Travel Requirements

When re-entering the United States from abroad, be sure you have with you (not in your suitcase):

• Passport valid at least six months into the future. See the list of exceptions.
• Valid visa
• Valid I-20/DS-2019 with a signature from an immigration coordinator (less than one year old unless you are on OPT, then signatures are only valid for six months)
  • To request a new DS-2019 or I-20 or a travel signature (note that you do not need a travel signature to depart the United States; only to re-enter), please click on the links below:
    • F-1 students
    • J-1 students
• Financial documentation, less than a year old, that matches the funding stated on your I-20/DS-2019:
  • Assistantship letter
  • Fellowship letter
  • Athletic scholarship letter
  • Government sponsorship letter
  • Agency sponsorship letter
  • Bank statement
• Proof of full-time enrollment (one of the following):
  • Advising report (only if it shows full-time enrollment every semester except vacation terms – if it does not, use an enrollment letter instead). To download an advising report:
    • Visit Buckeye Link
    • Click on the advising report link
    • Enter your Ohio State username and password
    • Click on View Advising Report
    • Click on the blue hyperlink: Your Advising Report
    • Print or save the PDF

If taking a short trip (30 days or less) to Canada, Mexico or some islands in the Caribbean, please read additional guidelines below. If you are traveling domestically within the United States, it is recommended that you carry your passport and current Form I-20, but no travel signature is needed.

If you are traveling while on OPT, please read these additional guidelines.

Electronic I-94 process

Customs and Border Protection utilizes an electronic Form I-94 process at most ports of entry. F-1 and J-1 students and their dependents, as well as other non-immigrants, are not issued a paper Form I-94 – the small white card stapled into the passport – when entering the United States. Instead, passports will still be stamped at the port of entry, showing the date and place of entry, non-immigrant status and the "admitted to" notation (D/S).

Entry information is recorded electronically by Customs and Border Protection, but instead of being given an I-94 at the time of entry, students can print the I-94 form online. When departing from the United States, travelers who have previously issued a paper Form I-94 should surrender it upon departure. Read more about these changes at the Customs and Border Protection website.

Visa applications

If you are traveling and need to apply for a new U.S. visa, it is important to thoroughly review all information on the specific Embassy's Consular Section website for local procedures and instructions, such as how to make an interview appointment. Consular websites will also explain any additional procedures for students, exchange visitors and those who need an earlier visa interview appointment.

Due to security screening procedures, international students and scholars should expect delays when getting a new U.S. visa. Visa processing time can range from a few days to six to eight weeks or longer. In some cases, the delays are indefinite. Learn more about visa wait times. The Office of International Affairs is unable to help with any visa delays that may occur.

Please be advised that certain students or scholars may be required to pay the SEVIS fee when applying for a new visa.

Automatic revalidation in Canada, Mexico or "Adjacent Islands"

Under certain circumstances, a non-immigrant alien (F-1/F-2 or J-1/J-2) may re-enter the United States with an expired visa provided that they:

• Apply for re-admission to the United States after an absence not exceeding 30 days in Canada or Mexico. F-1s and J-1s and their dependents may also seek re-admission to the United States after an absence not exceeding 30 days in adjacent islands in the Caribbean, except Cuba. 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 Dutch territories or possessions in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea.
• Have maintained and intend to resume status as an F-1 or J-1 student
• Present (or is the accompanying spouse or child of an alien who presents) a valid Form 1-94 and the current 1-20 or DS-2019 endorsed for travel
• Possess a valid passport (unless exempt from passport requirements)
• Apply for re-entry to the United States by the program completion date listed on the 1-20 or DS-2019

Students from Cuba, Iran, Syria and Sudan cannot participate in this program.

This process is technically called "automatic extension of validity of visa." This means that the United States Customs & Immigration Service (USCIS) extends the expired visa to the day of application for a single entry. Automatic extension of your visa does not extend your visa for future use. Traveling to all other countries will still require a new visa.

If you are denied a visa from a U.S. consulate in Canada, Mexico or "Adjacent Islands," you will not be allowed to re-enter the United States on an expired visa.

Steps to follow for Automatic Revalidation

• Check to see if you meet the above requirements
• Be sure you have a travel authorization signature on I-20 or DS-2019 that is current
• Be sure your passport is valid. If your current passport does not contain the visa you used to enter the United States, bring the old passport that does contain the visa.
• Keep the I-94 card in your possession, unless traveling by plane. Do not surrender it at the time of your departure from the United States. This is an essential document for re-entering the United States.

If you encounter any problems in re-entering the United States, ask to speak to an immigration coordinator.

Students who do not have an F-1 visa and changed status in the United States

A person who entered the United States in a classification other than an F-1 student and later changed their status to an F-1 student may also re-enter the United States with this process. In this situation, the visa is automatically changed to meet the status identified on the I-94 card. The F-1 student only needs to meet the conditions of whether the original visa has expired or is unexpired. [22 CFR 41.112(d)(ii)]. A student whose visa has been canceled is not eligible.

Students with new passports not containing the visa

Individuals carrying passports issued from within the United States to replace the passport that contains their original non-immigrant visa must have the old passport in their possession. Citizens of countries that keep the old passport upon issuance of a new one, therefore, are at a disadvantage when traveling to contiguous territories (i.e., Mexico, Canada and certain adjacent islands in the Caribbean). These individuals must apply for a new F-1 or J-1 visa before re-entering the United States.