Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe or Latin America

You are required to have a passport that is valid for six months beyond your period of intended stay in the U.S.  Exception: Citizens of countries on the “Six-Month Club”  list can re-enter the U.S. with less than six months of validity as long as their passport is still valid.  If your country of citizenship is NOT on this list, DO NOT attempt to enter the U.S. unless you have at least six months of validity on your passport.

• If you are in J-1 status: Your DS-2019 with a travel signature that is less than one year old
• If you are in H-1B status: Your unexpired Form I-797 Approval Notice

If your U.S. visa stamp has expired, please visit the U.S. Department of State website.

If you are on post-completion Optional Practical Training you must have the following items in addition to the items mentioned above:

• Your Employment Authorization Document ("EAD")
• Chair's letter on department letterhead confirming employment.  In addition to identifying you and your academic title, the letter must indicate that you are in F-1 status, in post-completion OPT, and your job duties.

Yes. You need to get a new visa stamp from a U.S. consulate. Your visa stamp must be valid and must match your current status in order for you to re-enter the U.S.

If you traveled ONLY to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean Islands for less than 30 days, you may not need a new visa stamp. Please read our information on automatic visa revalidation to confirm this. 

      Your dependent spouse or minor children should carry the following documents in order to re-enter the U.S.:

1. Valid passport
2. Valid U.S. visa stamp
3. Valid dependent Form DS-2019 or H-4 approval notice (if applicable)
4. Photocopy of your documents (your passport, visa AND your DS-2019 or H-1B approval notice)
5. Proof of financial funding
6. Photocopy of spouse’s Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) and letter verifying employment (if applicable)