Does she need a passport to get out of the US?

My wife has overstayed and is out of status on her K1 visa for about 9 years. She wants to move back to the Philippines. Does she need a passport to get out of the US?

What other documents will she need to keep from being detained while traveling back to the Philippines?

[sandra]

See...

Overstay person leaving USA.... - ImmigrationPortal Forums

Ok, I don't have any personal experience with this issue, but from the little I know most of the advice in the previous replies sounds pretty confusing and probably incorrect. - There is not 'exit control' by the USCIS when you leave the US. Usually you turn in your I94 to the airline (which gets scanned or filed away), and that's it. If you have 'lost' you I94, the airline won't care. - I don't know about your friends homecountry but: one of the main functions of my home countries consulate is to renew passports for their expatriates. He might want to go to his consulate, get a new passport (or in some cases an extension stamp). - He will need a valid passport in order to travel towards his homecountry, mainly if he has to stop along the way. (his homecountry usually will accept him with an expired passport. It is not like he lost his citizenship or something.) - He might need a transit visa if the plane lands in a third country on the way home. This is what the airline cares about, that they don't have to fly you back from e.g. Frankfurt or Amsterdam bc. you are not allowed to leave the plane there. - Unless he is in removal proceedings, he is not required to tell USCIS, the consulate in his homecountry or anybody else for that matter that he is leaving.

Visit also....

CBP.gov - home page

CBP = US Customs and Border Protection, a bureau under DHS, like USCIS.