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Back in May 2013 when I entered the US on an F1 Visa I had my I-94 stamped and the little card stapled to my passport. When I left again in August, they had already discontinued the form and switched to online, so they never took it back.

Unfortunately due to this, they never took that little piece of the I-94 back. When I reentered the US after those times I didn't require an I-94.

So basically now I'm stuck with an I-94 stub on my passport and have no idea what to do with it. How should I deal with this problem?

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    Are you referring to the almost-square paper with your printed information on it, or just the narrow strip of blank paper still stapled into your passport?
    – Greg Hewgill
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:15
  • @GregHewgill. Haha. Of course the almost square paper will stuff on it the full on stamp and all.
    – Aditya Somani
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:16
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    Ok. I once had a passport full of the little blank stapled bits. :)
    – Greg Hewgill
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:17
  • @GregHewgill Haha. I know what you mean. Those I throw off. This one is becoming a big pain in the butt though.
    – Aditya Somani
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:19

3 Answers 3

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Almost certainly your "exit" was recorded when you left the country, despite the fact that they didn't take the card. The airline provides these details to the US government, and they are tracked using that rather than the I-94 itself (this is one of the reasons that the I-94 cards are no longer used when entering by air).

Your can confirm this by going to the CBP I-94 website and clicking on "get their I-94 Number". You can then request a "Travel History" which will show all entries and exits from the US.

If your exit is correctly recorded then you can simply throw away from I-94.

If the exit has not been correctly recorded, but you have subsequent entries/exits (which it sounds like you do), then you can also safely throw away the I-94 - but I would suggest keeping a copy of any "proof" that you have related to when you left the US on that trip (eg, copies of flight itineraries, tickets, etc) just in case it ever becomes an issue - although the odds of that are extremely low.

As a more generic answer, if you have not had any subsequent entries to the US then you can post the I-94 back to the US DHS/CBP, as described here.

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  • I checked the website earlier and I'm certain my last visit between August to December 2013 was recorded. I'm not too sure how to check the history though.
    – Aditya Somani
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:26
  • Okay, so I just checked and the website shows me the record for entering in August 2012, leaving in December 2012 and then doing the same in 2013. It completely skips one record of me entering in May 2013 and leaving in August 2013 wherein I came back in August 2013 as well. Any help?
    – Aditya Somani
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:32
  • PS: The May to August 2013 is the faulty record with the messed up I-94
    – Aditya Somani
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:33
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According to the current version of this CBP FAQ:

If the traveler departs through an airport or sea, they will not need to turn in their form, as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will receive the information electronically from the airlines.

However, this information may only apply to departures now (mid-2014), and not earlier like in August 2013. I remember reading from somewhere earlier that you should turn it in if you got a paper I-94 when you entered, but not if you entered with electronic I-94.

In any case, it probably doesn't hurt to mail it to the address indicated anyway, with proof of travel, and also to permanently keep airplane boarding passes from those trips in the future for when you apply for U.S. visas and enter the U.S.

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I always leave any stapled stubs and whatnot in my passport, and don't mess with them. In your case, the next time you enter the US the immigration officer will probably take the remaining I-94 (and perhaps ask you what happened when you actually left from that visit). If they don't take it then they probably don't care, since they've migrated to the electronic system.

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  • I've reentered and left the US twice any they don't seem to oblige. Maybe I'll try requesting the officer next time, but I can't basically "throw" it off right?
    – Aditya Somani
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:18
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    If they don't take it, you can certainly ask them whether you can discard it.
    – Greg Hewgill
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:19
  • But this requires me to wait till the time I go back :( I was wondering if there was a concrete solution with absolute certainty which would tell me if I can or cannot throw it off.
    – Aditya Somani
    Commented May 30, 2014 at 3:21

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