Foreign visitors to the U.S. no longer need to complete paper Customs and Border Protection Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record or Form I-94W Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure Record. Those who need to prove their legal-visitor status—to employers, schools/universities or government agencies—can access their CBP arrival/departure record information online. CBP now gathers travelers’ arrival/departure information automatically from their electronic travel records.
Now at the land border, travelers will be issued I-94s electronically and will no longer receive a paper I-94 stub. CBP encourages travelers requiring an I-94 to use the CBP One™ mobile app or the CBP I-94 website to apply for their I-94. For Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travelers, an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is now required for entry and must be obtained prior to arriving at the U.S. land border. VWP travelers are encouraged to use the I-94 website or CBP One™ mobile app to apply for an I-94 in advance.
If a traveler would like a paper Form I-94, the traveler can print their own I-94 Form from the I-94 website using "Get Most Recent I-94" or by using the same option on the CBP One™ mobile application. A paper form can be requested during the inspection process but all such requests will be accommodated in a secondary setting.
If travelers need the information from their Form I-94 admission record to verify immigration status or employment authorization, they are encouraged to get their I-94 Number from the I-94 website or by using the CBP One™ mobile app. Upon exiting the U.S., travelers issued a paper Form I-94 should surrender it to the commercial carrier, Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), or to CBP upon departure. If you received an electronic I-94 upon arrival by air or sea or land and depart via land, your departure may not be recorded accurately. A departure will be recorded if you depart via land and re-enter the United States prior to the expiration date stamped in your passport. If you are not a resident of Canada or Mexico and you receive an electronic I-94 and depart via land but do not re-enter the United States prior to the expiration date stamped on your passport, you may want to travel with evidence of your departure into Canada or Mexico. Evidence of departure can include, but is not limited to, entry stamps in a passport, transportation tickets, pay stubs and/or other receipts. A traveler can request an entry stamp from CBSA when entering Canada or from the Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM) when entering Mexico.
Otherwise, when leaving via air or sea, CBP will record the departure electronically via manifest information provided by the carrier or by CBP.
This automation streamlines the entry process for travelers, facilitates security and reduces federal costs. CBP estimates that the automated process will save the agency $15.5 million a year.
For more information and for answers to frequently asked questions, see the I-94 Fact Sheet.
The CBP INFO Center offers questions and answers for I-94.
Notice
Beginning in May 2019, I-94 numbers will be alphanumeric. Currently, I-94 numbers are 11 digits long and only contain numbers. In order to minimize program impact resulting from the depletion of numeric-only I-94 numbers and to create a long-term solution for the creation of new numbers, CBP is switching to alphanumeric I-94s. I-94 numbers will remain at 11 characters but will follow the format of 9 digits, followed by a letter in the 10th position, and a digit in the 11th position. Unexpired I-94s issued in the current numeric-only format will continue to be valid until the Admit Until Date printed on the paper I-94 and/or the date displayed on the I-94 website.
