Effective on April 26, 2013, a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rule went into effect to automate the Form I-94, “Arrival/ Departure Record.” With the new automated Form I-94 process, CBP officers will create an electronic automated arrival record during the admissions process for nonimmigrants entering the United States at an air or sea port of entry. CBP will no longer issue a paper Form I-94 to most travelers.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program and CBP hosted an informational webinar on Form I-94 automation. You can watch the recording of this webinar from our webinars page.

Some of the most frequently asked questions from the webinar are below:

If a traveler loses his or her Form I-94, will the automated process help CBP to obtain travel information or will travelers need to contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)?

For travelers who received an electronic Form I-94, they may obtain a copy at www.cbp.gov/I94. If a traveler loses a paper Form I-94 and needs it to receive a benefit, the traveler must contact USCIS for a replacement Form I-94 by using Form I-102, "Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document."

Will the Form I-94 automation process help eliminate errors? If information on the Form I-94 contains an error, how does the traveler correct the mistake?

The electronic version of the Form I-94 will help eliminate errors because the system obtains much of the information automatically from official documents. If there is an error or mistake on the paper or electronic Form I-94, travelers can contact the Deferred Inspection office closest to their location.

How do travelers revalidate a visa without their Form I-94?

The Form I-94 admission record is created electronically and maintained in CBP systems. CBP will verify the Form I-94 electronically to re-validate an expired visa if the traveler meets the conditions of automatic revalidation. If entry occurred prior to automation, the traveler must present a paper form in order to comply with validation requirements. For more information about automatic revalidation, please see CBP’s page on automatic revalidation for certain temporary visitors.

How does this affect the Form I-515A, “Notice to Student or Exchange Visitor” process?

The Form I-515A process is not affected. CBP will continue to issue paper Forms I-94 to students who receive an I-515A.

Resources

• Stakeholder Webinar: Form I-94 Automation
• I-94 Admission Number Retrieval
• Form I-94 Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Form I-94 Quick Reference Guide (PDF)