Travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean

If you are traveling to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean, you do NOT need to obtain a new visa to reenter the US as long as you meet conditions listed on this page.*

Please note, you MUST check with Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean nation you are traveling to as to whether you need a visa for your visit there. And remember, the US government determines your eligibility to enter the US. Be prepared and have the needed travel documents with you. If you have completed your academic program and are on post-completion OPT or Academic Training, be sure to have the needed travel documents for alumni instead of the documents listed on this page.

F-1 or J-1 status

Presently be in valid F-1 or J-1 student / scholar status.

I-20 or DS-2019

Have a valid I-20 or DS-2019 in your possession, which has been signed for travel.

I-94 record

Have a print-out of an unexpired I-94 record with you (do NOT surrender it when you leave the US).

Passport

Have an unexpired passport valid at least six months into the future.

F-1 or J-1 visa

Have a previously-issued F-1 or J-1 visa (even for a different non-immigrant classification).

Fewer than thirty days outside of the US

Be in Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean for fewer than thirty days.

Learn where in the Caribbean

The adjacent islands are: the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Pierre & Miquelon, Trinidad & Tobago, the Leeward Islands (Anguilla, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, and the British Virgin Islands), the Windward Islands (Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent), and other British, French, or Dutch territories or possessions in, or bordering on, the Caribbean Sea.

SEVIS Fee Receipt

Proof that you have paid the SEVIS fee. Get your SEVIS fee receipt.

*NOTE: This special exemption is called "Automatic Revalidation" by the US Department of State and does NOT apply to students who are citizens of a country identified as supporting terrorism in the Department of State's annual report to Congress (including Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Cuba). In those cases, students must obtain an F-1 or J-1 visa to reenter the US. Please note that it is more difficult to apply for a US visa while in a country within which you are not a citizen of.

Please also note that Automatic Revalidation does NOT apply to students who are citizens of Mexico or Caribbean countries that benefit from Automatic Revalidation if have already applied for a new F-1 or J-1 visa in their home country even if the time in the home country is fewer than 30 days. In these cases, students must obtain a new F-1 or J-1 visa to reenter the US.

Special Information for Travel to Cuba

For any NYU student, research scholar or professor, travel to and from Cuba requires extra attention to immigration concerns. This is especially true if you are in F-1 or J-1 status. If you or your dependents plan to visit Cuba, please find out about these special circumstances when making any travel plans. Also note that even travel via a third country to and from Cuba can have immigration implications (e.g., from the US to Canada to Cuba to Canada to the US in F or J status). Any entry to Cuba can impact your later re-entry to the US.

You can also speak to an OGS advisor before your travel by coming to our advising hours or contacting us.

For more information on travel to Cuba in connection with an NYU purpose or program, please see the Office of General Counsel Memorandum on Traveling to Cuba for Academic Purposes or email Daniel Magida in the NYU Office of General Counsel at daniel.magida@nyu.edu.

Please also review this information on personal travel to Cuba.