Passport

Finding Border Crossing History and Compliance Status of Foreign Visitors to the U.S.

Edward Ajaeb

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United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provides an easy online search tool for looking up the arrival and departure history of nonimmigrant visitors to the United States. The tool also provides a way to view a foreign visitor’s compliance status, or the length of time they are authorized to remain in the United States. The website is a simple way to electronically access information which is part of a visitor’s official I-94 form, or lawful record of admission, maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

To view travel history and compliance status using the online search tool, users must provide the traveler’s name, date of birth, and passport information, including passport number and country of issuance. Once this information is provided and identified within the CBP database, users will be able to view the dates of arrival/departure and the ports of entry/exit for the traveler within the past five years. Users will also be able to see the date until which an individual is authorized to remain in the United States.

The CBP I-94 online search website is a convenient tool for individuals needing to provide proof of their legal U.S. visitor status, whether to employers, schools, government agencies, or investigators. The CBP website provides a way for travelers to access this important information online, without having to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, as was the procedure in the past.

What’s Not Included

It is important to note that the CBP search tool can only be used to research arrival and departure history and compliance status for nonimmigrant visitors to the United States. This means that travel history for U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents will not be provided through this website. Additionally, the online search tool will only provide access to electronic border crossing information for air and sea travelers, as CBP mostly issues paper I-94 forms at land border ports of entry. The I-94 search tool also excludes travel information pertaining to “closed loop cruise arrivals/departures, air carrier reservation updates, and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updates, changes of status, extensions of stay, or adjustments of status,” according to the CBP website.

As with most online tools, CBP reminds users that it obtains travel records from a variety of sources and that the online search function is “only a tool to assist the public and is not an official record for legal purpose.”

Important Legal Reminders & Disclaimers

Pursuant to federal laws regulations, the records and information provided by the CBP I-94 online lookup tool can only be used by persons seeking records about themselves, someone for whom they are a legal guardian, or have the consent of the person whose records are being researched. The website cannot be used to retrieve records of another person without consent. If you are a law enforcement officer, government officials, or hold any other legal interest in the need for information about an individual, contact CBP or an attorney for further information about obtaining official records.

To use the CBP online search tools to find travel history and compliance status, visit:

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov