Many people travelling to the United States from the United Kingdom do not need to apply for a visa in advance of travelling due to the Visa Waiver Programme. Either when you check in for your flight or when you are on the plan you will be handed some forms to complete for customs and immigration. Take some time to do them as the last thing that you want is to get off the plane and then have to complete the forms in the immigration hall, while a plane load of fellow travellers get in the queue ahead of you! If you make a mistake on your form the plane will have plenty of spare forms.
For each member of the your family you will be given a green I-94W form and for the whole family you will also receive a single white Customs Declaration form. It seems to be the green I-94W form that seems to cause the greatest confusion so please feel free to print out this “ready reckoner” on how to complete one.
The I-94W is a double sided form with a perforated line about two thirds of the way down the form, both sides of the form MUST be completed.
Questions to be answered:
1 – Family Name: Surname
2 – First (Given) Name: First Name/Christian Name/Forename
3 – Birth Date: Date of birth (day/month/year eg 25th December 1980 – 251280)
4 – Country of Citizenship: Probably United Kingdom
5 – Sex (male/female): Male/Female (this is not the time for humour! )
6 – Passport Number: Copy this exactly from your own passport
7 – Airline and Flight Number: It is fine to use the airline code eg BA or VS and the flight number, this information will be on your boarding card, travel itinerary and also available from the cabin crew
8 – Country where you live: Probably United Kingdom
9 – City where you boarded: This is the city, eg London, not Gatwick
10 & 11 – Address while in the United States: Here renting a villa through this site is a definite benefit, as you will know exactly where you are going to stay. For State the abbreviation FL is acceptable. If you are doing a multi-centre holiday then put in the address of your first night’s accommodation.
14, 15, 16 & 17 – as 1, 2, 3 & 4 above.
This is side one completed, turnover for the second side.
For questions A – G you must be able to answer No to all of these questions, otherwise you are not able to travel using the Visa Waiver Program and should have previously applied for a visa.
Then it is questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 again – I always stick to block capitals here, even though it doesn’t have the spacing laid out like the front of the form and be consistent with your date format (don’t use the American date format of month/day/year).
Finally sign and date the form. If you are travelling with children then the parent/guardian travelling with the child should sign on their behalf.
DO NOT WRITE BELOW THE SIGNATURE / DATE LINES.
At immigration your form will be processed quickly as you have taken the time to fill the form in correctly (well done, you! J), and the lower third of the form will be separated from the form and stapled in to your passport. This section forms your departure record and it is very important that this is removed when you check in for your return flights home, failure for this to happen could make it appear like you have overstayed your visa allowance and cause significant problems on future visits.
If, by accident, the departure record was not removed from your passport and you realise this when you come home then the current advice from the US London Embassy is:
“If you have left the United States and are still in possession of the I-94 or I-94W it is in your best interest to forward it to the appropriate authorities so that your record is corrected and that you do not experience any problems on future travel to the United States as a result.
It is very important that you complete the back of the card listing the port of departure and date of departure from the United States and the carrier/flight information. The I-94 or I-94W together with a letter of explanation and evidence of your departure from the U. S. should be sent to:
ACS-USCBP, SBU, P. O. Box 7125
London KY 40742-7125
USA
Do not mail the I-94/I-94W to the Embassy! ”
Please note that this advice may vary so please always check the embassy website to confirm this information.
Samples of these forms and the eligibility requirements for the Visa Waiver Program can be seen on the US Customs and Border Protection website.
For each member of the your family you will be given a green I-94W form and for the whole family you will also receive a single white Customs Declaration form. It seems to be the green I-94W form that seems to cause the greatest confusion so please feel free to print out this “ready reckoner” on how to complete one.
The I-94W is a double sided form with a perforated line about two thirds of the way down the form, both sides of the form MUST be completed.
Questions to be answered:
1 – Family Name: Surname
2 – First (Given) Name: First Name/Christian Name/Forename
3 – Birth Date: Date of birth (day/month/year eg 25th December 1980 – 251280)
4 – Country of Citizenship: Probably United Kingdom
5 – Sex (male/female): Male/Female (this is not the time for humour! )
6 – Passport Number: Copy this exactly from your own passport
7 – Airline and Flight Number: It is fine to use the airline code eg BA or VS and the flight number, this information will be on your boarding card, travel itinerary and also available from the cabin crew
8 – Country where you live: Probably United Kingdom
9 – City where you boarded: This is the city, eg London, not Gatwick
10 & 11 – Address while in the United States: Here renting a villa through this site is a definite benefit, as you will know exactly where you are going to stay. For State the abbreviation FL is acceptable. If you are doing a multi-centre holiday then put in the address of your first night’s accommodation.
14, 15, 16 & 17 – as 1, 2, 3 & 4 above.
This is side one completed, turnover for the second side.
For questions A – G you must be able to answer No to all of these questions, otherwise you are not able to travel using the Visa Waiver Program and should have previously applied for a visa.
Then it is questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 again – I always stick to block capitals here, even though it doesn’t have the spacing laid out like the front of the form and be consistent with your date format (don’t use the American date format of month/day/year).
Finally sign and date the form. If you are travelling with children then the parent/guardian travelling with the child should sign on their behalf.
DO NOT WRITE BELOW THE SIGNATURE / DATE LINES.
At immigration your form will be processed quickly as you have taken the time to fill the form in correctly (well done, you! J), and the lower third of the form will be separated from the form and stapled in to your passport. This section forms your departure record and it is very important that this is removed when you check in for your return flights home, failure for this to happen could make it appear like you have overstayed your visa allowance and cause significant problems on future visits.
If, by accident, the departure record was not removed from your passport and you realise this when you come home then the current advice from the US London Embassy is:
“If you have left the United States and are still in possession of the I-94 or I-94W it is in your best interest to forward it to the appropriate authorities so that your record is corrected and that you do not experience any problems on future travel to the United States as a result.
It is very important that you complete the back of the card listing the port of departure and date of departure from the United States and the carrier/flight information. The I-94 or I-94W together with a letter of explanation and evidence of your departure from the U. S. should be sent to:
ACS-USCBP, SBU, P. O. Box 7125
London KY 40742-7125
USA
Do not mail the I-94/I-94W to the Embassy! ”
Please note that this advice may vary so please always check the embassy website to confirm this information.
Samples of these forms and the eligibility requirements for the Visa Waiver Program can be seen on the US Customs and Border Protection website.