In order to prepare your U.S. tax documents, you will need to know the exact dates on which you traveled in or out of the U.S.
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 U.S. 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 U.S.
In this post, we will discuss how to track all your travel history paperwork.
When do I need my U.S. 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 U.S.
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 U.S. 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 U.S. on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection I-94 website.
You can easily determine your U.S. tax residency status for free by using Sprintax.
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 U.S.
Since most people who enter the U.S. are not U.S. 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 U.S., as this is how the government keeps track of your departure date, and knows that you did not stay in the U.S. 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 U.S. travel history?
To access your U.S. 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 U.S. travel history check.
How do I get entry and exit dates in the U.S.?
1. Go to U.S. 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 U.S. even prior to living in it? I have been visiting the U.S. 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 U.S., including any visits as a student, trainee, tourist, and all other entries to the U.S. from 1986 onwards.
If you don’t remember, or cannot locate the exact entry and exit dates to the U.S. 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 U.S., 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 U.S., even short ones, as they are used for counting your days of presence in the U.S. and determining your residency status.
I’ve been to the U.S. as a tourist before in 2019. Should I enter that as my record?
Yes, you need to include all entry and exit dates to the U.S., as they are used for counting your days of presence in the U.S. 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 U.S. including any visits as a student, trainee, tourist, and all other entries to the U.S. from 1989 onwards.
You can easily determine your U.S. tax residency status for free by using Sprintax.
When entering the history of all entries and exits to the U.S., 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.
