Evidence of travel if you didn't save receipts

[Teachers 12]

I've seen this question twice in recent days in different contexts. Here are some additional/alternative ways to show meeting:

- You bought the plane tickets. How? If check, you may have the cancelled check, or be able to get an image. Also, you may be able to get a copy of the invoice from whomever sold it.

- If you paid by credit card, you can probably get a copy of the credit card statement. And sometimes these statements list the itinerary.

- You flew internationally - thousands of frequent flyer miles. You do all belong to at least one or two frequent flyer programs, right? Please say yes! If so, then the frequent flyer program has a record of your flight - date, flight number, all that good stuff!

Tom

[michellek1976 0]

Thanks for your post Tom. We are currently gathering this info for the RFE we just received.

Got my credit card statements - but it just says 'Travel.com Sydney $1900' etc.

As far as frequent flyers go - Qantas only shows me the last 12 months of travel activity. We filed in March 2006 so I'm looking for activity between March 2004-2006 and of course I haven't got any!! I am going to contact them on Monday however and see if someone will be kind enough to email a report of my full history.

Excellent tips for anyone else who keeps their paperwork!!

[rosyanne 0]

Good point!

Picture will be the best evidence. Dated of course.

[wanthimhere 0]

Also, I always buy my tickets online, and when I get my confirmation and itinerary via email I just sort the email into a "travel" folder. And there it remains. And since I never clean out that folder I probably have email confirmations/itineraries dating back three of four years.

[michellek1976 0]

Good point!

Picture will be the best evidence. Dated of course.

Be careful with photos. They are great supplementary evidence but photos alone will not pass USCIS requirements.

Edited September 18, 2006 by michellek1976

[MariaEric 0]

Why not just go to the applicable airline ticket counter and ask for a reciept for a certain trip. I have done this many times long after travel for govt travel claims.

[bebop + rocksteady 0]

Not true.

Pictures are considered secondary evidence. It's so easy to doctor photos anymore that there is no guarantee they are authentic.

The best evidence is primary evidence which are things like boarding passes, passport stamps, utility bills or leases with both of your names on them.

Cass (bebop the great)

Good point!

Picture will be the best evidence. Dated of course.

[William33 110]

Good post Tom.

The number one piece of evidence is copies of your passport. Visa pages and/or Entry-Exit stamps. They are dated, official and irrefutable.

The other travel related items are good as well, if available. Everyone here has a passport.

Then pictures, as secondary evidence.

[bebop + rocksteady 0]

I don't have a passport and neither does Craig.

The joy of U.S/Canadian travel.

However after December 31st, you need a passport to cross the border, so it's on it's way.

Hence, many U.S./Canadian couples only have boarding passes as proof. And here's to hoping that'll work.

Cass (bebop the great)

Everyone here has a passport.

[ngant17 1]

I've successfully submitted a church bulletin from a local church in the country I visited. It had the

Sunday's date, the service schedule, and other unique information such as current pastor, lay leaders, ect. to identify its origin in country. It would be impossible to duplicate outside of the country.

Most churches give these out before the services.

I've seen this question twice in recent days in different contexts. Here are some additional/alternative ways to show meeting:

- You bought the plane tickets. How? If check, you may have the cancelled check, or be able to get an image. Also, you may be able to get a copy of the invoice from whomever sold it.

- If you paid by credit card, you can probably get a copy of the credit card statement. And sometimes these statements list the itinerary.

- You flew internationally - thousands of frequent flyer miles. You do all belong to at least one or two frequent flyer programs, right? Please say yes! If so, then the frequent flyer program has a record of your flight - date, flight number, all that good stuff!

Tom

[William33 110]

There is an exception to every rule.

You really should get a passport and travel.

You have no idea what you are missing.

I don't have a passport and neither does Craig.

The joy of U.S/Canadian travel.

However after December 31st, you need a passport to cross the border, so it's on it's way.

Hence, many U.S./Canadian couples only have boarding passes as proof. And here's to hoping that'll work.

Cass (bebop the great)

Everyone here has a passport.

[Arazia 0]

Both my fiancee' and I had lost our boarding passes so we used the following evidence:

- Copies of my frequent flier miles

- Copies of my itinerary

- Copies of my passport stamps

- Copies of his passport stamp

- Copies of his baggage claim tickets

- Letters from friends and relatives

- Photographs

Of course... I won't know for a while if this was enough or not.

[Teachers 12]

I've successfully submitted a church bulletin from a local church in the country I visited. It had the

Sunday's date, the service schedule, and other unique information such as current pastor, lay leaders, ect. to identify its origin in country. It would be impossible to duplicate outside of the country.

Most churches give these out before the services.

This is just an educated guess, but I very much doubt this would help. While this would be good evidence that there was a service, it is NOT evidence that you were there! A fiance could just mail it to you. Sorry.

Tom

[MairzyDoats 0]

I sent in a copy of his boarding passes, itinerary, passport pages with photo and stamp with date he entered the USA, bank statements showing purchases he made in my city (and in the photos I included one of the two of us actually AT one of the stores shown on the statement, hee hee!), the receipt for the engagement ring with time/date/location and his signature, a letter from my pastor stating that we both met with him in July to fill out preliminary paperwork to be married at my church and also copies of the prenuptual statements required by my church that we both signed and dated, plus photos of us together with names/dates/locations on back.

Oh yeah I also included a copy of a paper that the airline gave us because they'd lost his luggage when he arrived here and we had to have it sent to my address. The paper shows the date, his name, and my address and phone number as the place for the airline to send his stuff (as well as a big apology from the airline for losing it, hee hee). Which they did! Took them a few hours but they brought it right to my door:) Thought I may as well include that paper with my package.

Edited September 19, 2006 by MairzyDoats