When traveling outside of the United States, all international students should have all of required immigration documents in order to reenter the United States in their current status. International students can only be outside of the United States for 5 months or fewer.
When traveling outside the United States, all students must have:
When traveling outside of the United States during OPT or STEM OPT, students must have:
A travel signature is issued only by ISSO. This signature verifies that you are maintaining status through enrollment or OPT, and therefore eligible for reentry into the U.S.
Travel signatures are only needed for reentry to the U.S. and not for travel within the U.S. Read in more detail on our Travel Signatures FAQ.
Travel signatures are valid for one year. For students on OPT, travel signatures are only valid for 6 months.
Submit the Immigration Document Replacement form in CyStart so that ISSO may email you an updated I-20 with a valid travel signature. If your travel is within five business days please contact ISSO at 515-294-1120 or isso@iastate.edu to ensure that you receive the updated I-20 prior to your travel commences.
Please review the travel FAQ provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for students traveling outside the United States for five months or fewer.
A student does not need a new visa if it has not expired. However, students in the following circumstances may need to get a new visa and should contact the U.S. Consulate or Embassy in their home country to confirm:
U.S. Department of State information on obtaining an F-1 Visa.
Students on OPT do not need to get a new visa if the visa has not expired.
ISSO recommends students check the U.S. Consulate or Embassy policies in the country where they will renew their visa.
The U.S. Department of State made an announcement on September 6, 2025, updated their instructions for all nonimmigrant visa applicants that they should schedule their visa interview appointments at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their country of nationality or residence. Per the announcement, applicants applying outside their country of nationality or residence should expect to wait significantly longer for an appointment. The U.S. Department of State also updated where nationals of countries where the U.S. government is not conducting routine nonimmigrant visa operations should apply for a visa at, if they are not a resident elsewhere.
Wait times vary from country to country. For current information, please refer to this Department of State website.
The validity period varies from country to country. For current information, please refer to this Department of State website.
Automatic revalidation allows an F-1 student to reenter the U.S. without a valid visa if they visited Mexico, Canada, or adjacent islands. The visit can be for no longer than 30 days for automatic revalidation to apply. Students must have a valid passport, I-20, and travel endorsement to reenter the U.S. using automatic revalidation. ISSO also recommends students take a copy of their I-94 record. There are some exceptions to automatic revalidation, and students are encouraged read more about Automatic Revalidation on the Department of State’s website.
Automatic revalidation applies to students on OPT. Students on OPT must have a valid passport, I-20 with travel endorsement, and EAD to reenter the U.S. using automatic revalidation. ISSO also recommends students take a copy of their I-94 record.
