FORGOT TO TURN IN YOUR I-94 OR I-94W CARDS UPON LEAVING THE U.S.?

I-94 form is a white or green (for I-94W) arrival/departure form issued by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer to foreign visitors to the United States. The form is usually distributed on the airplane or you can always find it upon arrival in the airport in the U.S. Each and every visitor is required to complete the form before passing through the Immigration at the port of entry.

The admitting Customs and Border Protection officer will staple the form to your passport and stamp the date until which you are authorized to stay in the U.S. (i.e. your departure date) on the form. You must leave the United States until the departure date and turn in the I-94 form upon leaving the U.S. The I-94 card is usually removed from your passport by the airline staff at the check-in counter when registering for your flight departing the U.S. (but not always – so be sure to check!). If you don´t turn in the form, your departure from the U.S. will not be recorded, and, consequently, next time your travel, your record will show that you "overstayed" and you may be denied entry to the country.

If you did not turn in your I-94 form when leaving the U.S., please mail it together with the copies of other documents that can prove that you are no longer in the United States.

Here are examples of supporting documentation:

• The boarding pass you used to depart the United States
• Photocopies of entry or departure stamps in your passport indicating entry to another country after you departed the United States (you should copy all passport pages that are not completely blank, and include the biographical page containing your photograph)
• Dated pay slips or vouchers from your employer to indicate you were in another country after you departed the United States
• Dated bank records showing transactions to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States
• School records showing attendance at a school outside the United States to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States
• Dated credit card receipts, showing your name, but, the credit card number deleted, for purchases made after you left the United States to indicate you were in another country after leaving the United States, etc.

The address you should mail your I-94 and the supporting documentation is:

ACS-INS SBU
P.O. Box 7125
London, KY 40742-7125
USA

If you would like to confirm that your departure has been recorded, please, wait four months and then send a letter to:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Air Sea Passenger Operations

Room 5.4D1300 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington D.C. 20229

Include the following information: your question (Was my departure from the United States recorded?) in addition to your name, date of birth, passport number and the date of departure.