{"id":108,"date":"2020-02-04T13:22:21","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T13:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu.master-7rqtwti-ytf57z7frat4e.us-2.platformsh.site\/isss\/?page_id=108"},"modified":"2026-03-26T15:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:42:10","slug":"travel","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/current-students\/travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As an international student, you may travel freely within the U.S. at any time. You may leave the U.S. at any time; however, you may need a visa to enter other countries. Please check with the <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/consularnotification\/ConsularNotificationandAccess.html\">relevant embassy<\/a> to determine entry requirements for any country you are planning to visit during your travels. If you re-enter the U.S., you must have all necessary documents with you. You should carry your I-20\/DS-2019 and passport with you whenever you travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Necessary documents for international travel and re-entry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The following requirements apply to all F-1 and J-1 students and their dependents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><b>Passport<\/b>, valid for at least six months beyond the date of re-entry<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b>Valid U.S. visa<\/b> for your current status (may not be necessary when returning from Canada, Mexico and most Caribbean islands if you have been gone for less than 30 days; see <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/visa-information-resources\/visa-expiration-date\/auto-revalidate.html\">Department of State website<\/a> for more information about automatic visa revalidation)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b>I-20 or DS-2019<\/b>, signed for travel\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Travel signatures are technically valid for one year, but it is recommended that your travel signature be no more than six months old at the time you re-enter the U.S.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain your travel signature from International Student and Scholar Services during <a href=\"\/isss\/advising\/walkin-advising\/\">walk-in advising<\/a> or special travel signature sessions at the end of each semester (<a href=\"\/isss\/events\/\">check the calendar<\/a> for upcoming sessions)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you are transferring to a new school, you must re-enter the U.S. on immigration documents issued by your new school.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b><a href=\"\/isss\/current-students\/expenses-and-funding\/#documentation\">Financial documentation<\/a><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-mizzou-accordion miz-accordion\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"miz-button miz-accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-miz-expand=\"e830e4fe-5b11-4927-92f1-4775ee0bdc59\"><span>Do I need a REAL ID?<\/span><\/button><div class=\"miz-accordion__content\" id=\"e830e4fe-5b11-4927-92f1-4775ee0bdc59\">\n<p>TSA no longer accepts state-issued driver\u2019s licenses and IDs that are not <a href=\"https:\/\/dor.mo.gov\/driver-license\/issuance\/real-id\/\">REAL ID compliant<\/a> for domestic flights inside the United States. Beginning Feb. 1, 2026, passengers without a REAL ID or another form of acceptable identification will be charged $45 for alternative screening at U.S. airports. TSA lists a <strong>foreign government-issued passport<\/strong> as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tsa.gov\/travel\/security-screening\/identification\">form of acceptable identification<\/a>. <strong>If you do not have a REAL ID, use your passport<\/strong> or another document from the TSA list instead.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Passport renewal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, your passport is valid as long as it has not expired; do not let your passport expire while you are in the United States. If your passport is nearing its expiration, <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/consularnotification\/ConsularNotificationandAccess.html\">contact your country&#8217;s embassy\/consulate<\/a> for instructions on how to renew it. This process can take <b>three to six months<\/b>, so plan accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Visa renewal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The visa in your passport may expire while you are in the U.S., but it must be valid when you re-enter the United States. International travel to renew your visa is not required as long as your F-1 or J-1 status is valid. To renew your visa, you will need to submit the appropriate documents at a U.S. embassy\/consulate. For additional information about your specific visa type, refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/study.html\">Department of State website<\/a>. Review our <a href=\"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/living-in-columbia\/additional-immigration-resources\/\">additional immigration resources<\/a> for a list of visa interview resources and resources for individual immigration issues and questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-mizzou-accordion miz-accordion\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"miz-button miz-accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-miz-expand=\"36cc3642-4754-48c3-b3ea-78adf4405411\"><span>Required documents<\/span><\/button><div class=\"miz-accordion__content\" id=\"36cc3642-4754-48c3-b3ea-78adf4405411\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Passport, valid for at least six months into the future<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/visa-information-resources\/forms\/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application.html\">DS-160<\/a>&nbsp;(apply online)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Receipt for the visa application fee (must show payment for each applicant, including dependents)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>New I-20\/DS-2019, signed for travel within the past six months<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-mizzou-accordion miz-accordion\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"miz-button miz-accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-miz-expand=\"6da492b7-9610-4506-aada-bfff2f0f41d7\"><span>Additional documents<\/span><\/button><div class=\"miz-accordion__content\" id=\"6da492b7-9610-4506-aada-bfff2f0f41d7\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Official transcript (request from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/registrar.missouri.edu\/transcripts-certifications\/official-transcripts\/\">Office of the University Registrar<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/current-students\/expenses-and-funding\/#documentation\">Financial documentation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Certification of enrollment (request from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/registrar.missouri.edu\/transcripts-certifications\/certificate-enrollment-degree-verification\/\">Office of the University Registrar<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One photograph for each applicant (two by two inches,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/visa-information-resources\/photos\/photo-examples.html\">more information about photo requirements<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-mizzou-accordion miz-accordion\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"miz-button miz-accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-miz-expand=\"33b0bee7-112a-41e5-a311-08e9aa2e91aa\"><span>Nonimmigrant intent documentation<\/span><\/button><div class=\"miz-accordion__content\" id=\"33b0bee7-112a-41e5-a311-08e9aa2e91aa\">\n<p>You must establish to the satisfaction of the consular officer that you have binding ties to a residence in a foreign country that you do not intend to abandon, and you will depart the U.S. when you have completed your studies. It is not possible to specify what evidence the consular officer will ask for, because each student\u2019s circumstances vary significantly.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mizzou technology abroad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Review&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/mizzou-technology-abroad\/\">Mizzou technology abroad<\/a>&nbsp;for information about multifactor authentication, VPN and eduroam internet access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Last minute travel information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Travel signature<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a travel signature, your I-20\/DS-2019 will be signed in the section labeled &#8220;travel endorsement&#8221; (I-20) or &#8220;travel validation&#8221; (DS-2019). Travel signatures are only valid for six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A travel signature is not required to leave the United States. However, if you do not have a travel signature before you leave, you may receive a Form I-515A upon re-entry to the U.S. from Customs and Border Protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Form I-515A<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you receive this document upon re-entry, you must follow these steps to remedy the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alert your Mizzou international student adviser that you have received an I-515A.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Review with your international student adviser the reason why the I-515A was issued. For example, your I-20\/DS-2019 is not signed for travel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Work with your international student adviser to gather the documentation listed on the I-515A.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Submit your paperwork to SEVP within 30 days of your entry date.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If you fail to complete any required action or to send all of the necessary documents to SEVP within 30 days of your entry day, your SEVIS record may be terminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Visa<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your visa is expired, you can leave the United States. However, you will need to renew it before you can re-enter the United States. The application process for visa renewal is the same as applying for a new visa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/study\/student-visa.html\">Renewing your F-1 visa<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/us-visas\/study\/exchange.html\">Renewing your J-1 visa<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As an international student, you may travel freely within the U.S. at any time. You may leave the U.S. at any time; however, you may need a visa to enter other countries. Please check with the relevant embassy to determine entry requirements for any country you are planning to visit during your travels. If you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-108","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3481,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/108\/revisions\/3481"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}