Canadians who travel to the United States as tourists or on business generally do not need a Form I-94.

This page is included here for the benefit of visitors from elsewhere who are traveling to both the U.S. and Canada.

A non-immigrant temporarily enters the United States for a specific purpose such as business, study, or pleasure. When you enter the country as a non-immigrant, a U.S. immigration inspector should have examined your passport and visa and then given you a Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record). This record should tell you the date before which you must leave the U.S. You can prove you did not violate U.S. laws by turning in your Form I-94 to the proper authorities when you leave the country.

Proof that you are willing to obey U.S. immigration laws will be important if you want to travel to the United States as an immigrant or non-immigrant in the future. If you break immigration laws, you may also become subject to removal (deportation).

When you leave the U.S, you should give the Form I-94 to your airline representative. If you arrive in Canada by land then you may give your I-94 to a Canadian Immigration inspector. However, you may have difficulty finding one willing to accept it. In this case, you are advised to follow the instructions below.

Failure to turn in your I-94 (or I-94W) when you leave the U.S. can create a serious problem. Without this record of your departure, you will be identified in our records as an "overstay." Being identified as an overstay means that you will be denied re-entry into the U.S. If you failed to turn in your I-94, please send it - along with any documentation that proves you left the U.S. to ACS Inc. 1084 South Laurel Rd., London, Kentucky 40744.

Documentation to prove your departure can include the boarding pass from your flight. If you exited the country by a land border it is much harder to verify that you did- in fact - leave the country on the date you claim. If you have any documentation of your arrival in your home country (i.e. passport stamp), then you should send a copy of that. If the above office does not have any supporting documents to substantiate your claim to have left the U.S. on a certain date, there is no guarantee that you will be entered into the record as having done so. We strongly urge you to keep a copy of what you send to ACS Inc. and to 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 you want to confirm that your I-94 was received by ACS, please give them 4 months to process the paperwork. Then you can write the following address to determine whether or not your departure was recorded. If you turned in the I-94 when you left the U.S. as required, please do NOT request confirmation that it is on file. This process is only for people who did not turn in the I-94 when they exited the U.S.

You will need to provide your name, date of birth, passport number, and date of departure, in addition to asking whether or not your departure was recorded. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air Sea Passenger Operations, Room 5.4D, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington D.C. 20229.

In addition, the next time you enter the U.S. it is recommended that you carry with you evidence of your previous timely departure.

If you lose your I-94 while stil in the U.S., you should contact the nearest office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Explain the situation and be prepared to present any supporting evidence (such as a police report if you lost your passport.) That office can issue either a replacement I-94 or an I-797 Notice of Action, to cover the lost form.

If you lose the I-94 while outside the U.S., you will receive a new one upon the next application for admission. You may be asked to explain what happened to the previous form.

The purpose of the I-94 is only to show that you did depart the U.S. within the time allowed. If your I-94 is for A, G, H, F or J visa status, the airlines will often advise you to retain the I-94 and re-use it after your brief stay abroad. This is not a cause for concern and it is fairly common for persons in those categories to be advised to retain their original I-94's.

Here is one other set of circumstances in which you should retain your Form I-94:

• If your U.S. visa has expired, and
  
• If you are traveling to Canada or Mexico for a temporary purpose of less than 30 days, and
  
• If you want to automatically revalidate your visa without applying for a new visa
  
• Then you must keep your I-94 to do that.

Note: Travelers from Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Syria, Sudan, Libya and North Korea cannot avail themselves of automatic revalidation if their visas have expired.

Persons who were registered upon arrival in the U.S. (10-print fingerprinted, photographed and complete a questionnaire) must follow the instructions given in their walk-away information packets to de-register upon departure from specified ports of departure. They should not allow the airlines to take their I-94s at check-in nor should they give their I-94's back to anyone at the border unless that is the procedure identified in their information packets.

They must follow the procedures for de-registration that they were provided upon entering the country or they may experience difficulties in re-entering the U.S. on subsequent trips.

More information about the National Security Entry Exit Registration System (NSEERS) is linked above. The information does not apply to most visitors to the U.S. but when it is applicable then it is very important. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services inspectors will notify you each time you enter the United States if you are required to follow the special registration procedures.

More information about Form I-94 is available at the CBP page linked below.