En esta noticia
Entry into the United States has gone through a change in its immigration procedures: as of October 1, 2026, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stopped stamping passports at the initial immigration control. The measure is part of a modernization process to speed up tasks at entry points and reduce reliance on physical records.
This modernization does not mean that travelers stop having an official record of their entry or that the use of passport stamps disappears completely.
For tourists, the main recommendation is to check that their entry appears correctly in the system and pay attention to the authorized period of stay to avoid confusion about the conditions of admission, even when the passport does not have a new stamp.
The United States stopped stamping passports at initial immigration control
As of October 1, 2026, the CBP stopped routinely using the admission stamp during initial immigration control, known as primary processing. This measure was communicated through a bulletin from the agency’s Carrier Liaison Program, distributed by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
The change alters a common practice in the entry procedure, but it does not eliminate the immigration record or mean that officers have stopped using stamps in all circumstances. According to the notice, these may still be placed during a secondary inspection and in limited situations during primary processing.
What is the I-94 form and how is entry into the US recorded?
The I-94 form is the arrival and departure record of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that documents the admission of certain foreign travelers to the U.S. In its electronic version, it allows users to check information such as the date of entry, the admission category, and the authorized period of stay.
The digitization of the I-94 began years ago, before this change, since in 2013 CBP began automating the form for many people entering by air or by sea, so they no longer routinely received the paper version, but at that time the agency clarified that it would continue placing the admission stamp on the travel document.
The difference in 2026 is that the physical stamp stops being placed as a routine practice during initial control, while the electronic record continues documenting the admission. Therefore, the absence of a stamp does not mean that the entry was left unrecorded.
What changes for tourists
With this new policy, tourists entering the United States may receive their passport without an admission stamp during initial immigration control. After arriving in the country, travelers can check their record on the official I-94 form website and verify that the information is correct. Among the data tourists should verify are:
- Personal information: check that the identifying details correspond to the traveler.
- Date of admission: review that the record correctly reflects entry into the country.
- Authorized period of stay: verify until when the stay is authorized according to the admission granted.
- Admission category: check that it matches the conditions under which entry was authorized.
For many travelers who enter by air or by sea, the electronic record is generated during the admission process, so they do not need to complete the form to replace the stamp after landing. In this regard, CBP allows the record to be consulted online and if travelers detect errors, they can contact the corresponding deferred inspection office to find out how to request a correction.