Entry to the US

[AlterEgo]

The USA stopped stamping British passports a few years back. The records of your stay are now held online. It is also common to be fingerprinted if you are on a different passport or ESTA than before.

 

[nlogax]

Edit: my passport was not stamped - last time (Feb 2020, also my first time in the US) it was

Seems to be airport dependent or a very recent move. I have stamps from JFK and O'Hare over the summer but my partner just returned from Las Vegas this week minus a stamp in her passport.

 

[najaB]

The USA stopped stamping British passports a few years back. The records of your stay are now held online. It is also common to be fingerprinted if you are on a different passport or ESTA than before.

Definitely not a few years back. I've a stamp on mine from last year.

Actually, while I was sure that I got one last year at DFW, turns out that I didn't.

 

[AlterEgo]

Definitely not a few years back. I've a stamp on mine from last year.

If they're doing this it is redundant or possibly just muscle memory taking over. Since 2022 your stay information is recorded online and is accessible to you online under your I-94 record. I've not been stamped since 2022 and that's been about a dozen visits.

 

[Jimini]

I'm two out of five on the stamp count, this year (all JFK).

Edit: worth noting that one of those was from the 'naughty room' at T4 as I got hooked for additional checks.

 

[stadler]

The USA stopped stamping British passports a few years back. The records of your stay are now held online. It is also common to be fingerprinted if you are on a different passport or ESTA than before.

They stopped automatically stamping but they will always still stamp on request. They will even stamp their own citizens on request. You can just ask the immigration officer to stamp your passport and they always will. I always do this when i visit the USA as it gives me an easily accessible record so i know how long that i have spent there. But unfortunately the USA scrapped exit stamps decades ago just like the UK did.

 

[najaB]

If anyone had plans to go to the Super Bowl next year, maybe it's better to just watch it on TV.

Kristi Noem, Donald Trump’s homeland security secretary, has said that only Americans should attend next year’s Super Bowl and warned that Ice agents “will be all over” the event.
...
“So yeah, we’ll be all over that place … We’re going to enforce the law. So I think people should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless they’re law-abiding Americans who love this country.”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/04/kristi-noem-super-bowl-ice

 

[Jimini]

Fun and games at LAX tonight. CBP staff basically working unpaid due to the government shutdown, so are understandably not working full tilt, to say the least. Took just over three hours from hitting the end of the queue, to clearing the border.

Edit: unsurprisingly no passport stamp on this trip due to the above shenanigans!

 

[Mike395]

Fun and games at LAX tonight. TSA staff basically working unpaid due to the government shutdown, so are understandably not working full tilt, to say the least. Took just over three hours from hitting the end of the queue, to clearing the border.

Edit: unsurprisingly no passport stamp on this trip due to the above shenanigans!

<extreme pedant mode> It's Customs & Border Protection officers, rather than TSA officers, that process arrivals into the USA, they're different departments entirely.</extreme pedant mode>

Also worth noting the USA have stopped stamping entirely now pretty much, unless requested or for certain types of visas. It's all electronic.

 

[Jimini]

<extreme pedant mode> It's Customs & Border Protection officers, rather than TSA officers, that process arrivals into the USA, they're different departments entirely.</extreme pedant mode>

Also worth noting the USA have stopped stamping entirely now pretty much, unless requested or for certain types of visas. It's all electronic.

In my defense I'd been up for over 24 hours duly edited.

 

[ABB125]

In about a month's time I'll be going to New York with my parents. We're flying via Canada both ways (because it was cheap... and I can indulge my inner plans enthusiast with some "fun size" planes on the hop across the border!). Am I right in thinking that this means we will go through US pre clearance at Montreal (in our case)? It's a through Air Canada flight with under 2 hours at Montreal, but I assume that takes into account going through pre clearance etc?

To provide an update on this, we (my parents and I) did this trip today. After arriving at Montreal, we followed the signs for connections. At some point in the arrivals corridor, connections are directed into an atrium, whilst everyone else carries on to (presumably) Canadian border checks. At this atrium, passengers connecting to other Canadian destinations go one way, whilst USA and international connections go another.
Following a rather convoluted path around the edges of the building, at some point international connections are siphoned off, and eventually USA passengers arrive at a small security check - standard procedures apply. (Interestingly, they wanted laptops (specifically) to be removed from bags. And also shoes off. I don't recall coming across either of these before, but I haven't really done that much travel and imagine this must be reasonably common in some areas.)
After security, you get deposited in a reasonably-sized US pre-clearance hall, which I assume also deals with "standard" passengers travelling to the US from Canada. And once through that, you're into the departure lounge. No Canadian immigration/customs/anything.
From the point where connections get separated from other arrivals, it took around 5 minutes to reach the security queue along the never ending corridor, 20 to get through security, and 15 to get past CBP. All fairly relaxed, no issues. They do like to scan onward boarding passes though as you make your way along the corridor - 5 times for us at different points!

So, in summary, a very pleasant, stress-free process, highly recommend (though whether that's also the case at other Canadian airports I don't know).

We then had a nice quick hop down to La Guardia on a CRJ900, including full 360° loop over Manhattan, which was nice (except I had a "window seat" that was missing said window...). Followed by the slightly odd experience (for us European travellers at least) of arrivals and departures mingling together in the terminal at La Guardia. Doesn't feel right!

 

[Scotty Dog]

Passport stamped at JFK on 11th October, eyes scanned but no fingerprints taken.

Case locked with TSA lock was searched on return trip as I found out at home with their standard note inside.

 

[zero]

Followed by the slightly odd experience (for us European travellers at least) of arrivals and departures mingling together in the terminal at La Guardia. Doesn't feel right!

But arrivals and departures do mingle together in many mainland Europe airports.

 

[66701GBRF]

Just recently finished a USA trip. Despite government shut down, no problems or delays getting in or out from the UK.

 

[najaB]

Just recently finished a USA trip. Despite government shut down, no problems or delays getting in or out from the UK.

Because CPB and TSA are currently working without being paid.