Travel Preparation

• F-1 visa students will need a travel signature from the International Student Center on their I-20 to return to the U.S. from travel outside of the country. A signature on the I-20 is not needed for travel within the United States.
• Travel signatures are only given to students who are maintaining their F-1 status; students who are out of status are not eligible for travel signatures.
• Please visit ISP Forms and submit the “I-20 Travel Signature or F-1 Visa Renewal” request.  You will receive your signed I-20 electronically once processed.

Please note that it takes 5 days to process a travel signature request at the International Student Office; please plan accordingly.

There are no same day signatures!

Your F-1 visa must be valid in order for you to return to the United States; please check the expiration date on your F-1 visa before traveling. You must obtain documentation verifying your status from the International Student Program to renew your F-1 visa. You will need a travel signature on your I-20, an official transcript from IVC and an enrollment verification letter from the International Student Program. You are advised to check the U.S. embassy website to determine what other documents you will need to submit for the visa renewal.

• A student in F-1 visa status can re-enter the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and "adjacent islands" (except Cuba) with an expired non-immigrant visa. This is known as Automatic Re-validation. Students cannot exceed 30 days outside the United States and the I-20 must have a recent signature.
• Citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea and Cuba are not eligible for the automatic re-validation benefit and are required to have a valid visa for re-entry.
• Students traveling to Mexico or the Caribbean by cruise ship must contact the cruise line before making travel arrangements to confirm they will recognize automatic re-validation and allow them to travel outside the U.S. without a valid F-1 visa.
• The adjacent islands include: Saint Pierre, Miquelon, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, the Windward and Leeward Islands, Trinidad, Martinique, and other British, French, and Netherlands territory or possessions in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea. [Reference INA, Section 101(b)(5)].
• For more information, review the U.S. Customs and Border Protection fact sheet on Automatic Re-validation at: www.cbp.gov/document/bulletins/automatic-revalidation-visas.

Always check the visa requirements for the country you are traveling to before making any travel arrangements. A visa may be required to enter certain countries depending on your country of citizenship. Visit https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-in/united-states for a list of foreign embassies and consulates in the U.S.