Why the I-94 search may not provide your history
CBP says U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents cannot retrieve travel history through its I-94/I-95 website and directs them to FOIA. CBP I-94/I-95 FAQ FOIA is a way to request records held by an agency. It does not create evidence of a crossing that was never recorded.
You can start rebuilding your list while a request is pending. Collect completed travel records from old passports or airline documents and compare them with the eventual response. Keep uncertain dates marked as uncertain. A record request and a finished travel list serve different purposes.
Use the current official entry point
CBP identifies SecureRelease as its direct portal. Its other authorized route is FOIA.gov, where you select Department of Homeland Security and then U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Since January 22, 2026, CBP requires online requests rather than mail, fax or email submissions. CBP: How do I submit a FOIA request?
Start from that CBP page and follow its portal link. This avoids relying on an old bookmarked form or an outdated mailing address. This guide does not submit requests for you, and buying a TravelHistoryTool export is not part of the government request process. You handle the official portal directly.
Describe the records and identify yourself
Request copies of your entry and exit records for a defined date range. Include your full name, birth date and A-Number if applicable. Follow the portal requirements for a signed identity certification. Add known crossing dates and ports so CBP can locate the records. CBP request instructions
A plain description can say that you are requesting your own U.S. arrival and departure records between two specified dates. Use dates that cover the history you are trying to reconstruct. Avoid asking the records office to calculate your days abroad or decide how your immigration application should be completed.
Put identity documents in the official request when required there. The travel-organizing tool only needs the materials you choose to use for reading dates. You do not need to buy our service to prepare or send a FOIA request.
If you have renewed or replaced a passport
Prepare a note listing old and current passport numbers, issuing countries and the periods when you used them, where known. Include earlier names that appear on your travel documents. This is a practical way to make your request specific; it is not a guarantee that every identifier will produce a record.
If an old number is unavailable, say so rather than guessing. Explain which years the missing passport covered. CBP asks for a detailed description and identifying information to help locate records. CBP records-request guidance Keep a copy of the description you send so you can compare the response with the scope you requested.
Submission fees and possible processing charges
There is no initial fee to submit a FOIA request. Search or copying charges can apply in some cases; no filing fee does not mean every request is free of all charges. FOIA.gov fee FAQ DHS publishes its fee provisions in section 5.11 of its FOIA regulations. DHS FOIA regulations
Read any fee notice from the agency before responding. The $6.99 price on this website is solely for five PDF exports of your organized list. It does not pay CBP, speed up its search or purchase access to government records.
How long it can take
CBP currently says personal immigration or travel-history requests typically take several months because of backlogs. Its portal provides a tracking number and status access. CBP processing information That description is not a delivery date for an individual request.
Keep the acknowledgement and tracking number with your working notes. If you have a deadline, do not assume a response will arrive before it. You can still organize records already in your possession. Leave a gap visible when the available evidence does not support a date.
Land crossings can remain incomplete
CBP warns that travel records may be incomplete for lawful permanent residents who crossed by car between the United States and Canada or Mexico. CBP explanation of travel-record gaps Receiving a FOIA response therefore does not prove that every trip appears in it.
Compare the response with your own completed travel records. Check unexplained entries as well as missing exits. A Canadian or Mexican stamp may help locate a trip, but review which border and direction it describes before assigning a U.S. departure or return date.
Turn the response into a list you can check
When you receive records, add the PDF or paste relevant text into the N-400 travel history tool. The tool combines dates with your other material and highlights conflicts. Confirm each proposed trip before using its total.
Uploaded records are deleted after we read the dates. Your editable list is stored in your browser. A finished PDF is retained for download and email for 24 hours, then deleted. Previewing is free. TravelHistoryTool is independently operated by one person and provides no legal advice or government representation.