F-1 Travel

International travel conditions can change, so we recommend planning ahead. When traveling abroad, it is wise to have a backup plan, such as access to emergency funds and key contact information from home, in case your return is delayed.

If you are from a country listed on the partial or full suspension of visa issuance ("travel ban") list, please contact our office before traveling. While we cannot make the decision for you, we are happy to talk with you about international travel and discuss the reasons for this advisory.

In order to minimize (but not remove all) risk with international travel, make sure to:

• have all documentation noted above with you in an easily accessible location.
• follow all regulations for maintaining F-1 visa status.
• be prepared to answer questions posed by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents officers honestly.
• keep informed of changes to international travel via RISD’s guidance on federal regulations and emails from our office to your RISD email inbox.
   

A travel signature confirms to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer that you have been maintaining valid nonimmigrant status and are eligible to resume your studies or exchange activities after a temporary absence from the US.

Your travel signature is valid for one year while you are an enrolled student. After a year has passed, you will need to acquire a new travel signature. 

Travel signature requests must be made through the Terra Dotta student portal. Please allow for three to five days for processing. 

A travel signature does not apply to newly admitted students and students who have taken a leave of absence and will reenter the United States using a newly issued I-20.

Travel signature expirations

As an F-1 student, your travel signature is valid for 12 months while currently enrolled or six months while on Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM Optional Practical Training (STEM OPT).

Please note that if you are outside the US for more than five months, you will lose your F-1 status unless you are in an approved study abroad program. 

Under certain circumstances, nonimmigrants with expired visas who travel only to Canada, Mexico, or designated “adjacent islands” in the Caribbean (excluding Cuba) may be permitted to reenter the United States retaining the same status they held before departure. This permission is known as automatic extension of visa validity, or automatic revalidation of visa. Automatic extension/revalidation allows you to resume your previously authorized activities without obtaining a new visa, as long as you seek readmission within thirty days of leaving the US. 

If you are eligible, you do not need to obtain a new visa at a US consulate before reentering the US, since your visa is considered automatically revalidated. 

For F-1 visa holders to qualify, you must have the following:

• a printed copy of your I-94 for an unexpired period of admission or extension of stay.
• a valid passport.
• your Form I-20 with a valid travel signature.
• a US visa previously issued by embassy or consulate.
   

Please note that this provision does not apply if:

• you apply for a new US visa in Canada, Mexico or the adjacent islands.
• you have been outside the US for more than 30 days.
• your visas have ever been cancelled under a visa overstay (known as a INA 222(g)).
• you have traveled to a country other than Canada, Mexico, or an adjacent island which is not included in the automatic revalidation provisions.
• you are a citizen or national of a country that has been designated as a “state sponsor of terrorism”.
• you have travelled to Cuba.

While in the US, you must keep a copy of your I-94 record with you. You can print this document and/or save it to your device.

You may also wish to keep copies of your valid passport, F-1 visa, and/or most recent, valid I-20 form with you. Please take precautions to keep these original documents in a safe location.

If you are concerned about the risks of losing your passport, you can apply for a Rhode Island State Identification Card or a Rhode Island driver’s license. To apply, you must make an appointment with the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Before you apply, please review the required documents for completing your application.

When traveling outside the US while on an OPT or STEM OPT visa, you will need the following in order to reenter the country:

• your passport, which needs to be valid for at least six months after your return
• your valid F-1 visa
• an I-20 with a valid travel signature (travel signatures are valid for six months as an alum on approved OPT or STEM OPT). Travel signature requests must be made through the Terra Dotta student portal.  Please allow 3–5 days for processing.
• your employment authorization document (EAD/OPT card)
• proof of current or future employment (such as a job offer letter, contracts, etc.). For self-employed students on post-completion OPT, bring copies of any contracts you have with clients and your personal records.
• proof from current employer that the absence is authorized and you continue to remain employed during the absence from the US (e.g. a letter on company letterhead) 

If you are from a country listed on the partial or full suspension of visa issuance ("travel ban") list, please contact our office before traveling.

Please keep your documents in an easy-to-access location within your carry-on luggage or on your person.

If you are traveling outside the US with an expired visa, you need to renew your visa before returning to the US. To make sure you have enough time to renew your visa before entering the US, please contact or visit your local US consulate’s website and visit the US Department of State’s Global Visa Wait Times. 

Immediately after returning to the US, please review your I-94 admission record to make sure all information is correct and accurate, and that you were admitted in the appropriate status and your I-94 reflects Duration of Status (D/S). Keep a copy for your records.