When we first heard about the Beyond the Border Action Plan launched by the US/Canada collaboration back in February 2014, we urged you to start tracking your border crossing history. And for a while now, there has been a database available to Canadian travellers to help you keep better count.
Track your US border crossing history
You can track your US border crossings from the last five years through an online database, courtesy of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This website allows you to enter details like your name and Canadian passport number to pull up your US border crossing history.
- If you travel to the US frequently, it will be easier to stay on top of your border crossings. Although you should still maintain your own records, this online database is a great tool to verify your own count.
- It allows you to keep an eye on possible errors. The CBP, although highly accurate, can still make mistakes sometimes. Their online database allows you to check your records and ensure their accuracy before it’s too late.
How to access the cross-border database
Accessing the database and pulling up your border crossing history is simple. All you have to do is visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection I-94 request page, and input your full name, date of birth and passport number. You’ll be able to see a history of your US ins and outs.
Should I still track my ins and outs?
We recommend keeping a personal record of your coming and goings through the US-Canada border and comparing from time to time to ensure there are no discrepancies. If there are, have them corrected to avoid any issues crossing the border. The last thing you want is to have the US government thinking you’ve been in the US for longer than you have!
A note about COVID-19 travel restrictions
Be sure to have your proof of vaccination ready before you cross the border into the US, as it is required that all non-US citizens, whether travelling across land borders for essential or non-essential reasons, are fully vaccinated. For more information on this, visit the Fact Sheet: Guidance for Travelers to Enter the U.S. at Land Ports of Entry and Ferry Terminals.
Don’t forget your travel insurance when crossing the border
Many Canadians don’t bother with travel insurance when crossing the border for a short stay. However, the US has some of the highest hospital costs in the world; a visit to the doctor for an ailment can set you back hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. For frequent cross-border shoppers, we recommend a Multi Trip Annual Travel insurance Plan so you can drive across the border without the extra worry.
RELATED: Cross-border Shopping – How Much Can I Bring Back to Canada?
If you have other information on this topic, share it with TuGo on Twitter @tugoinsurance or in a comment below!
Happy travels,
Melissa
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in February of 2016, and updated for freshness and/r accuracy.
I tried getting my information and it only went back 1 year not 5yrs as article says. How do I get the information for 5 yrs. I require it for my permanent residents card. Thanks
Hi Tony,
You’ll have to contact US Customs and Border Protection about that. This is their help page: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/list/kw/I-94%20Automation
Hi,
I just searched my records and it does not record my last departure out of US. Now I am travelling back to US and worried if this would be a problem. Where do we report and how do we fix this error? I remember surrending my I94 to the airways before I left. So I am really confused.
Sai
Hi Vish,
You should check with the US Customs and Border Protection, or you might be able to find some answers here: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/list/kw/I-94%20Automation
The website linked to is for Canadians travelling to the US not Americans residing in Canada looking for a history of crossing the border to the US. A note for all Permanent Residents keep a full In/Out record of your travels outside the country. It’s a real pain looking for this information when a) applying to renew your PERMANENT Resident Card and applying for citizenship. Also, CIC takes YEARS & YEARS & YEARS to do accomplish anything.
Hi Polly,
Thanks for your question! Border crossings to the U.S. via land and air are tracked by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. You can access your travel history for the last 5 years online by visiting CBP’s I-94 website (https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home#section).
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) tracks your entries into Canada too, but to access that information, you’ll have to place a formal request for your Travel History Report with the CBSA, which can take up to 30 days. For more details, visit http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/pia-efvp/atip-aiprp/thr-rav-eng.html.
Feel free to let us know if you have any other questions related to cross-border travel records or regulations!
Happy travels,
Shweta
I stay in California every winter. I cross the border at Niagara Falls and return the same way. According to the I-94 site, they have no record of my crossings. I have double checked it to verify the accuracy of my information. I also checked a friend of mine who goes to Florida every winter. The only record is for a flight into and out of Pearson in 2014. He has crossed at Niagara Falls several times since then and there is no record of it on the I-94 site. It appears that land crossings are not recorded in the database at the I-94 site. Land crossings may or may not be recorded elsewhere, but they are not recorded on the I-94 site.
Hi Dennis,
While the I-94 website helps you view your U.S arrival and departure history for the past 5 years, there is a possibility of an incomplete travel history. As you mentioned (and also as noted on the website), the travel history may not reflect: land border arrivals/departures, closed loop cruise arrivals/departures, air carrier reservation updates, and USCIS updates, changes of status, extensions of stay or adjustments of status. U.S. Citizen and Lawful Permanent Resident travel is NOT provided on this website.
It also mentions that the website is a only a tool and not an official record for legal purposes. CBP documents travel from a variety of sources and there is no action to take if this travel history is not complete.
For more information, you can visit the CBP Information Center https://help.cbp.gov/ and contact them directly.
Happy travels,
Shweta
As a US citizen living in Canada, I am required to produce evidence of visits across the border to my family in the USA, for the past 5 years, in order to renew my Permanent Residence card in Canada. After trying several phone numbers, websites and other links, it seems impossible to obtain this information. What do others do in my situation? I cannot possibly recall all the times I visited my elderly mother in Texas, my grandchildren in Boston for a weekend, or a quick trip to take something to my son at university in Michigan? How do I proceed from here, and if those records are not available will I lose my PR status in Canada? It seems that if this information is requested, there should be a straightforward way to obtain it! Or else what are all the border crossing lineups for when we have to show identification?
Hi Kathi,
I understand your frustration with finding the information you need about your cross border travel history. However, the travel history provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is only a tool to assist the public and not an official record for legal purposes. We always recommend that travellers maintain their own records and utilize the tool only to verify the information.
If you tried to locate your I-94 online and were unable to find it, this link will help you contact your nearest CBP officer for more details (http://ow.ly/cl8k30ccwA7). Alternatively, you could also consider checking your credit card or booking history in the last five years to find more details about your trips to the United States and other destinations.
Hope this helps,
Shweta