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Departure from the United States (Form I-94)
 

When you travel with a U.S. visa, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at a U.S. port of entry places a small white card - form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record - in your passport indicating your authorised period of stay. Visa-free travelers have a similar form I-94W (green) placed in their passports if they arrive in the United States by land from Canada or Mexico. Your form I-94 or I-94W is a very important document to keep in your passport, since it shows your permission to be in the United States for your authorised period of stay.

If taking short trips (30 days or less) to Canada, Mexico, or the adjacent islands during the course of your visit to the United States, hold onto your form I-94 or I-94W.

The form I-94 (white) or I-94W (green) must be turned in when you leave the United States for another country or return home. If you returned home with your form I-94 or I-94W in your passport, it is possible that your departure was not recorded properly. Chech below if you need to take any further action to ensure your departure is recorded:

  • If you departed the United States by a commercial air or sea carrier (airlines or cruise ships), your departure from the United States can be independently verified, and it is not necessary to take any further action, although holding on to your outbound (departing the United States) boarding pass - if you still have it - can help facilitate your reentry next time you come back to the United States.
  • If you departed the United States by land, private vessel or private plane, you will NEED to take steps to correct the record.

CORRECTING YOUR DEPARTURE RECORD

If you failed to turn in your form I-94 or I-94W, please send it, along with an explanation letter in English and any supporting evidence that proves you left the United States, to the following addrress:

DHS - CBP SBU
1084 South Laurel Road
London, KY 40744
U.S.A.

  • Do NOT mail your form I-94 or I-94W or supporting information to any U.S. consulate or embassy or any other address. Only the CBP office in London, KY can make the necessary corrections to prevent inconvenience to you in the future.
  • Do NOT ask for confirmation that your record has been updated. The CBP office in London, KY does not answer correspondence.

Your statement will not be acceptable without supporting evidence. To validate a departure, CBP will consider a variety of information, including but not limited to:

  1. Original boarding passes you used to depart the United States;
  2. Photocopies of entry or departure stamps in your passport indicating entry to another country after you departed the United States (you should copy all passport pages that are not completely blank, and include the biographical page containing your photograph); and 
  3. Photocopies of other supporting evidence, such as:
    • Dated pay slips or vouchers from your employer to indicate you worked in another country after you departed the United States.
    • Dated bank records showing transactions to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States.
    • School records showing attendance at a school outside the United States to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States.
    • Dated credit card receipts, showing your name, but, the credit card number deleted, for purchases made after you left the United States to indicate you were in another country after leaving the United States.

You must mail legible copies or original materials where possible. If you send original materials, you should retain a copy. CBP cannot return original materials after processing.

We strongly urge you to keep a copy of what you send to DHS-CBP and carry it with you the next time you come to the United States in case a CBP officer has any questions about your eligibility to enter.

WHY VALIDATING A TIMELY DEPARTURE IS IMPORTANT

If you do not validate a timely departure from the United States, or, if you cannot reasonably prove otherwise when you apply for admission to the United States in the future, a CBP officer may conclude that you remained in the United States beyond your authorized period of stay. If this happens, the next time you apply to enter the United States, you may be denied admission and returned immediately to your foreign point of origin.

Delays beyond the traveler's control, such as cancelled or delayed flights, medical emergencies requiring a doctor's care, etc. are not considered unauthorized overstays, however, you will need to present proof of the cause of your overstay the next time you travel to the United States in order for it to be reconciled. For airline delays, ask the airline for a letter affirming the delay or a copy of your cancelled boarding pass.