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Form I-94 arrival-departure record for U.S. visitors

Forms I-94 and I-94W (for nonimmigrants with a visa waiver) record the arrival and departure dates of people visiting the U.S.

Who needs an I-94 form

Everyone entering the U.S. needs an I-94 or I-94W form except:

• American citizens
• Returning resident aliens
• Non-U.S. citizens with immigrant visas
• Most Canadian citizens who are visiting or in transit

How to apply for or see your current Form I-94

Download the CBP One app on your cell phone or tablet or visit the official Form I-94 website to:

• See your most recent I-94 form and print it, in case you need your record of legal admission to the U.S. The CBP One app also allows you to have a digital version of your I-94 on your phone
• Request an I-94 if you are traveling by land. You can apply for an I-94 and pay the $6 fee in advance, to save time at the land port of entry. (If you are traveling by air or sea, you will receive an I-94 at your port of entry during the admission process.)
• Get a history of your arrivals and departures from the U.S. for the last 10 years
• Find out how long you are legally allowed to stay in the US
• Read frequently asked questions about the I-94

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sends visitors email reminders about their remaining time in the U.S. In addition, it sends notifications to travelers who may have exceeded their admission period.

I-94W for travelers traveling under the Visa Waiver Program

Citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries must have an approved and current authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to apply for their I-94W in advance through the CBP One app or the Form I-94 web page.

LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023

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Form I-94, Explained

How the i-94 arrival/departure record keeps track of your travel history — and why it matters, in this guide.

• What is the Form I-94?
• Easy. Online. Immigration.
• Who Needs an I-94 Form?
• How Do I Get an I-94 Card?
• Understanding the I-94 travel history
• I-94 arrival-departure record number
• How Much Does the I-94 Form Cost?
• Form I-94 FAQs
• Related Articles

Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record Card) is a crucial document U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issues to track people entering and exiting the United States.  Here’s why it’s important:

• It serves as proof that you entered the country legally as a non-citizen or lawful permanent resident.
• It specifies the date by which you must depart the U.S. This is especially important for non-immigrants, such as students or scholars, whose stay is limited to a specific period.
• The I-94 document also indicates the authorized duration of your stay in the U.S., which can be helpful for employers who are verifying your employment eligibility.

Historically, the I-94 was a small white paper card that visitors surrendered upon leaving the country. Currently, most visitors arriving by air or sea have electronic I-94 records . If you arrive by land, you may still receive a paper version. In this article, we’ll explain how it works.

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Here’s a breakdown of who needs an I-94 form:

• Most people traveling to the U.S. who aren’t citizens:  This includes tourists, students, temporary workers, exchange visitors, etc
• Individuals who are adjusting their status while in the U.S.
• Individuals planning to extend their current non-immigrant stay in the U.S.
• Non-citizens returning to the U.S.

You do not need an I-94 travel record if you are:

• A U.S. Citizen
• A Lawful permanent resident (green card holder)
• An individual with an immigrant visa
• A Canadian citizen visiting or in transit
• Travelers under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP); they get an I-94W instead, which is usually processed online

Most people entering the United States who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents get an I-94 travel record form automatically issued to them upon arrival.

Exceptions are made for those entering on the Visa Waiver Program or Compact of Free Association , using Border Crossing Cards , re-entering using automatic visa revalidation (a system used by some visa-holders who briefly visit Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean), or entering temporarily as part of an airline flight crew.

Immigration Glossary

• Visa Waiver Program:  A program that lets citizens of certain countries visit the U.S. for tourism or business for up to 90 days without needing a traditional visa.
• Border Crossing Cards:  These cards function like visas for some Mexican citizens, allowing them to visit the U.S. for short periods.
• Automatic Visa Revalidation:  A special rule that lets people with certain visas make quick trips to Canada, Mexico, or some Caribbean islands without needing a new visa to re-enter the U.S.

IMPORTANT: Some people who aren’t required to have an I-94 travel record must instead fill out Form I-94W (for visitors using visa waivers) or Form I-95 (for flight crew members). These forms have a similar purpose to a regular I-94. Upon arrival, check with the CBP Officer if you think this might apply to you.

The U.S. immigration system can seem complicated, but Boundless can guide you through the whole process from start to finish. Get started today!

How you get an I-94, depends on how you enter the U.S. If you enter by land, you’ll receive a paper I-94 card. If you enter by sea or air, you won’t receive a paper I-94 but will instead receive an electronic I-94 record.

Arriving by air or sea

Most visitors entering the U.S. by air or sea will have an electronic I-94 record automatically created for them when they go through customs. When you arrive in the United States, you’ll show your passport and visa to a CBP agent, who will enter your information into an electronic tracking system . They will then stamp your passport, to show you entered the U.S. lawfully.

You’ll probably receive printed instructions about how to access your electronic I-94, but using the CBP’s online system , you can easily view your travel record and download or print a copy for your records.

Arriving by land

If you arrive at a land border crossing, you’ll likely receive a small, white paper I-94 card. A CBP officer will fill it out and usually staple it into your passport. To save time at the border, you can apply for an I-94 before you come to the U.S. through CBP’s online system . Note, there is a $6 fee for this.

Whether electronic or paper, be sure to keep your I-94 safe. You will need to hand in the paper version when leaving the U.S., so the U.S. government can track your departure and know that you left the country before your visa expired. Also, you may need this form for things like applying for a driver’s license, getting a job, or changing your immigration status.

I-94 travel history is essentially a log of your past entries and exits when coming and going from the U.S. It’s tracked through your I-94 records. It includes details around the dates you arrived and departed from the U.S., the ports of entry and exit, your class of admission (e.g., your reason for visiting) such as tourism, student visa, etc. It also includes how long you were authorized to stay on each visit.

Both your stamped passport and your electronic or paper I-94 record will show your “ Admit Until Date ,” which shows how long you are allowed to remain in the United States. The CBP agent who stamps your passport may simply write “ Duration of Status ” or “D/S,” which indicates that you’re allowed to remain in the United States as long as your current visa remains valid.

Why it’s important

Your I-94 travel history can be important for several reasons:

• It shows that you have entered the country legally in the past.
• If you’re applying to change or adjust your immigration status, you may need to provide your I-94 travel history as supporting documentation.
• If there are any errors or issues with your immigration record, the travel history can help clarify them.

Where to find your I-94 travel history

You can access your I-94 travel history on the CBP website . You’ll usually see your last 5 years of travel history, but you can request a full history if needed.

If you extend your stay or adjust your status after arriving in the United States — such as by gaining a green card — then U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will issue a new I-94 or other documentation to reflect your new situation. In such cases, the new documentation will be your primary way of showing your lawful status.

Once CBP approves your lawful entry and issues the I-94 form, a unique code will be assigned to your record. This number is linked to a specific entrance and reason for visiting the United States, so you’ll receive a different I-94 number each time you arrive in the country. The number, which you can find on your paper I-94 card or on your electronic record, may sometimes be required by a state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), or your employer may need it for their records.

If you need to replace a Form I-94, you can do it on the CBP website or by calling CBP at 1-877-CBP-5511 (1-877-227-5511) Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time. 

Until May 2019, I-94 numbers were an 11-digit string of numbers. Now, though, CBP has switched to using an 11-character alphanumeric code — a mix of numbers and letters. You won’t need to worry about this, since unexpired I-94 forms based on the old numeric system will remain valid until their “Admit Until Date” has passed.

There is no fee for the I-94 form. That’s true whether you’re arriving by land, air, or sea, and regardless of whether you get a paper or electronic record.

If you’re arriving at a land border port of entry, you can optionally apply online for a provisional I-94 one week or less before your arrival date. Applying for a provisional I-94 costs $6, but can streamline the arrival process and minimize the time you spend waiting in line at the border.

Obtaining a copy of your I-94 travel record is also free if you entered the United States after April 2013. For earlier records, you can request a copy by submitting Form I-102 (officially called the “Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document”) and paying a $560 filing fee.

While an I-94 travel record is free, immigrating can be expensive. Learn the costs for common USCIS forms and fees here.

It’s easy to access your I-94 form using CBP’s online portal . You’ll need to make sure you enter your information — such as your name and passport details — correctly in order to log on.

If you can’t find your I-94 travel record using the online system, check here for official guidance on how to make sure you’re entering your information correctly, and to get further assistance if necessary.

If there’s an error in your I-94 travel record, you’ll need to contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to make the correction. You can schedule an in-person interview at a local USCIS office, or call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 for more information.

Note that if the error was made when you first entered the United States, you’ll need to visit a local CBP deferred inspection site or port of entry to have it changed.

Keep calm! It’s normally an easy fix. Since most I-94 records are now kept electronically, you’ll usually be able to download a copy of your travel record from the CBP website at no charge.

In some cases, such as if you entered the United States prior to April 2013, the process can be more complicated and expensive. You can learn more about your options in the Boundless guide to getting a copy of your I-94 .

It’s worth keeping a hard copy of your I-94 travel record in a safe place. To download or print out a copy of your I-94 card, simply log onto the CBP’s I-94 website and follow the on-screen instructions.

Electronic travel records are convenient in most cases, but things can get complicated if you receive an electronic record after arriving in the United States by sea or by air, but then leave the country at a land border crossing. At land borders, departures are still primarily tracked using paper I-94 travel records, so if you have an electronic record your departure may not be automatically recorded.

In such cases, you’ll want to make sure you have another way to prove that you left the country before your visa expired. One option is to request an entrance stamp in your passport from the Canadian or Mexican authorities. You can also keep transport tickets, receipts, or pay stubs to show that you left the United States before your visa expired.

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• Immigration

How Can I Easily Go Back and Find All Of My Travel Records?

by -->Foster -->, on News

Do you need to figure out how many days you spent in the United States in a given year? It is easier than you think. In early 2013, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency started a program to automate the collection of data for non-immigrants who enter the U.S. The data was historically collected in a paper form, the I-94, and the program to automate the data collection was meant to save money and time as well as provide a more accurate record of the non-American residents who enter and leave the U.S. legally.

For many non-Americans, their relationship with the U.S. may change in a variety of ways whereby they need to produce a record of the exact number of days when they were in the U.S. over a given number of years. Some non-Americans find themselves wanting or needing to file a 1040NR (non-resident) tax return; in many cases to claim a treaty position or to get a refund. In other cases, a visitor to the U.S. may now be applying for a Green Card or a visa that will allow them to live in the U.S. for a period of time due to employment, education or for other purposes.

Many applications to the U.S. government for visas as well as the filing of a 1040NR tax return require the applicant to state precisely when they were in the U.S. In other cases, a taxpayer may need to file an 8840 form, for example, to show a closer connection to another country even if they spent a considerable amount of time in the U.S. If this information is not presented accurately it could cause delays or rejections in visa applications or challenges to a position taken on a tax return.

Now, perhaps you are working with a tax preparer, immigration attorney or other professional who has asked you for these records (because they are completing the paperwork for you) and you think, “How can I easily go back and find all of my travel records?” Perhaps you will be advised to look at the stamps on your passport, or check your frequent-flyer account online, or look at your calendar to try to determine the precise number of days. Well, there is an easier way.

If you need this information, you need to have the following: your first and last name, your full date of birth, your passport number, and the country of issuance of your passport. Next, go to this link at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website and in just a couple of minutes you will be looking at the complete record of your travel history to the U.S. For more information on the I-94 form you can go to the CBP instructions page .

The CBP database provides you with your most recent I-94 admission record including the port of entry, and this can be used as evidence of lawful admission into the U.S. The website will also provide a five-year travel history containing the arrival and departure date for a given passport number. It’s possible in some cases that your travel records don’t appear in the CBP system, but you can check out the CBP FAQs for more info.

For all kinds of additional useful information about traveling to the U.S., whether you are a U.S. citizen or an international visitor, you can visit cbp.gov/travel .

So, the next time you need to produce records of your travel into and out of the U.S., the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has done most of the work for you. Though remember, they only keep up to five years of history available online.

http://blogs.wsj.com/expat/2016/05/12/how-can-i-easily-go-back-and-find-all-of-my-travel-records/

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Missing I-94 Arrival Record - How Do I Prove Lawful Entry to the United States?

Every year thousands of people apply for a green card based on their family relationship with a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. If you want to apply from inside the United States, you must prove that you entered the country lawfully. To prove that, you normally submit a copy of your I-94 Arrivals and Departure record with your Green Card application. The I-94 officially documents all the dates when you left and came into the United States through ports of entry. But what happens if you can't find your I-94 record? This article explains how to get a copy of your missing I-94 record and discusses other ways you may be able to prove lawful entry into the United States.

Written by Jonathan Petts .  Written May 25, 2022

How do I prove legal entry into the U.S.?

When you apply for a marriage green card , child green card , or parent green card inside the United States, also known as an "adjustment of status," you must provide some supporting documents. Along with your green card application, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) asks you to submit proof that an immigration official inspected you when you entered the United States. If you cannot provide evidence that you entered lawfully and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has no record of your lawful entry, USCIS will assume that you entered the country unlawfully. 

In most cases, you will prove that you entered the U.S. lawfully by providing a copy of your I-94 travel record. The I-94 is a document issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer that inspects a foreign visitor when entering the United States through ports of entry. In addition to listing your date of entry, an I-94 record will also show your required departure date from the United States.

If you enter the United States by plane or by sea, you typically receive an electronic I-94 travel record from CBP. If you enter through a land border port of entry through Mexico, you can receive a paper I-94 record. On the other hand, if you entered the United States under ESTA or the Canadian Visa Waiver program, you would not receive an I-94 record. For more general information about the I-94 travel record, see the CBP's I-94 Fact Sheet .

What do I do if I can't find my "Form I-94"?

If you can't find your I-94 record (sometimes incorrectly called "Form I-94," an "I-94 card," or an "I-94 number"), then you're not alone. Maybe your travel documents were lost or stolen. Perhaps a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer spoke to you and then waived you through without inspecting your documents. Or maybe you came as a child on your parent's tourist visa and that document is now lost. Fortunately, there are other ways that you can prove that you entered the United States lawfully. Contact a local legal aid organization for help or read on to learn more. 

Request I-94 record from CBP

If you entered the United States after I-94 automation (April 30, 2013), you are in luck. If you received an I-94 record, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) likely entered it into their computer database. So on the CBP website , you can request a copy of your most recent I-94 , as well as your travel history from the past five years . This is a free, easy, and fast way of retrieving your I-94 record. 

Submit Form I-102 to USCIS

If you arrived in the United States before April 20, 2013, you probably received a paper I-94 record. You won't be able to find a copy of this record online on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's website. Instead, you will need to file a paper form with USCIS to request a replacement I-94. You must fill out Form I-102 (Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document) and mail it to USCIS. If USCIS has your I-94 record, you should receive a copy of it within about two and a half months. Unfortunately, filing Form I-102 is not without cost - it carries a $445 filing fee.

Submit a FOIA request

If you can't afford the expense of filing Form I-102 , you could also request a copy of your I-94 through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. In a FOIA request, you are asking the U.S. government for a copy of your immigration file. You can file a FOIA request by completing a paper form or by writing a letter to USCIS . 

But you will receive an answer faster if you apply online on the website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Once you submit your request online, DHS will forward it to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Hopefully, CBP will find your I-94 record and return a copy of it to you. FOIA requests are typically free. Be warned though — this process takes time. You may have to wait for up to 12 months before you receive documents from the government.

What else can I do if I can't replace my missing I-94 arrival record?

If you can't find your I-94 travel record in any of these ways, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will presume that you entered the country unlawfully. So if you still want to apply for a green card, you need to provide other documents with your application:

A notarized written statement that clearly explains why you don't have your I-94 record. This statement, called an "affidavit," should describe your lawful entry to this country in as much detail as possible, including:

When, where, and how you arrived in the United States

What travel documents you had, if any,

Whether you showed any travel documents to the U.S. immigration officer who inspected you, and

Any questions the immigration officer asked you

Other evidence proving that you arrived in the United States lawfully. For example, perhaps you can show a plane ticket or boarding pass with your name on it. Or perhaps you can show your parents' passport admission stamp from the date of your arrival with them as a child.

If you don't have other evidence of your lawful arrival, you need to provide at least two affidavits from people who have first-hand knowledge of your lawful entry to the United States. For example, if you know who picked you up from the airport, perhaps they could sign an affidavit swearing that you arrived lawfully by plane. Those affidavits should contain the same level of detail as your own affidavit discussed above. 

But USCIS believes that affidavits are less convincing than concrete evidence. So you should be cautious about applying if you don't have other evidence of your lawful arrival. If you do choose to apply, you should seek legal help from a local legal aid agency or an experienced immigration lawyer .

Proving that you entered the United States lawfully is critical if you want to apply for a green card while inside the country. In most cases, the I-94 travel record is the way to prove your legal entry. If you can't find your I-94 record, you may be able to search for it on CBP's website or obtain it by filing Form I-102 or a FOIA request. If none of those options work, you can also try proving lawful entry through affidavits and other evidence such as plane tickets. 

Continue reading and learning!

How to Get Your USA Travel History Online (Arrivals and Departures)

Do you need to see your US Travel History for a visa application or just to check when you have arrived or departed? Well, you don’t need to look for your old passports and check each page one by one, you can search it online! It’s pretty simple, here’s a guide on How to Get Your US Travel History Online .

The US Customs and Border Protection has a website for visitors to request their travel history or I-94 form. You will only need a few details so that you can get the information online. Feel free to print it too!

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Information Required

• Complete Name
• Passport Number

STEP by STEP Guide in Getting your US Travel History Online

STEP 1: Go to this website .

STEP 2: Choose View Travel History option.

STEP 3: Enter the information required and click Next .

STEP 4: You may now view the results for your US travels for the last 5 years.

You can print your information.

You can also get your I-94 results to show your visitor status as well as the last day for your visit.

Please note:

• The information shown is only records of the last five years
• Land border arrivals or departures may not be reflected
• Closed-loop cruise arrival or departures may not be shown
• Change of status or extension of stay is not available
• If you are a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, you can’t get your travel history in this website

See? It’s very easy to retrieve your travel information in case you forgot when you arrived or departed in the US. Before, you need to request from Freedom of Information Act to see your travel records, now, just a few clicks, and you’ll get it! I hope you’ll know how to Get your US Travel History Online after reading this!​

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Written by Kach Umandap

Founder of Two Monkeys Travel Group. Since 2013, Kach has visited all the 7 continents (including Antarctica) and 151 countries using her Philippines Passport. In 2016, she bought a sailboat and went on sailing adventures with her two cats - Captain Ahab & Little Zissou in the Caribbean for 2 years. She now lives in Herceg Novi, Montenegro where she's enjoying her expat life and living on a gorgeous Stonehouse. She writes about her experiences traveling as a Filipina traveler with a PHL Passport. Also tips on backpacking trips, luxury hotel experiences, product reviews, sailing & adventure travel.

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DHS/CBP/PIA–024 Arrival and Departure Information System

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Arrival and Departure Information System (ADIS) consolidates data from a variety of systems to create a unique person-centric record with complete travel history. Originally, CBP created ADIS to identify individuals who had overstayed their class of admission (“visa overstays”); however, due to ADIS’s unique abilities to conduct biographic matching, data-tagging, and filtering, CBP is broadening its use of ADIS for all traveler encounters regardless of citizenship. CBP is republishing this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to provide notice, and assess the privacy risks, of expanding ADIS beyond its original visa overstay mission. As the primary CBP system used to determine person-centric travel history and immigration status, ADIS supports a variety of non-law enforcement use cases that often require U.S. citizen travel history. CBP is reissuing this PIA to document the expanded uses of ADIS and its maintenance of all CBP travel records, including those of U.S. citizens. January 2020

Associated SORN(s)

• DHS/CBP-005 Advance Passenger Information System
• DHS/CBP-007 CBP Border Crossing Information
• DHS/CBP-011 U.S. Customs and Border Protection TECS
• DHS/CBP-016 Non-Immigrant Information System
• DHS/CBP-021 Arrival and Departure Information System
• DHS/USCIS/ICE/CBP-001 Alien File, Index, and National File Tracking System
• DHS/ICE-001 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System
• Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA)
• Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)

How to Obtain a Person’s Travel Records in the U.S.

Recently, we were tasked with trying to obtain records relating to an individual’s entries to and exits from the United States.

I was certain that these records were not considered public record, but the case related to an ongoing criminal defense matter in federal court, so obtaining a subpoena was not an issue.

[Crib Notes: You can obtain your own records through the FOIA or through a subpoena. There is no other way to do it.]

Early on in the research, I found information on the U.S. Department of State website relating to  obtaining copies of passport records . Upon closer inspection, however, I determined that “passport records” with the Department of State do not include “evidence of travel such as entrance/exit stamps, visas, residence permits.”

While this may be useful in other cases, in this particular matter, I needed information relating to travels in and out of the United States—not just when the passport was issued.

After hours of research and telephone calls with a number of contacts and sources, I was able to get some more details on how to subpoena records relating to entries to and exits from the United States.

Border crossing records

Officially, the term is “border crossing records.” These records include any entries or departures by ground, sea, or air from the United States, and are housed in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Sources indicated that border crossing records dating back 75 years are available through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

TECS and BCI

There are two separate databases that can provide access to border crossing information: TECS and BCI.

TECS is the principal system used by U.S. Customs officers to assist with screening and determinations regarding the admissibility of arriving persons. TECS can also be accessed by law enforcement personnel. In addition to information relating to entries and departures, TECS also includes information such as wants and warrants and terrorist watchlists.

The Border Crossing Information (BCI) database is described as a “subset” of the TECS database; it is for information relating to requests from persons other than law enforcement officials, including FOIA requests.

Individuals can access information about themselves through the FOIA  to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Where to issue a subpoena?

For legal matters, border crossing information can be subpoenaed through the  20 regional operations offices , using the one that is closest to the court case at hand. (A subpoena can also be issued to the headquarters in D.C., but it would be forwarded to the closest regional office, which would add time to the process.)

What to expect …

I spoke to a representative of the regional office that was closest to the case we were working on, who provided the information outlined below. Keep in mind, each of the regional offices may operate differently, and I would strongly recommend speaking to someone in the legal department of the local regional office before obtaining a subpoena.

That person indicated that the subpoena should reference “border crossing records” and indicate the specific time period for which the border crossing records are needed.

Most subpoenas typically request two to five years of travel information. The representative was not clear if border crossing information was available for individuals who traveled into and out of the United States on a non-U.S. passport and was not clear how far back the records went; however, other sources indicated that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has 75 years’ worth of records.

In the subpoena, you should include information relating to the name of the person in question, their date of birth, and their passport number (if available).

The representative also suggested sending a copy of the criminal complaint with the subpoena or, alternatively, the case number so they could research the case themselves. I was told that they would respond to either a subpoena ordered by the court (“so ordered”) or a subpoena sent by an attorney, but that a subpoena ordered by the court would receive less scrutiny.

Once the subpoena is received and goes through the intake process, it will be assigned to an attorney in the office and will be responded to in due time. Typically, it takes a few weeks to respond.

The regional office that I contacted only accepted subpoenas by mail or certified mail; it did not accept personal service.

Also, the representative warned that the U.S. attorney assigned to the case would “probably” get notified of the request.

In closing …

So there you have it. Google didn’t help me clear up how to proceed when I was looking, but hopefully this information can be useful to someone else.

Are you in the investigation / security business?: Yes No

Great article. I am trying to navigate this process right now. I have dates the individual entered and exited via a copy of their passport (still wanting a full list as it seems the individual did not receive a stamp each and every crossing), but if I need to find out what airline the individual traveled on, do you know if any agency maintains this information or will I have to do like Scott and do a blanket subpoena?

Ultimately, I want to figure out what day the ticket was booked, as it will shed a lot of light on the purpose of the trip.

I don’t know the answer to that, John. My guess is that you are going to have to contact the airlines individually though.

Thank you for this excellent article Brian, and very useful. I have obtained records for a deceased person (FOIA through the DC headquarters) but now we have to obtain the CBP records of a living person, who is a party to the case, and the question of whether this person will be notified of our subpoena is pretty crucial. 5 months later, what did happen in your situation? Was the party notified? Thanks and best, ew

Thanks for your comment Emmanuelle. Frankly, I do not know if the other side was told. I was told by a person in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office that the U.S. Attorney assigned to the case would be notified, so my guess is that while the person will not be notified, somebody probably will. Wish I could provide a more concrete answer, but unfortunately I can’t.

Question for you – since the person was deceased, you did not have to have permission and only needed a FOIA?

Yes, I only needed a FOIA but now we’re trying to obtain travel records for his spouse, who is very much alive… I followed your advice and contacted the regional branch of CBP and the senior attorney there called me back right away. What a difference it makes with contacting CBP in DC! That attorney told me that the individual is usually contacted, but that they review each case individually.

As an aside, I found that CBP treated by FOIA pretty quickly. The US State Department passport office has been much more difficult, though, denying requests, asking for additional documents etc. Keep blogging and rocking, EW

Great tips Emmanuelle. I would have never guessed that you could get travel records with a FOIA.

Once again Brian, you’ve outdone yourself. I wanted to add in local travel, I have in the past, gone to LAX and made a list of every airline licensed there. I then proceeded to write what I call a “blanket subpoena” – 40 plus (SDT) subpoena duces tecum for every airline. At the end of it all, we received 40 some responses saying “No Record” and one with a list of flights. It is long and tedious, but when you have little information, it works.

Always a pleasure reading your stuff, Brian.

That sounds like a lot of work Scott; but like you said, when you’ve got little to work with, you’ve got to get creative.

This may come in very handy, and it’s also a salutary antidote to the widespread misconception that all you need is Google. Thank you.

Thanks for the comment Oliver. Google’s mantra is “organizing the worlds information”; sooner or later they may organize it all, but they are not there just yet.

Comments are closed.

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Sprintax - The name for nonresident tax

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On January 19, 2024 by Kristina Valcheva 0 comments

U.s. entry and exit dates – how to check your travel history.

(Last updated: 19 Jan, 2024)

In order to prepare your US tax documents, you will need to know the exact dates on which you traveled in or out of the US.

However, if you don’t know your travel history and you need to double-check the exact entry and exit dates, the good news is that you can easily do this online.

The US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) keeps a record of all nonresidents who travel to the country over the past 5 years.

These documents also include the reason for their travel and the dates of their previous visits to the US.

In this post, we will discuss how to track all your travel history paperwork.

When do I need my US travel history?

Applications for a visa, or Green card, as well as filing a 1040NR tax return require that you know precisely when you entered and exited the US.

If the information is not accurate, this could cause rejection or delays in visa applications, or other challenges when you file your tax return.

Also, every non-American citizen who performs the “substantial presence test” may be classified as “resident” for tax purposes if they don’t know the exact days of arrival and departure.

The correct determination of residency is a very important issue for every international student in the US. This impacts both the tax you have to pay and the documents you need when you file a tax return.

Now, you can easily track your entry and exit dates in the US on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection I-94 website.

You can easily determine your US tax residency status for free by using Sprintax.

Get started here

What is Form I-94?

Form I-94 Arrival/ Departure record is an electronic or paper document that is issued by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer to foreign nationals who enter the US.

Since most people who enter the US are not US lawful permanent residents, Form I-94 is given to them upon arrival.

It’s important to know that you need it when you are leaving the US, as this is how the government keeps track of your departure date, and knows that you did not stay in the US beyond the period permitted by your visa.

What to do if my I-94 is inaccurate?

You will need to contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as soon as possible to make the relevant change in the information.

You can call 1-800-375-5283 for additional information.

What to do if my l-94 is lost/stolen?

This is usually easy to fix, but you will need to report the missing document to the local police station.

You must also contact USCIS (1-800-375-5283) and apply for a replacement. In most cases, you should be able to download a copy of your travel record from the CBP website at no charge.

What information do I need to access my US travel history?

To access your US travel history online, you will need:

• Your first and last name
• Passport number
• Date of birth
• Country of citizenship

When you have this information, you can start with your US travel history check.

How do I get entry and exit dates in the US?

1. Go to US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) homepage . 2. Click on “Need history of your travel and departures” 3. Click on Consent & Continue when the Security page pops up 4. Then enter your personal information, such as name, date of birth, and passport number. 5. On the next page, you will be able to see your travel history and print it.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it necessary to enter all entries and exits to the us even prior to living in it i have been visiting the us ever since i was a baby and i don’t have all the passports and visas from that time.

Your residency status is determined by the complete history of all your visits to the US, including any visits as a student, trainee, tourist, and all other entries to the US from 1986 onwards.

If you don’t remember, or cannot locate the exact entry and exit dates to the US simply enter approximate ones.

Тhe i94.gov is not showing my visits. It says there are no results for the traveler information.

The i94 website will show all visits made with your current passport. If you changed your passport you will need your old passport number(s) to check all your visits.

If you don’t remember, or cannot locate the exact entry and exit dates to the US, simply enter approximate ones.

For the visit history on the residency page on Sprintax, should I include trips in and out of the country over winter break for example, even though I was on the same visa all the time?

Yes, you need to include all entry and exit dates to the US, even short ones, as they are used for counting your days of presence in the US and determining your residency status.

I’ve been to the US as a tourist before in 2012. Should I enter that as my record?

Yes, you need to include all entry and exit dates to the US, as they are used for counting your days of presence in the US and determining your residency status.

When doing my taxes through Sprintax, I was asked for my arrival and departure dates. How far back should you go with this information?

We would need you to provide all of your residency information, and all of your entry and exit dates in order to be able to correctly determine your tax residency.

How far back do the entry and exit dates need to go?

Your residency status is determined by the complete history of all your visits to the US including any visits as a student, trainee, tourist, and all other entries to the US from 1989 onwards.

When entering the history of all entries and exits to the US, how accurate does it have to be? I don’t know if I can remember the exact dates.

It’s OK if you don’t enter the exact entry and exit dates if you don’t remember them, however, you need to be as precise as possible.

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Passenger Arrival Records

The National Archives has passenger arrival records, sometimes called "ship passenger lists," for arrivals to the United States from foreign ports between approximately 1820 and December 1982 (with gaps).  The records are arranged by port or airport of arrival. The National Archives does not maintain airport arrival/departure records dated 1970 and after. Passenger arrival records may provide researchers with information such as: one’s nationality and place of birth; ship name and date of entry to the United States; age, height, eye and hair color; profession; place of last residence; name and address of relatives they are joining in the United States; amount of money they are carrying, etc.

Use Form  NATF 81 or order  online  to obtain copies of inbound Federal passenger arrival manifests for ships and airplanes, 1820-1959.

Passenger arrival and departure records dated post 1957 were filmed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the original paper records were not retained.  The accessioned microfilm reels now in the custody of the National Archives in Washington, DC, are the record copies of the original paper records which no longer exist.  Unfortunately, due to the fragile nature of the original camera negative film, access to the microfilm is limited until it can be transferred to a more suitable format.  The National Archives is in the process of transferring the microfilm to a digital format, and all digitized copies will eventually be available online via the National Archives Catalog .

Arrival records are restricted due to personally identifiable information for 75 years, and must be requested through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)  request during the restricted period. 

Please note:  All requests for passenger arrival records dated post 1957  must  include the full name of the passenger; exact day/month/year of arrival; port or airport of arrival; vessel or airline name; and for airport arrivals, the flight number.    

Records older than 75 years are publicly available, and many have been digitized by National Archives partners. See our  list of all the digitized records available on our partners' websites . Please note: FamilySearch.org is a free site. Ancestry and Fold3 are both subscription services that allow free searches of some or all index terms for each title. Free access to Ancestry.com and Fold3.com is available in all research rooms at the National Archives, including those in our field locations and Presidential Libraries. Microfilm publications digitized by our partners as part of our digitization partnership agreements will eventually be free online in the  National Archives Catalog .

Documentation for arrivals December 1982 and after are held by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  Additionally, most immigrants admitted since May 1, 1951 should be entirely documented in an  Alien File (A-File) .  The USCIS arrival records and A-Files are available through the USCIS Freedom of Information Act Program (FOIA) .  

Passenger Arrival Records 1538-1819

Until January 1, 1820, the United States federal government did not require captains or masters of vessels to present a passenger list to officials. As a general rule, NARA does not have passenger lists of vessels arriving before January 1, 1820.  There are two exceptions to this rule:

Arrivals at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1813-1819

Arrivals at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1800-1819

To locate other passenger lists from 1538-1819, consult these books (among many others), which are found in libraries with genealogical collections:

• Filby, P. William, ed.  Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Published Arrival Records of ... Passengers who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries . 3 volumes plus annual supplements. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1981-__. This series is a finding aid to  published  passenger lists. Be sure to read the "front material" to understand how to use the information you find.

Bibliographies

• Filby, P. William, ed.  Passenger and Immigration Lists Bibliography, 1538-1900 . 2d ed. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co., 1988.  
• ​Lancour, Harold, comp.  A Bibliography of Ship Passenger Lists, 1538-1825; Being a Guide to Published Lists of Early Immigrants to North America . 3d ed. New York: New York Public Library, 1978.  
• ​Wood, Virginia Steele.  Immigrant Arrivals: A Guide to Published Sources . Revised. (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy Reading Room, n.d.).

Compilations

Carl Boyer and Michael Tepper, each using a different format, have undertaken to publish the names in Lancour's lists. [Note: Tepper's coverage of Lancour is not comprehensive: an inventory of those articles omitted appears on pages viii, ix and x of  New World Immigrants. ]

• Boyer, Carl.  Ship Passenger Lists, National and New England (1600-1825) . Newhall, CA: C. Boyer, 1977. Covers Lancour entries 1-71.  
• Boyer, Carl.  Ship Passenger Lists, New York and New Jersey (1600-1825) . Newhall, CA: C. Boyer, 1978. Covers Lancour entries 72-115.  
• Boyer, Carl.  Ship Passenger Lists, Pennsylvania and Delaware (1641-1825) . Newhall, CA: C. Boyer, 1980. Covers Lancour entries 116-197.  
• Boyer, Carl.  Ship Passenger Lists, the South (1538-1825) . Newhall, CA: C. Boyer, 1979. Covers Lancour entries 198E-243.  
• Tepper, Michael.  New World Immigrants: a Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists and Associated Data from Periodical Literature . Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979.  
• Tepper, Michael.  Passengers to America: A Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register . Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1977.  
• ​Tepper, Michael.  Emigrants to Pennsylvania, 1641-1819: a Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography . Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978.  
• Tepper, Michael.  Immigrants to the Middle Colonies: a Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists and Associated Data from The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record . Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978.

Ethnic Groups

There are numerous published name indexes to 16th through 19th century arrivals of persons of various ethnic groups, including persons of Czechoslovakian, Dutch, English, German, Irish, Italian, and Russian descent. For a listing of some of these indexes, see:

• Wood, Virginia Steele.  Immigrant Arrivals: A Guide to Published Sources . Revised. (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy Reading Room, n.d.).

Two online guides to immigration by particular ethnic groups are:

• Douglas, Lee V.  Danish Immigration to America: An Annotated Bibliography of Resources at the Library of Congress . Research Guide No. 28. (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy Reading Room, n.d.).  
• Douglas, Lee V.  A Select Bibliography of Works: Norwegian-American Immigration and Local History . Research Guide No. 6. (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy Reading Room, n.d.).

Sample Passenger Arrival Records

• Partial list of survivors of the  Titanic  who were taken aboard the  Carpathia , which arrived at the Port of New York, NY, April 18, 1912  
• Passenger Arrival Records of the  von Trapp Family

For More Information

For useful guides on the historical and legal background of passenger arrival records, explanation of what information they contain, and search strategies, see:

• Colletta, John P.  They Came in Ships . 2d ed. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, Inc., 1993.  
• Tepper, Michael.  American Passenger Arrival Records . Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1988.  

For more detailed examinations of immigration in U.S. history, see:

• Handlin, Oscar, ed.  Immigration as a Factor in American History . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1959.  
• Handlin, Oscar, ed.  The Uprooted: The Epic Story of the Great Migrations that Made the American People . Reprinted, 2d edition enlarged, Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1973.  
• Higham, John.  Strangers in the Land: Patterns of American Nativism, 1860-1925 . Rutgers, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1955. Reprint, New York: Atheneum, 1963-1981.  
• Konvitz, Milton R.  Civil Rights in Immigration . Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1953.  
• Wittke, Carl.  Refugees of Revolution: The German Forty-Eighters in America . Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Press, 1952. Examines German immigration to the U.S. following the failed 1848 revolution in Germany.

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• Application for Naturalization & U.S. Citizenship (Form N-400)

How do I find travel records for the N-400 application?

Home » How do I find travel records for the N-400 application?

April 20, 2021

Applicants preparing Form N-400, Application for Naturalization , must list each trip outside the United States (in excess of 24 hours). Part 9 of the N-400 application includes a table to list these individual trips.

Generally, you can find your travel history information inside your official passport. Simply review the passport page for date stamps from the various trips. But, in some cases, you may not have your passport or are missing known records.

Personal Travel Records

You may be able to use your personal records to reconstruct travel history. In the absence of “official records” it’s still your duty to estimate the dates of your travel to the best of your ability. Check with relatives you may have visited, review credit card statements, or try to recover old travel records from airline or transportation company frequently flyer statements.

Mistakes on your N-400 application can cause costly delays or a denial.

Foia request for travel records.

If you are unable to locate your travel history records through the methods listed above, you can submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Generally, personal FOIA requests are free (if less than 100 pages of photocopies). Be sure to limit your request to the previous five years. You only need five years of history for the purposes of the N-400 application. A more extensive search will take longer and may even result in a photocopy fee (up to $25). A FOIA request will generally take several weeks.

In some instances, you may have traveled across a U.S. border without any records. This can happen at some land border crossings where you were “waved” across by CBP officer. The CBP office did not provide any stamps or documentation. It’s still your responsibility to record these trips on Form N-400 to the best of your ability.

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Access to Information and Privacy Travel History Report

In this section.

A Travel History Report is a record of a traveller's entries, exits or both into Canada. This information is collected by the Canada Border Services Agency ( CBSA ).

Retention period for a Travel History Report is 15 years.

The CBSA began collecting traveller exit information on foreign nationals (excluding American citizens) entering the United States from Canada on June 30, 2013 . As of July 11, 2019 , the CBSA collects exit information on all travellers (including Canadian and American citizens) in the land mode and in the commercial air mode as of June 25, 2020 . Exit data may also be requested through the Travel History Report.

Highway Passage Reports may also be requested; however, they indicate only that a specific licence plate has been recorded, and do not show the people travelling in the vehicle.

Information collected for Travel History Reports

The records for both Entries and Exits include:

• date of birth
• citizenship
• date of entry
• location of the port of entry, and
• any document numbers associated with that travel, such as a passport number

When not to ask for a Travel History Report

When you request your Travel History Report directly from the CBSA it can take up to 30 days to complete. There are many reasons you may require your report, but sometimes requesting it directly is not the best option. When your travel history is needed as part of an application, such as the application for Canadian citizenship, check the form for the option to release your report. Using this option means that you will not have to request it yourself. When this option is available, requesting the report directly from the CBSA will cause a significant delay to your application process. Listed below are the three applications that do not require you to request your report directly from the CBSA .

Applying for Canadian Citizenship: Adults and Minors

If you are applying for Canadian Citizenship, you do not need to request your Traveller History Report from the CBSA. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can collect the report on your behalf when needed since consent to share information about the entry/exit information is no longer required.

Applying for Canadian Citizenship: Unaccompanied Minor

If you are applying for Canadian Citizenship you do not need to request your Traveller History Report from the CBSA . Checking "Yes" on page 6, Question 9 (b) of your application form permits Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ( IRCC ) to collect the report on your behalf.

Applying for a Permanent Resident card

If you are renewing or applying for a Permanent Resident Card you do not need to request your Traveller History Report from the CBSA . Checking "Yes" on page 3, (Section 7) Consent to Disclose Information allows IRCC to collect the report on your behalf.

Getting your Travel History report

If you have checked the When not to request your Travel History Report section and still need to request a copy, you can apply online by following the instructions on the Access to Information and Privacy online request page. Note that it may take up to 30 days to process your request.

If you are applying for yourself, you can do so under the Privacy Act, which is a free service provided by the Government of Canada.

If you are applying for someone else, you must provide form BSF745 - Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Representative completed by the party you are representing.

To get a highway passage report, provide the licence plate number and a copy of the vehicle's ownership. If you are not the owner, you will need to provide the CBSA with a BSF745 form completed by the owner of the vehicle.

When requesting your Travel History Report, you must indicate whether you are seeking your exit information, your entry information, or both. Exit information is limited and will only be included when specifically requested.

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U.S. citizens may need a "certificate of good conduct" or proof that they lack a criminal record. These may be needed for many reasons abroad. These reasons may include adoption, school, and work. U.S. police may not know about this process because it is rare in the United States. U.S. citizens have many options to prove they have no criminal record.

Local Police Check

Go to your local police department where you live or last lived in the United States. Ask that the police conduct a local or state criminal records search. Ask that they provide a document showing you have no history of a criminal record. Police departments may need you to be there in person to request the background check.

Check if the country where you will use the records requires authentication. For information on that, please see our page on authentications .

FBI Records Check

The Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is in charge of an FBI records check. They are responsible for criminal justice information. They work with law enforcement and governments around the world. They also work with private organizations and citizens like you.

The FBI offers two ways to request your FBI Identification Record or to prove that no record exists:

• You may get a copy of your record by submitting a written request to the CJIS Division. The request must include proof of identity. This proof must include your name, date and place of birth, and a set of rolled-inked fingerprints (which can usually be obtained at your local police department). If there is no criminal record, they provide a report reflecting this fact. The FBI will not provide copies of other people's arrest records to you.  See www.FBI.gov for current processing fees and more information. See also Identification Record Request and Guide for Obtaining Your FBI Identification Record . Lastly, see Submitting an Identification Record Request to the FBI.
• You may also submit a request through an FBI-approved channeler. A channeler is a private business that has contracted with the FBI. They receive your fingerprint submissions and data. They also collect any fees. Then they send the submissions and information to the FBI. The FBI will give them the background check results, and they will give them to you. See www.FBI.gov for the list of FBI-approved channelers.

Note: You must submit a request directly to the FBI CJIS Division if you need:

• An apostille or authenticated copy of your FBI Identification Record
• An FBI Identification Record as a non-U.S. national or permanent resident

The U.S. Department of State Authentications Office can attach an apostille to a document for countries in the Hague Apostille Convention. For countries not in the convention, they will add a certification over the FBI seal.

Getting Your Fingerprints Taken

You should be able to get fingerprint cards from your local police or at www.FBI.gov . U.S. embassies and consulates abroad do not provide these services. See Fingerprint Identification: An Overview.

Authentication of Police or FBI Certificates of Lack of a Criminal Record

CJIS will authenticate U.S. Department of Justice Order 556-73 fingerprint search results for international requests. They do this if requested at the time of submission. They do so by placing the FBI seal and signature of a Division official on the results.

If needed, you can then send this document to our U.S. Department of State Authentications Office. They can authenticate it for you. Be sure to tell them what country you will use the document in.

Documents from your local police will need more than their seal. You will need more authentication. Contact your state Secretary of State’s office or other designated officials in your state. They can help you authenticate state-issued documents. See our general guidance on authentication of documents for use abroad .

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Passenger Name Record (PNR)

U.S. law requires air carriers operating flights to, from, or through the United States to provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with certain passenger reservation information, called Passenger Name Record (PNR) data. This information is transmitted to CBP prior to departure and used primarily for purposes of preventing, detecting, investigating, and prosecuting terrorist offenses and related crimes and certain other crimes that are transnational in nature. 

Collection of PNR information from air carriers is authorized by 49 U.S.C. § 44909(c)(3) and its implementing regulations at 19 C.F.R. § 122.49d. These statutory and regulatory authorities require each air carrier operating passenger flights in foreign air transportation to, from, or through the United States to provide CBP with electronic access to PNR data to the extent it is collected and contained in the air carrier’s reservation and/or departure control systems. The European Union (EU) has determined that U.S. laws, in conjunction with CBP policies regarding the protection of personal data, provide an adequate basis upon which to permit transfers of PNR data to the United States consistent with applicable EU law. An updated U.S.-EU PNR Agreement was signed in December 2011.

The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. § 552a), governs the maintenance of information in federal agency systems through which records are retrieved using the personally identifiable information (PII) of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents. The Privacy Act regulates how the government can disclose, share, provide access to, and maintain the personal information that it collects in such systems. Though the Privacy Act does not afford coverage to non-U.S. persons, the Judicial Redress Act of 2015 (5 U.S.C. § 552a note), also extends provisions of the Privacy Act to non-U.S. citizens and non-lawful permanent residents who are citizens of countries that have been designated pursuant to procedures identified within the Judicial Redress Act. For those covered by neither, DHS policy covers information for all persons, regardless of immigration status, and treated consistent with the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs).

DHS allows all persons, including foreign nationals, to seek access and request amendment to certain information maintained in the Automated Targeting System (ATS), including PNR data. Please see the procedures provided below. However, certain information maintained in ATS, such as information pertaining to the rule sets or accounting of a sharing with a law enforcement or intelligence entity in conformance with a routine use, may not be accessed, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. §§ 552a (j)(2) or (k)(2). For additional information, please refer to the ATS System of Records Notice (SORN) and Privacy Impact Assessment .

General Information

Who is affected by the program.

All persons traveling on flights to, from, or through the United States will be affected by this program. If you travel on flights arriving in or departing from the United States (even if you are simply transiting through the United States), CBP may receive PNR data concerning you. Air carriers create PNR data in their reservation systems for each itinerary booked for a passenger. Such PNR data may also be contained in the air carrier departure control systems.

What U.S. and EU laws allow for the transfer of PNR data?

By statute (49 U.S.C. § 44909(c)(3)) and its implementing regulations (19 CFR 122.49d), each air carrier operating international passenger flights to, from, or through the U.S. must provide CBP with electronic access to PNR data to the extent it is collected and contained in the air carrier’s reservation and/or departure control systems.

The EU has determined that this statute, in conjunction with DHS/CBP policies regarding the protection of personally identifiable information (PII) and the 2011 Agreement, provide an adequate basis upon which to permit transfers of PNR data to the U.S. consistent with applicable EU law. Please note that the 2011 Agreement applies to air carriers operating passenger flights between the EU and the U.S., as well as those air carriers incorporated or storing data in the EU and operating passenger flights to, from, or through the United States. For further information regarding this agreement, please refer to the link to the 2011 Agreement .

What is the purpose for collecting PNR information?

The purpose of collecting PNR information in advance of your arrival or departure is to assist CBP officers in measuring the risk associated with an individual traveling to, from, or through the United State, and to enable CBP to make accurate, comprehensive decisions regarding which travelers require additional inspection at the port of entry based on law enforcement and other information. Collecting this information in advance provides the traveler two advantages. First, it affords CBP adequate time to research possible matches against derogatory records to eliminate false positives. Second, it expedites travel by allowing CBP to conduct mandatory checks prior to a flight’s arrival in the United States, rather than making you, and everyone else on your flight, stand in line while we manually collect necessary information to facilitate a review after you arrive.

How is PNR information used?

DHS/CBP uses PNR strictly for the purposes of preventing, detecting, investigating, and prosecuting:

(1). To prevent, detect, investigate, and prosecute:

a. Terrorist offenses and related crimes, including

i. Conduct that--

1. involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, property, or infrastructure; and

2. appears to be intended to--

a. intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

b. influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

c. affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, kidnapping, or hostage-taking.

ii. Activities constituting an offense within the scope of and as defined inapplicable international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism;

iii. Providing or collecting funds, by any means, directly or indirectly, with the intention that they should be used or in the knowledge that they are to be used, in full or in part, in order to carry out any of the acts described in subparagraphs (i) or (ii);

iv. Attempting to commit any of the acts described in subparagraphs (i),(ii), or (iii);

v. Participating as an accomplice in the commission of any of the acts described in subparagraphs (i), (ii), or (iii);

vi. Organizing or directing others to commit any of the acts described in subparagraphs (i), (ii), or (iii);

vii. Contributing in any other way to the commission of any of the acts described in subparagraphs (i), (ii), or (iii);

viii. Threatening to commit an act described in subparagraph (i) under circumstances which indicate that the threat is credible;

b. Other crimes that are punishable by a sentence of imprisonment of three years or more and that are transnational in nature; a crime is considered as transnational in nature in particular if:

i. It is committed in more than one country;

ii. It is committed in one country but a substantial part of its preparation, planning, direction or control takes place in another country;

iii. It is committed in one country but involves an organized criminal group that engages in criminal activities in more than one country;

iv. It is committed in one country but has substantial effects in another country; or

v. It is committed in one country and the offender is in or intends to travel to another country;

(2) on a case-by-case basis where necessary in view of a serious threat and for the protection of vital interests of any individual or if ordered by a court.

(3) to identify persons who would be subject to closer questioning or examination upon arrival to or departure from the United States or who may require further examination.

(4) for domestic law enforcement, judicial powers, or proceedings, where other violations of law or indications thereof are detected in the course of the use and processing of PNR.

What information is collected?

The Automated Targeting System (ATS) maintains the PNR information obtained from commercial air carriers and uses that information to assess whether there is a risk associated with any travelers seeking to enter, exit, or transit through the United States. PNR may include some combination of the following categories of information, when available:

• PNR record locator code.
• Date of reservation/issue of ticket.
• Date(s) of intended travel.
• Available frequent flier and benefit information (i.e., free tickets, upgrades, etc.).
• Other names on PNR, including number of travelers on PNR.
• All available contact information (including originator of reservation).
• All available payment/billing information (e.g. credit card number).
• Travel itinerary for specific PNR.
• Travel agency/travel agent.
• Code share information (e.g., when one air carrier sells seats on another air carrier's flight).
• Split/divided information (e.g., when one PNR contains a reference to another PNR).
• Travel status of passenger (including confirmations and check-in status).
• Ticketing information, including ticket number, one way tickets and Automated Ticket Fare Quote (ATFQ) fields.
• Baggage information.
• Seat information, including seat number.
• General remarks including Other Service Indicated (OSI), Special Service Indicated (SSI) and Supplemental Service Request (SSR) information.
• Any collected APIS information (e.g., Advance Passenger Information (API) that is initially captured by an air carrier within its PNR, such as passport number, date of birth and gender).
• All historical changes to the PNR listed in numbers 1 to 18.

Not all air carriers maintain the same sets of information in PNR, and a particular individual’s PNR likely will not include information for all possible categories. In addition, PNR does not routinely include information that could directly indicate the racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, or sex life of the individual. To the extent PNR does include terms that reveal such personal matters, DHS employs an automated system that filters certain of these terms and only uses this information in exceptional circumstances where the life of an individual could be imperiled or seriously impaired.

Privacy Information

Is sensitive data included in the pnr data transfer.

Sometimes, information that could be considered sensitive could be included in the PNR data transfer. Such sensitive PNR data could include certain information revealing the passenger’s racial or ethnic origin, religion, or health. CBP uses electronic filters to automatically mask PNR data identified as sensitive that may be included in the PNR when it is transferred from reservation and/or air carrier departure systems to CBP. This information is not used or seen by any CBP personnel except under exceptional circumstances where the life of an individual could be imperiled or seriously impaired, in which case additional approval and security steps must be taken.

Who will have access to the information?

CBP is the primary user of PNR information. The PNR information collected from airlines may be made available to other government agencies inside and outside the Department of Homeland Security for law enforcement purposes pursuant to the “routine uses” included in the ATS System of Records Notice (SORN) , and consistent with the terms of any applicable laws, regulations, DHS policies, and international agreements/arrangements, including the 2011 PNR Agreement . PNR information will not be shared outside of DHS unless the recipient agency has a proper need to know the information and can ensure the information will be properly protected.  

CBP and DHS officials responsible for identifying illicit travel and preventing and detecting terrorism and certain transnational crimes will have access to PNR data derived from flights to, from, or through the United States. This PNR data may be provided to other government authorities, consistent with the purposes identified above in response to FAQ 1 and with the routine uses included in the ATS SORN and other exemptions under the Privacy Act. EU PNR data is only exchanged with foreign government authorities after a determination that the recipient’s intended use(s) is consistent with the terms of the 2011 Agreement, if applicable, and DHS/CBP policy, and that the recipient has the ability to protect the information.

CBP will advise in writing that the requesting authority will apply safeguards to the PNR that are comparable to those applied by CBP to ensure that access is granted in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, DHS policies, and international agreements and arrangements.

How will the information be protected?

CBP carefully safeguards PNR data by applying appropriate data security and access controls, to ensure that the PNR data is not used or accessed improperly. Personal information will be kept secure and confidential and will not be discussed with, or disclosed to, any person within or outside CBP unless consistent with application law and in the performance of official duties, and as described above. Careful safeguards, including appropriate security controls, compliance audits, and written arrangements with non-DHS agencies ensure that the data is not used or accessed improperly. Additionally, the DHS Chief Privacy Officer reviews pertinent aspects of the program to ensure that proper safeguards are in place. Roles and responsibilities of DHS employees, system owners and managers, and third parties who manage or access PNR include:

DHS Employees - As users of ATS:

• Access records containing personal information only when the information is needed to carry out their official duties because of a specific need to know.
• Disclose personal information only for legitimate official purposes, and in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and ATS routine use policies and procedures.

ATS System Owners/Managers: 

• Follow applicable laws, regulations, and relevant DHS/CBP policies and procedures in the development, implementation, and operation of ATS.
• Conduct a risk assessment to identify privacy risks and determine the appropriate security controls to protect against those risks.
• Ensure that only personal information that is necessary and relevant for legally mandated or authorized purposes is collected.
• Ensure that all processes that contain personal information have an approved Privacy Impact Assessment. Privacy Impact Assessments meet appropriate Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and DHS guidance and will be updated as the system progresses through its development stages.
• Ensure that all personal information is protected and disposed of in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, DHS/CBP policies and procedures, and applicable agreements or arrangements.
• Use personal information collected only for the purposes for which it was collected, unless other purposes are explicitly mandated or authorized by law.
• Establish and maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical security safeguards to protect personal information.

Third Parties Third parties, including other law enforcement entities, who may have access to information collected by ATS shall comply with requirements of written arrangements drafted to address, among other matters, privacy issues, and shall follow the same privacy protection guidance as DHS employees are required to follow.

What notice or opportunities for consent would be provided to individuals regarding what information is collected and how that information is shared?

Notice has been given to the public through the ATS SORN in conjunction with the ATS Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA). Because ATS does not collect PNR directly from individuals, there is no opportunity for an individual to consent to provide this information. PNR data maintained in ATS is collected from air carriers in accordance with U.S. law as stated above.

Similarly, since PNR data is collected from the air carriers to assist CBP in performing border security functions, it is not appropriate to seek consent from the affected individuals with respect to the defined uses of this information. Individuals do not have the right to consent to particular uses of the information. Once an individual submits the data to the air carrier for reservation purposes and the air carrier forwards the PNR data to CBP, the individual cannot exert control over it (except in the context of a request for access or redress, as discussed in the FAQs below).

How long is PNR information retained and what access restrictions apply?

The retention period for data maintained in ATS, which includes PNR, does not exceed fifteen years, except as noted below. The retention period for PNR, which is collected in ATS, will be subject to the following further access restrictions: ATS users will have general access to PNR for five years, after which time the PNR data is moved to dormant, non-operational status. After the first six months, the PNR is “depersonalized,” with names, contact information, and other personally identifiable information masked in the record. PNR data in dormant status is retained for an additional ten years, and may be accessed only with prior supervisory approval and only in response to an identifiable case, threat, or risk. Such limited access and use for older PNR strikes a reasonable balance between protecting this information and allowing CBP to continue to identify potential high-risk travelers.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, information maintained only in ATS that is linked to law enforcement lookout records, CBP matches to enforcement activities, investigations, or cases (i.e., specific and credible threats, and flights, individuals and routes of concern, or other defined sets of circumstances), will remain accessible for the life of the law enforcement matter to support that activity and other related enforcement activities.

Procedures for Access, Correction or Rectification, and Redress

How can an individual request access to his or her pnr.

Any individual, regardless of citizenship, who wishes to seek access to his or her PNR held by DHS can do so under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). FOIA provides members of the public with access to records, subject to certain exemptions, about the operations and activities of the U.S. federal government. Individuals seeking access to PNR records may submit a FOIA request to CBP at  https://www.cbp.gov/site-policy-notices/foia , or by mailing a request to:

An individual who is not satisfied with the agency’s response under FOIA may challenge a refusal to disclose data or a lack of a response to a FOIA request first through an administrative appeals process, and then in federal court.

How can an individual request correction or rectification of his or her PNR?

Several options are available for individuals seeking correction of personally identifiable information (PII) held by DHS.

Requests for amendment of information

Before requesting corrections be made to your PNR, please ask for a copy of the record through the processes described above to determine what information is actually in your PNR record(s). Keep in mind that PNR is usually information that you (or your representative) supplied in making your reservation. Requests for amendment should conform to the requirements of 6 CFR Part 5, which provides the rules for requesting amendment to records maintained by DHS. The envelope and letter should be clearly marked “Privacy Act Amendment Request.” The request must include the requester’s full name, current address, and date and place of birth. Your request should identify each particular record in question, state the amendment or correction that you want, and state why you believe that the record is not accurate, relevant, timely, or complete. You may submit any documentation that you think would be helpful. The request must be signed and either notarized or submitted under penalty of perjury.

Questions, concerns, or comments of a general or specific nature regarding CBP or its handling of PNR may be directed to the CBP INFO Center. You may contact the CBP INFOCenter in any one of three ways:

Online -  https://help.cbp.gov

Telephone  - During the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time:

(877)227-5511 (toll-free call for U.S. callers) (202)325-8000 (international callers) (866)880-6582 (TDD)

Individuals may also seek redress through the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP). Persons who believe they have been improperly denied entry, refused boarding for transportation, or identified for additional inspection by CBP may submit a redress request through DHS TRIP. DHS TRIP is a single point of contact for persons who have inquiries or seek resolution regarding difficulties they experienced during their travel screening at transportation hubs – such as airports, seaports, and train stations – or crossing U.S. borders. Through DHS TRIP, a traveler can request correction of erroneous data stored in ATS and other data stored in other DHS databases through one application. DHS TRIP redress requests can be made online at  http://www.dhs.gov/dhs-trip  or by mail at:

DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) 601 South 12th Street, TSA-901 Arlington, VA 20598-6901

Whom do I contact if my complaint is not resolved?

In the event that a complaint cannot be resolved by CBP or through the DHS TRIP process, the complaint may be directed, in writing, to the Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528-0550; Email at  [email protected] ; Phone: (202) 343-1717; and Fax: (202) 343-4010. The Chief Privacy Officer shall review the situation and endeavor to resolve the complaint.

Pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended, (6 U.S.C. § 142) and Section 802 of the Implementing the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53), the DHS Chief Privacy Officer is statutorily obligated to ensure that personally identifiable information is handled in a manner that complies with relevant law. He or she exercises oversight regarding the implementation of the 2011 Agreement to ensure strict compliance by DHS and to verify that proper safeguards are in place. He or she is independent of any directorate within DHS. His or her determination is binding on the Department.

Complaints received from the European Union Member States on behalf of an EU resident, to the extent such resident has authorized the Data Protection Authority (DPA) to act on his or her behalf, shall be handled on an expedited basis.

What are an individual’s other options for judicial redress?

Judicial redress for individuals, regardless of citizenship, may be available under the following circumstances:

• The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) (18 U.S.C. § 1030) allows individuals to bring a civil action in court for actual damages, and in some cases punitive damages plus attorney fees, when that individual’s personal information held on a U.S. government computer system, including the Automated Targeting System (ATS) that holds PNR, has been improperly accessed, causing a certain type of harm.
• The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (18 U.S.C. § 2701 et seq. and 18 U.S.C. §2510 et seq.) allows any person to bring a civil action in court for actual damages, and in some cases punitive damages plus attorney fees, when that person’s stored wire or electronic communications are improperly accessed or disclosed, or when that person’s wire, oral, or electronic communications are improperly intercepted or disclosed.
• Under 49 U.S.C. § 46110, an individual with interest in particular transportation orders,including orders that implement DHS Transportation Security Administration watchlists,may file a petition for review in an appropriate U.S. Court of Appeals.
• The Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 551 – 559), or APA, generally provides for judicial review of final agency action that is not precluded by statute or committed to the discretion of the agency, and provides for a court to set aside final administrative action not in compliance with statutes, or that is arbitrary and capricious, or an abuse of discretion. Individuals can bring APA claims on their own behalf, or as part of a class action.

Tennessee Senate tweaks bill seeking to keep tourism records secret for 10 years

N ASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's Republican-controlled Senate on Monday tweaked a proposal initially designed to keep the state's tourism records hidden from public scrutiny, bidding to add more sunshine into how the state secures high-profile events.

Last month, the GOP-dominant House approved legislation that would have allowed the head of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to exempt any public records for 10 years deemed “sensitive” by both the commissioner and attorney general.

The bill, backed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, alarmed open government advocates who argued that tourism records could legally be destroyed within that 10-year period and thus never see the light of day.

In response, Senate members changed the proposed bill to say that tourism records deemed “sensitive” can bypass the 10-year waiting period if the state funds involved have been dispersed, the negotiated event concludes or the contract entered into by the state expires.

While there's still a chance some documents could be withheld for 10 years, the Senate's proposal also states that those records cannot be destroyed during that time period.

Yet some Senate lawmakers expressed discontent adding more public records exemptions.

“Anytime we tinker with the open records law and allow exemptions for different parties and stuff, I think we’re going down a slippery slope,” said Sen. Todd Gardenhire, a Republican, who voted against the proposal.

Some Nashville Democrats also opposed the legislation even while acknowledging Music City would be the primary benefit of attracting high-profile events.

“What could possibly be so secretive that we’re trying to hide?” asked Democratic Sen. Charlane Oliver. “Why do we need a bill like this that does not promote transparency?”

Ultimately, the Senate voted 23-6 with two other members choosing to vote “present.” The bill must now go back to the House chamber, where representatives will be asked to accept or reject the changes.

Tennessee’s statutes include more than 500 exemptions to public records, and more exist through case law.

Lee had vowed to make government more transparent when he took over the top elected office in 2019, but to date, has not loosened those exemptions since taking office.

According to records obtained by the Department of Tourism, officials have been discussing potentially hosting a Super Bowl for nearly a year. In an email from the department's research director, Josh Gibson, other events the state has eyed are a College Football Playoff championship, Wrestlemania, and World Rugby.

Gibson wrote in 2023 that the state was considering hosting a Super Bowl by 2030 or 2031, but held off from disclosing how much a bid would cost the state. Meanwhile, he detailed that hosting Wrestlemania in 2027 would potentially cost $9 million in host fees and a CFP National championship game could cost anywhere from $15 million to $18 million in fees.

Separately, the tourism agency also helped provide talking points to at least the House sponsor, Republican Rep. Andrew Farmer, on why the bill is needed, which stressed that a 10-year waiting period to release public records was because “larger events, such as the Super Bowl, negotiations are years in the making; therefore, these protections need to be in place 5 to 10 years.”

The Tennessee Titans are currently working to move into a new enclosed stadium for the 2027 season.

The Nashville-based project carries the largest public price tag for a stadium, totaling $1.2 billion, which tops the $850 million commitment from New York for Buffalo’s new $1.5 billion stadium.

The new stadium is have a capacity of about 60,000 and feature a translucent roof.