Brazilian mobility teams woke up on 1 December to discover a buried provision in the US Federal Register: the Department of Homeland Security has activated a US$30 fee for every non-immigrant who must obtain an I-94 record when entering the United States by land or when filing the form online. Although most Brazilians fly to the US – where an electronic I-94 is created automatically at no charge – the fee will hit executives whose itineraries include land crossings from Canada or Mexico.
Typical scenarios include São Paulo quality-control engineers who fly to Monterrey and drive into Texas, or agribusiness buyers who land in Toronto before crossing into the US by car. Each entry will now require proof of payment through the CBP One app or at the port of entry. Immigration counsel warn that failure to present a receipt during random roadside checks could lead to fines or expedited removal.
![New US$30 land-border I-94 fee catches Brazilian business travellers off-guard]()
Travel-management companies estimate that a midsized Brazilian multinational with 150 cross-border land trips a year will absorb about R$23,000 in extra fees – a small absolute amount but an unwelcome new line item amid tight 2026 mobility budgets. Some firms are already shifting meetings to the US side of the border or insisting travellers complete the journey entirely by air, where no stand-alone I-94 fee applies.
The measure forms part of Washington’s broader cost-recovery push. Congress is debating a ‘visa-integrity’ surcharge for certain non-immigrant categories, and DHS has signalled that future fee expansions could cover sea arrivals. Brazilian corporates are therefore advised to build contingency lines for US government charges into 2026 forecasts, train travellers on payment procedures, and update expense-report codes to capture the new fee accurately.
Long-term, the development underscores the importance of proactive compliance training. Companies should verify that dual-national staff understand the fee applies to the passport actually presented at the border and should archive digital receipts in case of audit.
Typical scenarios include São Paulo quality-control engineers who fly to Monterrey and drive into Texas, or agribusiness buyers who land in Toronto before crossing into the US by car. Each entry will now require proof of payment through the CBP One app or at the port of entry. Immigration counsel warn that failure to present a receipt during random roadside checks could lead to fines or expedited removal.
Travel-management companies estimate that a midsized Brazilian multinational with 150 cross-border land trips a year will absorb about R$23,000 in extra fees – a small absolute amount but an unwelcome new line item amid tight 2026 mobility budgets. Some firms are already shifting meetings to the US side of the border or insisting travellers complete the journey entirely by air, where no stand-alone I-94 fee applies.
The measure forms part of Washington’s broader cost-recovery push. Congress is debating a ‘visa-integrity’ surcharge for certain non-immigrant categories, and DHS has signalled that future fee expansions could cover sea arrivals. Brazilian corporates are therefore advised to build contingency lines for US government charges into 2026 forecasts, train travellers on payment procedures, and update expense-report codes to capture the new fee accurately.
Long-term, the development underscores the importance of proactive compliance training. Companies should verify that dual-national staff understand the fee applies to the passport actually presented at the border and should archive digital receipts in case of audit.
