Are USA passports stamped upon entrance to USA?
Jan 19, 2014, 10:17 am
#61
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For the last two years, I have been coming to Ireland approx every 3 months for personal reasons. I stay about 10 days each trip. I have never paid attention to the stamping process at US Immigration pre-clearance in the Dublin airport.
Today, when I flew into Dublin, I was harranged by Irish Immigration because I didn't have any US entry stamps in my passport associated with my previous trips. I was told this was highly unusual. Of course I had no answer as to why this would be. The officer detained me for about 20 minutes, asked to see my ticket to return to the US, took my picture, entered me into their database, (which I assume was a watch list), took my Irish hosts information, and asked me all kinds of questions. I thought I wasn't going to be let in. All because the US is inconsistent in its stamping policy.
It is humorous that the two organizations are in the same building and have no idea what each other are doing :-)
In the future, I will be requesting a stamp each time I enter the US when traveling abroad. I assume I am now on some sort of watch list for the Irish...*sigh*
Today, when I flew into Dublin, I was harranged by Irish Immigration because I didn't have any US entry stamps in my passport associated with my previous trips. I was told this was highly unusual. Of course I had no answer as to why this would be. The officer detained me for about 20 minutes, asked to see my ticket to return to the US, took my picture, entered me into their database, (which I assume was a watch list), took my Irish hosts information, and asked me all kinds of questions. I thought I wasn't going to be let in. All because the US is inconsistent in its stamping policy.
It is humorous that the two organizations are in the same building and have no idea what each other are doing :-)
In the future, I will be requesting a stamp each time I enter the US when traveling abroad. I assume I am now on some sort of watch list for the Irish...*sigh*
May 10, 2015, 9:01 pm
#62
Join Date: Jan 2011
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I've now gotten US entry stamps from 31 different ports of entry. Images of them are scanned at: http://web.mit.edu/stransky/www/us_e...rt_stamps.html
May 11, 2015, 3:59 pm
#63
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I've now gotten US entry stamps from 31 different ports of entry. Images of them are scanned at: http://web.mit.edu/stransky/www/us_e...rt_stamps.html
May 18, 2015, 4:13 pm
#66
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Unless I'm using GE or APC kiosks, CBP and predecessors have stamped my US passports most times when it comes to flying into the US on commercially scheduled passenger flights.
May 19, 2015, 3:31 pm
#67
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 464
LAX TBIT has NEVER stamped my passport.
May 20, 2015, 1:23 am
#68
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My most recent entry was EWR and I received the stamp much to my surprise, first US stamp in this passport. In the past 18 months I have entered without stamp at ORD, LAX, and YHZ Preclear.
May 22, 2015, 1:44 pm
#69
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...
May 27, 2015, 9:03 am
#70
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We've returned to the US twice in the last few months through DFW and CLT. Just got our passports out for our trip next week and thumbed through the pages. No reentry stamps in either of our passports. Both of these recent trips were before we got GE so that wasn't a factor. One return trip, the one through DFW, originated in Istanbul, Turkey. Both passports had their share of Turkish entry and exit stamps and our Turkish visas. The second return trip, the one through CLT, originated in Rome, Italy. No visas but a couple of entry and exit stamps from EU and non-EU countries we visited. Again, no reentry stamps so EU or non-EU apparently made no difference to CBP at either airport.
Last edited by Randyk47; May 27, 2015 at 9:17 am
May 27, 2015, 10:13 am
#71
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Stamps are important for Legal reasons
We've returned to the US twice in the last few months through DFW and CLT. Just got our passports out for our trip next week and thumbed through the pages. No reentry stamps in either of our passports. Both of these recent trips were before we got GE so that wasn't a factor. One return trip, the one through DFW, originated in Istanbul, Turkey. Both passports had their share of Turkish entry and exit stamps and our Turkish visas. The second return trip, the one through CLT, originated in Rome, Italy. No visas but a couple of entry and exit stamps from EU and non-EU countries we visited. Again, no reentry stamps so EU or non-EU apparently made no difference to CBP at either airport.
To wit:
1. to obtain a Consular Report of a Birth Abroad for my son (and thus document his US status as a natural born citizen) I had to prove I was not only a citizen but that I had also physical presence in the United States for at least five years. This included providing a detailed listing of all exits/entries to the US. Without the stamps in my passports (save all those canceled ones!) there is no way I would have been able to accurately recall the exit/entry dates of the many trips I was lucky enough to go on as a small child.
2. As part of the K1 Fiancee visa process both I and my now-wife had to also document physical presence in the US. Again, without the stamps in the passports neither of us would have been able to accurately recall all our dates of exit/entry.
3. If my son who was born abroad has children who are also born abroad those children (my grandkids) will not necessarily be eligible to claim natural born citizenship if my son cannot show he has at least 5 years of physical presence in the United States. Stamps of his passports will be very important in documenting his physical presence.
4. Stamps in passports can be very useful confirmation/documentation during national security investigations and for obtaining security clearances.
Get those stamps because 1) one can never know when such information is needed, and 2) while the government keeps this information electronically one cannot necessarily rely on the government to give you information it has about you when you need to give that same information to the government to prove/disprove or confirm something about you.
[sometimes they like to see how resourceful/clever you can be or trustworthy you are by not giving you the information - which can be quite amusing or aggravating, depending].
May 27, 2015, 10:34 am
#72
Join Date: May 2011
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Stamps are important - you might find yourself needing those stamps for later legal/immigration reasons.
To wit:
1. to obtain a Consular Report of a Birth Abroad for my son (and thus document his US status as a natural born citizen) I had to prove I was not only a citizen but that I had also physical presence in the United States for at least five years. This included providing a detailed listing of all exits/entries to the US. Without the stamps in my passports (save all those canceled ones!) there is no way I would have been able to accurately recall the exit/entry dates of the many trips I was lucky enough to go on as a small child.
2. As part of the K1 Fiancee visa process both I and my now-wife had to also document physical presence in the US. Again, without the stamps in the passports neither of us would have been able to accurately recall all our dates of exit/entry.
3. If my son who was born abroad has children who are also born abroad those children (my grandkids) will not necessarily be eligible to claim natural born citizenship if my son cannot show he has at least 5 years of physical presence in the United States. Stamps of his passports will be very important in documenting his physical presence.
4. Stamps in passports can be very useful confirmation/documentation during national security investigations and for obtaining security clearances.
Get those stamps because 1) one can never know when such information is needed, and 2) while the government keeps this information electronically one cannot necessarily rely on the government to give you information it has about you when you need to give that same information to the government to prove/disprove or confirm something about you.
[sometimes they like to see how resourceful/clever you can be or trustworthy you are by not giving you the information - which can be quite amusing or aggravating, depending].
To wit:
1. to obtain a Consular Report of a Birth Abroad for my son (and thus document his US status as a natural born citizen) I had to prove I was not only a citizen but that I had also physical presence in the United States for at least five years. This included providing a detailed listing of all exits/entries to the US. Without the stamps in my passports (save all those canceled ones!) there is no way I would have been able to accurately recall the exit/entry dates of the many trips I was lucky enough to go on as a small child.
2. As part of the K1 Fiancee visa process both I and my now-wife had to also document physical presence in the US. Again, without the stamps in the passports neither of us would have been able to accurately recall all our dates of exit/entry.
3. If my son who was born abroad has children who are also born abroad those children (my grandkids) will not necessarily be eligible to claim natural born citizenship if my son cannot show he has at least 5 years of physical presence in the United States. Stamps of his passports will be very important in documenting his physical presence.
4. Stamps in passports can be very useful confirmation/documentation during national security investigations and for obtaining security clearances.
Get those stamps because 1) one can never know when such information is needed, and 2) while the government keeps this information electronically one cannot necessarily rely on the government to give you information it has about you when you need to give that same information to the government to prove/disprove or confirm something about you.
[sometimes they like to see how resourceful/clever you can be or trustworthy you are by not giving you the information - which can be quite amusing or aggravating, depending].
Funny thing is that when we filled out our GE applications the list of countries was long and varied. We actually thought we might be asked about those travels as some countries have been on and off hot spots over the past couple of years. Never came up in either interview. That said I actually hadn't paid much attention to US reentry stamps until this thread. Probably will now I've been reminded that they potentially could be an issue.
May 27, 2015, 8:22 pm
#73
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I always ask when reentering the US (I'm trying to get every air port of entry samp) and I've never been refused. This includes my last two trips back (ATL and SEA) where I had to use the automated kiosk for entry. Now that I have GE though my stamp getting days may be over.
May 27, 2015, 11:40 pm
#74
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Since getting GE, I haven't been stamped.
Before GE, the only times I WASN'T stamped were at YYZ, where they stamp the BP.
Before GE, the only times I WASN'T stamped were at YYZ, where they stamp the BP.
May 28, 2015, 2:20 am
#75
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