Embassy of the United States San Jose, Costa Rica

How to Record Departure From The United States After You Have Left The Country?

If you returned home with your Department of Homeland Security Form I-94 (white) or Form I-94W (green) Departure Record in your passport, it means that your departure was not recorded properly. It is your responsibility to correct the record. You must provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sufficient information so we can record your timely departure from the U.S. This will close out your earlier record of arrival to this country.

If you do not have documents validating a timely departure from the U.S., or if you cannot reasonably prove that you in fact departed when you were supposed to, the next time you apply for admission to the U.S., CBP may conclude that you remained in the U.S. beyond your authorized stay.  If CBP reaches such a conclusion, the next time you apply to enter the U.S., your visa may be subject to cancellation or you may be returned immediately to your foreign point of origin.

In particular, visitors who remain beyond their permitted stay in the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program cannot reenter the U.S. in the future without obtaining a visa from a U.S. Consulate. If this occurs and you arrive at a U.S. port of entry seeking admission under the Visa Waiver Program without a visa, CBP Officers may order your immediate return to a foreign point of origin.

If you failed to turn in your I-94 Departure Record, please send it, along with any documentation that proves you exit the United States to:

ACS - CBP SBU
1084 South Laurel Road 
London, KY 40744

Do not mail your Form I-94 Departure Record or supporting information to any U.S. Consulate or Embassy, to any other CBP office in the U.S., or to any address other than the one above. Only at this location are we able to make the necessary corrections to CBP records to prevent inconvenience to you in the future.

To validate departure, CBP will consider a variety of information, including but not limited to: 

1. Original boarding passes you used to depart the U.S.;
2. Photocopies of departure stamps in your passport indicating entry to another country after you departed the U.S.(you must 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:
   
   
   1. Dated pay slips or vouchers from your employer to indicate you worked in another country after you departed the U.S.;
   2. Dated bank records showing transactions to indicate you were in another country after you left the U.S.;
   3. School records showing attendance at a school outside the U.S. to indicate you were in another country after you left the U.S.; and
   4. Dated credit card receipts, showing your name, but with the credit card number deleted, for purchases made after you left the U.S., to indicate you were in another country after leaving the U.S. 

To assist us in understanding your situation and correct your record quickly, please include an explanation letter in English. Your statement will not be acceptable without supporting evidence such as noted above. You must mail legible copies or, where possible, original documents. If you send original documents, keep a copy. CBP cannot return original documents after processing them.

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

If taking short trips (30 days or less) to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands during the course of your visit to the U.S., hold on to your I-94 or I-94W. It should only be turned in when you leave the U.S. to return home.

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 bring proof of the cause of your overstay next time you travel to the U.S. in order for it to be forgiven. For airline delays, ask the airline for a letter affirming the delay or a copy of your cancelled boarding pass.