70 Deferred Inspection Sites across the US and they will help you fix your I-94 Errors or Not found issues. Sometimes, at the Port of Entry, CBP officers also suggest that you go to Deferred inspection sites to get your I-94 fixed, if there are any issues with their online system.
The officers at Deferred Inspection sites can help you fix the issues of I-94 not found or wrong info on your I-94 regarding your status, biographical info, etc. You should visit a Deferred inspection site close to the place, where you live or your final destination and not at the port of entry. You should schedule an appointment at the deferred inspection site by calling them. Check the list of Deferred Inspection Sites, to get your I-94 corrected, they have the operating hours, phone number, and address.
Common FAQs
The date you arrive in the US is the I-94 Issue date. It is usually printed on the I-94 electronic form online as the ‘Most recent Date of Entry’ as shown in the above image
When you arrive in the US, depending on the visa type you use to enter, you will be given a date that you should exit America, that date is called the I-94 expiration date. On the electronic I-94, you will see that date under ‘Admit Until Date’. If you do not apply for an extension or do anything, you need to depart the US by that date. Check the above image for example.
If you enter the US on a visa such as Student Visa(F1 visa), you will not have an end date or “admit until date” that is tied to a specific date. DHS would list ‘Admit until date’ in such cases as D/S and it means “Duration of Status”. D/S means that you can stay in the US as long as you maintain the status of your class of admission. So, if you are on F1 student status, you can continue to be in the US on student status as long as you maintain your student status and you do not have a defined particular day to exit the US. You can check more on US Visa vs Status Difference
I-94 entry status corresponds to the class of admission you have used to enter US. It is basically the visa type you have used to enter. In the above image, you can see it as B1 and listed under “Class of Admission”.