How to Register With the US When Wintering There as a Canadian

You have driven to Florida or Arizona for the winter for years, and the officer at the land border waved you through with a passport scan. That scan is not registration. A Canadian who enters by land, is not issued an I-94, and stays 30 days or longer must register with the US government before day 30, and willful failure can bring a fine of up to USD 5,000, six months in jail, or both.

Check whether you are already registered

Look up your record with Get Most Recent I-94 on the CBP I-94 website. USCIS counts anyone admitted on an I-94 as registered, even after the admission period runs out. Permanent residents and people who received a US visa are also already registered. If no I-94 comes up for your latest entry, you have one of the two steps below to do.

Get an I-94 before you cross by land

This is the simpler route for a planned winter stay. Apply and pay on the I-94 website or in the CBP Home app up to seven days before you reach the border, then present yourself at a land port of entry within seven days to be interviewed and give biometrics if asked. As of October 2026 the fee is USD 30 per person, made up of the long-standing USD 6 land fee and a USD 24 fee added in September 2025, and the FY 2027 notice leaves it unchanged. CBP warns that a provisional I-94 lapses after seven days, with no refund.

File Form G-325R if you are already in the US

If you crossed without an I-94, each person 14 or older creates their own USCIS online account at myUSCIS and submits Form G-325R, Biographic Information (Registration) before the 30th day. Parents or guardians register children under 14. USCIS then schedules a biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center, with no biometrics fee.

Download the proof and carry it

After biometrics, the USCIS Proof of G-325R Registration appears as a PDF in the account. Everyone 18 or older must carry evidence of registration at all times, and failing to can bring a fine of up to USD 5,000, 30 days in jail, or both. Keep a printed copy with your passport, or keep your I-94 retrievable if that was your route.

If you fly instead of driving. Look up your record on the I-94 site after landing. If an I-94 shows for that entry, you are registered; if not, file Form G-325R as above.

If you come and go. A new land entry without an I-94 restarts the question, so check the record after each crossing that begins a stay of 30 days or more.

Sources. USCIS alien registration requirement, CBP I-94 website, CBP online I-94 for land ports, Federal Register FY 2026 HR-1 fee notice, Federal Register FY 2027 HR-1 fee notice, Travel.gc.ca United States travel advice.