We count back 5 or 3 years from this date. It starts as today.
Use the dates stamped in your passport or shown in your CBP travel history. Trips shorter than 24 hours can be left out.
Days in the U.S.
Counted over .
- Days in this period
- Days outside the U.S.
- Days in the U.S.
- Days you need
If you also count each day you left and each day you came back as days outside, you would have days in the U.S.
How the days are counted
USCIS counts the day you leave and the day you come back as days in the United States. Only the full days in between count as days outside. A trip that leaves on March 1 and returns on March 10 is 8 days outside.
The count covers the 5 years right before the day you file (3 years if you file as the spouse of a U.S. citizen). You need at least half of that time in the U.S.: 913 days on the 5-year path, 548 days on the 3-year path. Filing later moves the window forward, so an old trip can drop out of the count.
Source: USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part D, Chapters 3 and 4.
Two different rules: physical presence and continuous residence
Physical presence is the total. It adds up every day outside the U.S., however short the trips were. Many short trips can leave you under 913 days.
Continuous residence looks at each trip on its own. A single trip of more than 180 days makes USCIS presume you broke continuous residence. A single trip of a year or more breaks it. You can pass the physical presence count and still have a continuous residence problem, which is why this tool flags long trips separately.
Where to find your travel dates
The N-400 asks for these trips too
Form N-400 asks you to list your trips outside the U.S. during the period before you file. The dates you enter here are the same ones you will need on the form, so it is worth keeping the list.
Nothing you type is saved
The math happens in your browser. Your dates are not sent anywhere or stored, and they are gone when you close the page.
This is not legal advice
This tool counts days. It cannot judge whether a long trip broke continuous residence in your case. If you have a trip of more than 180 days, speak with an immigration attorney before you file.
Last reviewed October 26, 2026.