How to find out what visa you hold

The fastest way to check what US visa you have is to look at your passport. Open it to the visa page — it will show a stamp or sticker with your visa type printed on it. The type appears as a code: B1/B2 for business or tourism, H1B for specialty work, F1 for student status, and so on. If you see a stamp with a date and a visa type, you hold that visa.

If your passport is lost, expired, or you cannot find the visa page, you can request your visa records from the US State Department. You will need your full name, date of birth, and passport number. The State Department can tell you what visa you were issued and when it expires, though this takes several weeks by mail.

Do not assume you have a visa just because you entered the US. Many people enter on a visa waiver program (usually a 90-day tourist entry) with no visa stamp at all. Others may have overstayed a previous visa without realizing it. Your passport is the official record.

Key Takeaways

  • Your visa type and expiration date are printed on a stamp or sticker in your passport — check the visa pages first.
  • A visa expiration date does not mean you must leave the US; it means you cannot re-enter the country after that date without a new visa.
  • If you entered on a visa waiver (common for tourism), you have no visa stamp but you do have legal status for a set number of days.
  • If your passport is lost or you cannot locate your visa, the State Department can retrieve your visa records by mail.
  • Overstaying any visa or visa waiver period makes you deportable, even if you did not realize the important date had passed.

The difference between a valid visa and valid status

A valid visa means the stamp in your passport has not expired. A valid status means you are legally allowed to be in the US right now. These are not the same thing.

If your visa expired last year but you adjusted your status to become a permanent resident, your visa is no longer valid — but your status is. If you are on an H1B work visa that expired, but your employer filed to extend it before the expiration date, you may have valid status even though the stamp itself is expired. The key is whether you have taken the right steps to maintain your legal presence.

This matters because immigration officers care about your current status, not your visa stamp. When you travel outside the US and try to return, they will check both your passport and the immigration system to see what status you hold now.

What your visa stamp actually tells you

The visa stamp shows four pieces of information: the visa type (the code like B1, F1, H1B), the number of entries you are allowed (usually one or multiple), the expiration date, and sometimes the length of stay you are permitted.

The expiration date on the stamp is not when you must leave the US. It is when you can no longer use that visa to re-enter the country. If your B1/B2 tourist visa expires on March 15, you can still be in the US on March 16 — but you cannot leave and come back in without a new visa. Your actual permission to stay is determined by the date the immigration officer wrote in your passport when you arrived (called the I-94 date), which is usually longer than the visa validity.

For work visas like H1B, the stamp expiration and your actual permitted stay are often different. Your H1B may be valid for three years, but the stamp may expire in one year. As long as your employer maintains your status and you follow the rules, you can stay and work beyond the stamp date.

When you need to renew or extend your visa

If you want to leave the US and come back, you need a valid visa stamp. If your visa has expired, you must get a new one at a US embassy or consulate before you travel. This is true even if you have valid status inside the US.

If you want to stay in the US but your current visa is about to expire, you do not renew the visa itself — instead, you extend or change your status through immigration forms filed inside the country. For example, if you are on an F1 student visa and want to stay longer, your school files an extension request (Form I-539) with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If you want to switch from F1 to H1B work status, your employer files the H1B petition. These are status changes, not visa renewals.

The confusion happens because people use "renew your visa" to mean both getting a new stamp at an embassy and extending your status inside the US. They are different processes with different forms and different agencies.

How to read the visa code on your stamp

The two-letter or alphanumeric code on your visa stamp tells you what category you hold. Here are the most common ones:

  • B1/B2: Business or tourism (temporary visitor)
  • F1: Student (full-time academic study)
  • J1: Exchange visitor (scholar, intern, trainee)
  • H1B: Specialty occupation worker
  • L1: Intracompany transferee (manager or specialist moving within a company)
  • O1: Individual with extraordinary ability (athlete, artist, scientist)
  • EB: Employment-based immigrant (green card holder)
  • IR: when ready relative of US citizen (spouse, parent, child)

If you see a code not listed here, you can search "US visa type [code]" or ask the State Department what it means. The code determines what you are allowed to do in the US — a B1/B2 cannot work, an F1 student cannot work off-campus without permission, and an H1B must work for the sponsoring employer.

What to do if you cannot find your visa

If your passport is lost or stolen, contact your country's passport office to get a replacement. When you receive the new passport, your old visa stamps will not transfer — they stay in the old passport. Keep the old passport if you can, because it proves you held those visas.

If you need proof of a visa you held in the past, you can request your visa records from the State Department. Fill out Form DS-11 (process for a US Passport) or contact the National Passport Information Center. You will need your full name, date of birth, and the passport number from the passport you held when you received the visa. The State Department will send you a letter confirming what visa you held and when.

If you are trying to prove your current status and cannot find your visa, contact USCIS or the agency that issued your status (your employer's HR department for work visas, your school for student visas). They can print a letter confirming your current status, which is often more useful than the visa stamp itself.

Visa status and overstaying explained

Overstaying means staying in the US past the date you were permitted to stay. This date is not the visa expiration date — it is the date written in your passport by the immigration officer when you arrived, called your I-94 departure date. If the officer wrote "June 15, 2024" in your passport, you must leave by that date or you are overstaying, even if your visa stamp does not expire until 2026.

Overstaying for even one day can trigger deportation proceedings and make you ineligible for many future visas. It also makes you ineligible to adjust your status to a green card (with rare exceptions). If you realize you have overstayed or are about to overstay, contact an immigration attorney when ready — there may be options to fix it, but waiting makes them disappear.

If you are unsure of your departure date, look at your passport. The I-94 date should be stamped or written on the page where the immigration officer processed you. If you cannot find it, contact USCIS and ask for a copy of your I-94 record.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I stay in the US if my visa expired but I have valid status?

Yes. Your visa expiration date only matters if you leave the country. If you have valid status (such as an extended H1B, an approved green card process, or an F1 extension), you can stay and work or study. You cannot travel outside the US and return without a valid visa stamp, but you can remain inside the country.

What does it mean if my visa says "multiple entries"?

Multiple entries means you can leave the US and come back in more than once while the visa is valid. Single entry means you can use the visa to enter once; after that, you need a new visa to re-enter. The number of entries does not affect how long you can stay each time — that is determined by the I-94 date the officer writes when you arrive.

Do I need a new visa if I change jobs on an H1B?

Not always. If your new employer files an H1B transfer petition before your current visa expires, you can usually start working for the new employer while the petition is pending. You do not need a new visa stamp unless you leave the US and want to return. If you do travel, you may need to get a new stamp at a US embassy showing your new employer's sponsorship.

What happens if I lose my passport with my visa in it?

Report it to your country's passport office and get a replacement passport. Your old visa stamps will not transfer to the new passport, but you can keep the old one as proof. If you need to travel outside the US, you will need a new visa stamp in your new passport before you leave. Contact the US embassy or consulate in your country to explore.

Can I check my visa status online?

USCIS has an online tool to check the status of pending applications (green card, work visa extensions, status changes). You will need your receipt number. For historical visa information or to confirm what visa you held, you must contact the State Department by mail or phone — there is no online lookup for past visas.