New York · est. 2013Saturday, September 5, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Forms

I-193 Application for Waiver of Passport and/or Visa

Requests a one-time waiver of the passport or visa requirement for someone arriving at a port of entry without one. CBP, not USCIS, normally decides it on the spot. It covers the traveller whose documents were lost or stolen abroad, or the returning resident whose card is missing.

Fee
$695 when filed with USCIS; CBP collects it at the port of entry in most cases
Fee waiver
Not available
Who files
Travellers arriving without a required passport or visa, filed at the port of entry.
Where to file
At the CBP port of entry, or by mail to USCIS where instructed.

Part of these processes

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • Rarely granted outside genuine emergencies. The 03/01/24 edition is current.

Official page. https://www.uscis.gov/i-193. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.