Travel information for F-1 students

Domestic Travel: Traveling Inside the U.S.

For travel within the U.S., we highly recommend that students carry with them the following:

  • Passport (valid for 6 months into the future unless your country of citizenship is exempt from the 6-month requirement)
  • Print out your I-94 record
  • I-20 signed for travel (travel signature is valid for one year)
  • Print out your proof of current registration from your student center

International Travel: Traveling Outside the U.S.

For travel outside the U.S., students must travel with the following:

  • Passport (valid for at least 6 months into the future)
    • Some countries are exempt from the 6-month passport validity requirement; please contact us for more information. 
  • Valid F-1 Visa
    • Your F-1 visa must be valid on the date of your reentry to the U.S.
    • If you have a valid F-1 visa in an expired passport, you can enter with that F-1 visa, as  long as you travel with both documents (the expired passport with the valid visa and  your new passport).
    • Canadian citizens are exempt from the visa requirement.
    • Your F-1 visa can expire while you are in the U.S., but as long as you follow the  immigration rules of your F-1 status, you can remain in the U.S.
    • If you need to renew your visa, follow the guidelines outlined in the Visa Renewals  section.
  • Travel Signature
    • Your I-20 must be signed for travel by SCC International Student Services. Travel  signatures are valid for one year (except for students on OPT whose travel signature is  only valid for six months).
    • I-20s are signed for travel on page 2 of the I-20.
  • Proof of current registration
  • Note that students in the Optional Practical Training program (OPT) have additional travel requirements.