{"id":13532,"date":"2024-07-19T14:54:41","date_gmt":"2024-07-20T00:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?page_id=13532"},"modified":"2025-04-29T15:02:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T01:02:09","slug":"international-travel","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?page_id=13532","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for International Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do I need authorization from ISS?<\/h2>\n
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Yes <\/i><\/b>- F or J visa holders are required to have their form I-20\/DS-2019 signed for travel from the ISS office.\u00a0 This is needed for re-entry to the U.S, and must be presented to the U.S. immigration officer upon arrival. Each signature is valid for entries within 12 months of the signature date, except for F-1 students on Post-Completion OPT or STEM Extension, which is 6 months. Request a <\/span>travel authorization <\/span><\/i><\/a>signature from the ISS office. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

What do I need to consider when traveling internationally?<\/h2>\n
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Third-Country Travel or International Layovers<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you are traveling to a country other than the U.S. which is not your country of citizenship or legal permanent residence, it is your responsibility to determine whether you need a visa to enter that country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Transit visas may be required for travel in certain countries, even if you do not plan to leave the airport. If your international travel involves changing planes in a third country, it is your responsibility to find out whether you need to apply for a transit visa. Contact your airline to determine whether you are required to apply for a visa to any country in your itinerary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Automatic Revalidation<\/span><\/h3>\n

Generally, international students must present a valid, unexpired F or J student visa each time they enter the U.S., except for Canadian citizens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An exception to this rule exists for F and J students who travel for less than 30 days to a \u201ccontiguous territory\u201d (Canada, Mexico, and <\/span>adjacent islands<\/span><\/a>, except Cuba) on an expired student visa provided they have proper documentation and have not applied for a new visa during the visit. This is the <\/span>automatic visa revalidation<\/a><\/strong> provision.\u00a0 Under this provision, the expired visa is considered to be automatically extended to the date of readmission.<\/span><\/p>\n

To take advantage of automatic visa revalidation, the following must apply:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n