Your L-1B visa number is on the visa foil placed in your passport. It is different from your passport number, USCIS petition receipt number, visa control number, and I-94 number. When an application asks for a visa number, use the visa’s designated number rather than substituting a number from an approval notice. [1]
Read the visa foil carefully
The State Department provides an annotated visa example showing where the visa number appears. On the familiar foil design, it is the red number toward the lower right. Check the actual document and the requesting form’s instructions, especially if a letter appears among the characters or your visa uses a different layout. [1]
The label L-1B identifies a classification; it is not your unique visa number. Similarly, the control number at the upper portion of the foil serves a different purpose. See how to identify the visa control number before copying it into a visa-number field.
Your I-94 records admission
CBP issues the I-94 arrival/departure record. Its admission number is 11 characters; newer records can include a letter. You can retrieve the most recent electronic record through CBP’s official I-94 service and check the admitted class and admit-until date. [2]
A USCIS approval notice may include an attached I-94 when it grants an extension or change of status. That does not turn the receipt number or attached admission number into a visa stamp number. Someone who changed status inside the United States might not yet have an L-1B foil.
Do not use visa expiry to measure your stay
The State Department emphasizes that visa validity concerns seeking admission, while CBP’s admission record establishes the authorized period of stay, subject to the classification’s requirements. An unexpired visa does not cure an expired admission period. An expired visa does not by itself mean an otherwise valid admitted stay has ended. [3]
Keep copies of the passport biographical page, visa foil, current I-94, and approval notice together. If records conflict, resolve the discrepancy before travel or filing. For the broader document distinction, see visa stamping and approval notices.
Primary sources
- State Department: Reading a U.S. Visa
- CBP: I-94 Frequently Asked Questions
- State Department: Visa Expiration and Authorized Stay
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.