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International Travel in F-1 Status
Students in F-1 status need these documents to re-enter the U.S.:
- valid passport
- valid F-1 visa
- I-20 with a current travel signature (i.e., page 2 must have been signed by ISSP within the last 12 months)
- Current Students are recommended to have an unofficial transcript copy. Unofficial transcripts can be accessed via Banner Self-Service.
- Students on OPT must also carry their EAD (OPT card), and the I-20 must be signed for travel every 6 months. Read more about traveling abroad while on OPT.
For more information on travel to the U.S., refer to our Immigration Updates webpage.
Note: This list only applies to return travel to the U.S. Please check and see if you need a visa to enter the country (including transit visas) where you are going. Check on the website of the you want to visit.
Getting a Travel Signature
Travel signatures cover all return travel to the U.S. for 12 months from the signature date (i.e. you do not need to get a new signature each time you travel). If you travel outside the U.S., to return you need a travel signature on your I-20 from ISSP signed in the last 12 months. Travel signatures are on page 2 of the I-20.
Note: Travel signatures for students on OPT are valid for 6 months only.
To request a travel signature:
- Complete a Travel Signature Request
- An I-20 with a travel signature will be emailed to you
If you have a problem at the U.S. border during regular office hours, call ISSP at (757) 221-3590. Outside of regular office hours, contact the W&M Police at (757) 221-4596, and they will contact an International Student Advisor.
Automatic Visa Re-Validation
Returning from Canada, Mexico, and the "Adjacent Islands"
You usually need a valid visa to return to the U.S. from abroad. However, there is a special provision called that allows entry to the U.S. with an expired F-1 visa. Additional information is provided on the and the pages.
If you changed status while in the U.S. (e.g. H-4 to F-1) using Form I-539 and thus never had an F-1 visa, you can use automatic visa revalidation provision, provided the same conditions above apply. You would need to carry the documents listed above and also your previous visa and a Change of Status Approval Notice (Form I-797). You should also request a letter from ISSP that explains your eligibility to re-enter under this provision.
International Cruise Travel
When you travel on a "" cruise (beginning and ending the cruise at the same port in the U.S.), your will not show your entry date after returning from the cruise. The lack of an entry date in this situation is not an I-94 error. Once you reenter the U.S. after the cruise, your I-94 will be revalidated with no change to your status or previous date of entry.
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
These are U.S. territories and thus an F-1 student does not need a visa to travel to those locations from within the U.S., or to return to the U.S. from those locations.