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I will be traveling from Lima, Peru (LIM) to Los Angeles (LAX) under a B1/B2 visa and then from Los Angeles (LAX) to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK).

However, since I bought each flight separately, I will be forced to cross the border through LAX, get my bags and wait some hours to take my next flight.

I made a question about that in the past, just in case I'll share it: Crossing US border just to take another flight and times/rules to be considered

So, I wonder what should I fill in the CBP form that is normally given by the airline crew and under the "Address While in the United States", "City and State" and "Telephone Number in the US Where You Can be Reached" questions since I might be staying in the US only for some hours.

Is it okay if I leave them blank when giving the form to the immigration officer? I ask this because one of the form instructions says: "When all items are completed, present this form to the CBP Officer."

A sample CBP I94 form can be found at:

https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CBP%20Form%20I-94%20English%20SAMPLE_Watermark.pdf

Oscar Jara
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2 Answers2

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Since you're in transit, just write "in transit" for the address, and show your connecting flight's ticket if asked.

For what it's worth, this is a common scenario that immigration officers will have seen before, because the US does not recognize the idea of sterile transit: every traveller has to pass through Customs & Immigration, even if they are continuing directly onto another flight out of the country.

lambshaanxy
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However, since I bought each flight separately, I am not in transit when arriving the US and that will force me to cross the border through LAX, get my bags and wait some hours to take my next flight.

This actually makes no difference, because in the US, everyone connecting has to clear the border, and have the relevant visas to do so. The only difference is that with seprate tickets, you can't drop the luggage at the dedicated belt before exiting customs, but have to use a regular bag drop desk.

So just write "in Transit" on the form

Crazydre
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