CBP Clarifies That Form I-94 Admit Until Date, Not the Visa, Sets U.S. Stay

Form

Form I-94

Fee

$30 for a provisional land-traveler application, as of November 2026

Time

Apply within seven days before entering the United States

Where

Official I-94 website or CBP One app

The I-94 record’s Admit Until date, not a visa’s expiration date, sets the authorized stay for a visitor admitted with a date-specific record. A visa lets you seek entry; the officer at the port decides whether to admit you and for how long, so check the record after arrival and leave by its stated deadline.

The agency uses the arrival/departure record to document a visitor’s admission and its terms. Most records are electronic, and a paper passport stamp is not a substitute for checking the electronic record. The agency’s visitor information page describes retrieving the admission record as proof of visitor status.

The visa and admission record answer different questions. The visa’s validity concerns whether you can use it to request entry, subject to its terms. Once you are admitted, the officer sets the period authorized for that visit.

That distinction applies beyond one visitor group. It can matter to visa holders and Visa Waiver Program travelers, as well as other nonimmigrants. But the exceptions matter: not everyone entering the United States receives an I-94.

After arrival, retrieve the latest record through the official I-94 website or the agency’s mobile app. Review the admission class and departure field rather than estimating your stay from the visa’s expiration date.

The visa lets you seek entry, but the admission record sets the dated stay

The embassy in Guyana explains that a visa permits a traveler to request entry, while the officer at the port decides the length of the stay. The embassy’s B-1/B-2 guidance says that most visitors may be admitted for up to six months, but that is a maximum, not a guaranteed period.

The admission date and visa expiration date can fall in different years. Consider a hypothetical visitor with a B-2 visa valid through 2030 and an I-94 that gives a departure date in 2027. The visitor must leave by the 2027 date for that admission; the later visa expiration does not extend the visit. The example does not establish a standard stay length for other visitors.

Retrieve the latest record and check its admission class and departure date

1. Open the official I-94 website or use the free CBP Link app. Choose the option to retrieve the most recent I-94/I-95, not a travel-history display.
2. Enter the details from the travel document used for the entry. Check each requested detail against that document before submitting the search.
3. Review the returned record. Confirm your identity information, admission class, entry information and departure field, then save or print a copy for your records.
4. If no record appears, or a field looks wrong, contact the agency or a deferred inspection site. A missing search result does not itself establish what your authorized stay is.

The electronic record is the admission document to review even if you were not given a passport stamp. The agency says travelers can retrieve and print a record through the website or its mobile app. Keep the retrieved copy with the travel documents associated with that admission.

The entry date and form expiration are not the departure deadline

Three dates can be easy to confuse: the date you entered, the date by which you must depart, and the administrative expiration date printed on the form. For a date-specific admission, use the departure date in the record. An expired OMB date does not, by itself, invalidate an individual I-94.

Some records show D/S, meaning duration of status, rather than a calendar departure date. That notation does not mean permission to stay without conditions. Students and exchange visitors must follow the rules for their category and their program documents.

A federal rule covering academic students, exchange visitors and representatives of foreign information media was scheduled to take effect September 15, 2026. However, a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction on September 14, 2026, temporarily postponing the effective date, so the rule did not take effect on September 15. The rule would replace the D/S admissions used for F-1 students since 1991 with a fixed period recorded on the I-94: up to four years, or the I-20 program duration if shorter, plus a 30-day grace period. The government’s student guidance describes the rule and its extension process.

Some students have an earlier record marked D/S. The guidance says that students whose most recent I-94 shows D/S do not need a new date-specific record under the transition provisions. These students may remain through the I-20 program end date and the 60-day grace period, but not beyond November 14, 2030 under that provision. Students who need more time may need to seek an extension or depart and obtain a new admission, depending on their circumstances.

The record applies across visitor categories, but not every traveler receives one

Visa Waiver Program travelers do not need a traditional visa, but must have approved ESTA authorization before arriving at a U.S. land border. The agency advises these travelers to use its website or mobile app to apply for an I-94 in advance. ESTA authorization does not guarantee admission.

The government’s list of travelers who do not need an I-94 includes U.S. citizens, returning resident aliens and noncitizens with immigrant visas. That means the headline rule should not be read as saying every traveler receives an admission record. Check the requirements that apply to your category and trip.

The guidance for B-1/B-2 visitors describes filing Form I-539 with USCIS to request an extension before the authorized stay expires. That guidance does not answer whether a Visa Waiver Program traveler can extend an admission or what procedure would apply to that traveler. Do not assume the B-1/B-2 process also applies to a Visa Waiver Program admission.

An officer sets each visit; six months is a ceiling, not a promise

The embassy says most visitors may be authorized to stay for up to six months, but the officer at entry decides the period for the individual visit. A shorter period can be recorded. Visitors should therefore use the date on their own record, rather than plan around a presumed six-month stay.

A brief trip outside the United States does not necessarily give a returning visitor a fresh full admission period. The admission on reentry is a new decision by the officer, and the period granted depends on that decision. Students and exchange visitors with D/S admissions also must follow the conditions attached to their status rather than relying on a fixed departure date.

Leave by the recorded date and distinguish retrieval from a land-entry application

Leave on or before the departure date recorded for your admission. The Guyana Embassy says a visa is automatically voided when a traveler stays past the authorized date; an overstay of more than 180 days triggers a 3-year bar, and an overstay of a year or more triggers a 10-year bar. Do not treat an approaching deadline as changed merely because a request or correction is pending.

Retrieving an existing electronic record is different from applying in advance for a provisional record for a land entry. The government says land travelers may apply through the official website or CBP One within seven days before entering the United States. The provisional application costs $30 and does not guarantee entry. This is not a statement of a separate fee for obtaining an I-94 at the border.

Use the agency that issued the record to request a correction

1. For a mistake made during admission, contact the agency’s deferred inspection office or a port of entry. The agency also provides an inquiry channel for questions about an admission record.
2. If USCIS issued the incorrect record with an immigration decision, use the USCIS correction process. The correction route depends on which agency issued the document.
3. If you left the United States with a paper I-94, surrender it to the carrier or the appropriate border authority when departing, as instructed. Departures by air or sea on electronic records are generally recorded from carrier information.
4. If you arrived by air or sea with an electronic record and later leave by land, the departure may not be recorded accurately in some circumstances. Keep evidence of the departure, such as travel tickets or passport entry stamps, if relevant.

A correction request is not the same as an extension request. If the record contains a wrong admission class or date, raise that issue with the agency responsible for the record. If the problem is that you need more time in the United States, use the procedure applicable to your immigration category.

Check the record before setting a departure date

Do not use the visa expiration or the OMB form date as your departure deadline. After each entry, retrieve the current record, check its admission class and departure date, and save a copy. If the record appears wrong or cannot be found, contact the appropriate agency rather than assuming that a different document changes the admission period.

Start at https://I94.cbp.dhs.gov to retrieve the latest record and confirm the date that applies to your admission.