What is an I-94 or I-94W card?

Sample I-94W (green immigration card)
Sample I-94W (green immigration card)

Prior to the use of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for Visa Waiver Program travelers foreign visitors to the United States had to complete an I-94 (white in color), if they hold a valid visa, or an I-94W (green in color), if traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program.

If you departed by a commercial air or sea carrier (airlines or cruise ships), your departure from the U.S. can be independently verified, and it is not necessary to take any further action, although holding on to your outbound (from the U.S.) boarding pass – if you still have it – can help facilitate your reentry next time you come back to the United States.

If you departed by land, private vessel or private plane, you will need to take steps to correct the record. Under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), visitors who remain beyond their permitted stay in the United States cannot reenter the U.S. in the future without obtaining a visa from a U.S. Consulate. So if you are a Visa Waiver Program visitor who traveled by land to either Canada or Mexico for an onward flight, it is particularly important for you to register your timely departure if your green I-94W was not taken when you exited the U.S. If you are a VWP visitor and you left the U.S. by an air or sea carrier, you don’t need to worry.

If you returned home with your Form I-94 (white) or Form I-94W (green) Departure Record in your passport, it is possible that your departure was not recorded properly.

Please follow the instructions at the CBP InfoCenter.

DO NOT RETURN your I-94 card to the U.S. Embassy in London!

The evidence that can be considered can come from a variety of sources, including but not limited to:

  • Original boarding passes you used to depart the United States;
  • Entry or departure stamps in your passport to indicate you entered another country after you departed the United States (please copy all passport ages that are not completely blank and include the biographic page containing your photograph);
  • Dated pay slips or vouchers from your employer to indicate that you worked in another country after you departed the United States;
  • Dated bank records showing transactions in your home country to indicate that you were in another country after your left the United States;
  • School records showing your 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 with the credit card number deleted for purchases you made after you departed the United States to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States.

Please send legible copies or the original material where possible. If you send original materials please retain a copy for your records; the originals will not be returned to you.

Yes, your I-94 arrival/departure record and arrival/departure history are available online at  https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/

You can retrieve your I-94 arrival/departure record number and five-year travel history by entering your name, date of birth, and passport information.