When a non-US Citizen travels to the US and enters at a designated US Port of Entry, their arrival and departure information is captured in a form called I-94. It used to be a physical form, but from April 26, 2013, the arrival and departure information has been captured electronically, and the I-94 form has been fully automated.
In this article, we will look at a Sample I-94 form that you find online on the CBP Website and what the various fields on it mean.
When is the Electronic I-94 Form? What does it capture?
When foreign citizens enter the US, they arrive at a US Port of Entry(PoE), each of the locations are designated with 3 letter codes. After arrival, all of them go through US Port of Entry Procedures at PoE, CBP Officer Stamps their passport with the visa type they are entering in and lets them enter US.
As part of that arrival process, the information related to the person entering the US is captured in the I-94 form. The I-94 Form is also called the Arrival/ Departure Record or Arrival/ Departure Form. If the passenger arrives by Air or Sea, it is a completely electronic process, and arriving passengers do not have to fill anything.
The I-94 form can be accessed by passengers electronically online. The I-94 form serves as the proof that you entered legally into the US. It also represents your Visa Status in the US after you enter the US. The Arrival Departure info is updated in I-94 when the passengers exit US as well. Again, this process is completely electronic and automated.
I-94 Form Sample, Fields Meaning
You can access your electronic I-94 by visiting website https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home. Read How to get I-94 Electronic record online on DHS website for more info.
Below are the various fields on an electronic I-94. Each of the the fields has a specific meaning and it is explained below on what they convey.
- Admission I-94 Record Number: This field indicates the I-94 form number, that is used to retrieve your info. It is the same as the “admission number” on a physical I-94 form.
- Arrival/ Issued Date : This is the date that you entered USA and when your I-94 form was issued.
- Class of Admission: This corresponds to the visa type you used to enter America. In the below example, it is a B1 visa.
- Admit Until Date: This is the date when the passenger or user has to leave America. It is the expiry date of the status in the US and when they should depart the US.
- Last Name/ Surname: The last name, surname or family name of the traveler arriving in the US.
- First (Given) Name: The first name or given name of the traveler arriving in the US.
- Birth Date: Date of birth of the traveler.
- Document Number: It is the passport number of the traveler or the travel document number.
- Country of Citizenship : This is the country of citizenship of traveler.
Below is the Sample Electronic I-94 that is pulled up from the online DHS website in 2024. Some of the field names on the latest I-94 form has changes such as Arrival/Issue Date, Document Number and Country of Citizenship. Other field names remained the same.
Below we have older samples of Sample I-94 forms for your reference.
Sample I-94 Electronic Record from the past
Below is a sample I-94 electronic record that was printed online in 2019. Most of the fields remain the same from the previous years.
Below is a sample I-94 electronic record that was printed online in 2017 that was issued back in 2013, when the new system was just put in place. If you compare both above one from recent 2019 vs. the old one, it has not really changed anything. It has been consistent.
Common FAQs
Not really, they have the same purpose and meaning. Depending on how you enter the US, you would issued a certain type of the I-94. If you arrive by land (on-road), you are likely to be issued a paper based I-94. If you arrive by Air or Sea, you are likely to be issued electronic I-94. If the online system does not work during your arrival, then you may be issued paper based I-94 form.
If it was a mistake done by the CBP officer, they can correct the same, if you reach out to them. You can email CBP Office or Call a port of entry location to fix your I-94 issue. Check Locate Port of Entry to find relevant port of entry in your state.