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 embassy of the country 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 Automatic Visa Revalidation that allows entry to the U.S. with an expired F-1 visa. Additional information is provided on the SEVIS Travel FAQ and the Customs and Border Protection's Travel 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 "closed loop" cruise (beginning and ending the cruise at the same port in the U.S.), your I-94 record 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.