automatic revalidation

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border  Protection (CBP) has the authority and the responsibility over the  admission of travelers to the United States. Under the automatic  revalidation provision of immigration law, certain temporary visitors  holding expired non-immigrant visas who seek to return to the U.S. may be  admitted at a U.S. port-of-entry by CBP, if they meet certain  requirements, including, but not limited to the following:

• Non-immigrants who departed the United States for brief travel to Canada, Mexico, or an adjacent island (for F and J non-immigrants) for thirty days or less;
• Non-immigrants with a valid (unexpired) admission stamp or paper Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, endorsed by DHS.

For more information about automatic revalidation provisions and reentry to the United States, visit Automatic Revalidation for Certain Temporary Visitors on the CBP Webpage.

Automatic revalidation is not the same as applying for a new visa. If  you apply for a new nonimmigrant visa you cannot take advantage of  automatic revalidation.

This webpage explains which travelers must reapply and be  reissued visas when their existing visas have expired, even if they are  in possession of valid admission stamp or paper Form I-94, in order to  gain admission to reenter the United States.

Many non-immigrants will need to reapply and be reissued visas to  reenter the U.S. when their existing visas have expired, even if they  are in possession of valid admission stamp or paper Form I-94, because  automatic revalidation applies to limited categories of travelers. Refer  to the Automatic Revalidation Fact Sheet on  the CBP website. The following temporary visitors whose non-immigrant  visas have expired, but who have a valid admission stamp or paper Form  I-94, must reapply for and be issued non-immigrant visas prior to their  reentry to the United States, if one or more of the following situations  exists (this is not a complete listing): 

The non-immigrant traveler with an expired non-immigrant visa (but valid admission stamp or paper Form I-94):

• Applied for a new visa which has not yet been issued;
• Applied for a new visa and was denied;
• Has been outside of the United States for more than thirty days;
• Has traveled to a country other than Canada, Mexico, or an adjacent  island which is not included in the automatic revalidation provisions;
• Is a national of a State Sponsor of Terrorism designated country, including Iran, Syria, and Sudan. Review more about State Sponsors of Terrorism and FAQs on this website;
• Is in possession of an F student visa or J exchange visitor visa and has traveled to Cuba;
• Is in possession of an M student visa and has traveled to a location outside the United States, other than Canada and Mexico.

The automatic revalidation provision of U.S. immigration law is described in both 8 CFR 214.1(b) and 22 CFR 41.112(d).