My stepdaughter is visiting from Berlin. She arrived in Minneapolis last night on Delta and is young enough that we had to purchase the unaccompanied minor service. As part of that service, Delta staff take charge of all her travel documents and give them all in a sealed pouch to the person responsible for collecting the girl upon arrival after passing through immigration and customs. Her father didn't open the document pouch until arriving back at our house, and discovered that her I94 wasn't returned to her along with her other documents.

Customs and Border Protection were closed, so we called Delta about it. After first being given obviously wrong information (call the German Embassy in Washington DC), we escalated the call to a supervisor who said that the I94 is now done electronically and that we shouldn't worry about it. The arrival portion was collected and she can just fill out a new one for the departure when she leaves but the airline transmits the departure information electronically so the form itself isn't that important. We can find no information to verify this on U.S. government websites--just a form for a replacement I94 if you lose it. That has a $320 filing fee.

Does anyone here know if the information Delta gave us is correct?

This is absolutely incorrect.

The I94-W is being phased out for VWP passengers who hold electronic ESTA clearance but the I94 form is absolutely still done in paper format and is entirely neccessary to keep on one's person at all times while in the USA as proof of legal status.

Thanks much for the info. I suspect we're in for a world of bureaucratic paperwork and explanations. Tra-la-la.

Papa should have checked the pouch before leaving but was all caught up in the festive family reunion. I do wish, however, that customer service would be more up front about its lack of knowledge.

Just wondering, but depending on her visa type she may have been assigned a permanent I94 number? This would be written most likely on the page opposite to the actual visa label next to the entry stamp - it would make it a lot easier to obtain a duplicate I94 if you had that reference.

I didn't understands why CBP has been changes to electronic ESTA? Can you please clarify something for me to give more specific info for me. Please explains!

This may sound really obvious, and please don't take it personally, but you only mention the document pouch, so I'll ask...

... it isn't stapled in her passport is it? That's usually where you'd find an I94.


Cheers

This thread may help:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...travel-us.html

Thanks for all the information--Flyertalk is a font of knowledge. We were never able to get through to CBP and they haven't returned phone messages, but I was able to verify things thanks to you all pointing me in knowing what to search for. (And no, it's never too obvious to suggest checking to see if the form is stapled to the passport. Those are the kinds of things one misses when in a slight panic.)

The upshot is that Minneapolis recently shifted to electronic ESTA clearance (they still used the paper forms in April) and it was the I-94W departure form that had been expected and wasn't there. There is a notation in the passport itself with her anticipated departure date, so apparently all is good.

Hi, I have an almost identical situation and am hoping for some help. My nephew arrived from Edinburgh 2 weeks ago (flew into Newark) and he is due to fly back on Monday. We used Continental's unaccompanied minor service and I have only just realised that he does not have an I-94. He completed an ESTA though. I am sure we weren't given the I94 by the unaccompanied minor service....and he can't remember filling one in.
I called Continental but the person I spoke with had never heard of EStA or I94! They gave me a transportation security number to call which just goes to voicemail and now when I try to call CA back I just get a 'lines are busy' message?!

Does anyone know if he would have been given and I94 for Newark airport??
If we don't have it, will he be allowed to fly on Monday??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

Thanks

Hi,

welcome to flyertalk msw2011,

He would have had to fill in the customs form but the I94 ( green form) is no longer needed ( I have not had to fill one in on my last few trips to the US). Apart from the ESTA there is also the advanced passenger information collected by the airline ( I have to complete the info on BA/VS before TATL travel)

Regards

TBS

Hi,
Thanks for your response - it has put my mind at rest! So funny that someone from Falkirk has solved our problem ! We're fellow Scots - from Glasgow.
Cheers!