If you are a student in F-1 or J-1 status, your Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 must have a valid travel signature when re-entering the U.S. Travel signatures are issued by your ISSS student advisor. J-1 students who are sponsored by other organizations such as IIE / Fulbright would get their Form DS-2019 signed by their sponsor.

• Travel signature validity: Your travel signature must be no more than one year old on the date of your return to the U.S. (or six months for students on post-completion OPT or STEM Extension OPT).
• Signature required upon re-entry, not departure: You do not need to have an updated travel signature before you leave the U.S. - only by the time you return.
• Requesting a signature from abroad: If you forgot to get a signature before you left the U.S., you can still request one through the OISSS Gateway (see link below) and we will send you an updated Form I-20 or DS-2019 electronically. You can then download and print out the form before returning to the U.S.Students: Request an I-20/DS-2019 with travel signature through your OISSS Gateway portal

Travel Signature Eligibility

A travel signature indicates that you have been maintaining valid F-1 or J-1 status and are planning to come back to the U.S. to continue your program at Brown after a temporary absence such as a vacation or break. Accordingly, a travel signature cannot be granted if:

• You have finished or stopped your program at Brown (including any post-completion OPT or Academic Training), or are not continuing for any other reason.
• You are no longer maintaining valid F-1 or J-1 status.
• You intend to be outside of the U.S. for an extended absence of more than five months.
• You plan to leave the U.S. and come back in a different status, such as permanent resident.

Missing Signature Upon Arrival: Requesting Form I-515A for Temporary Entry

If you are unable to get an updated travel signature by the time you arrive in the U.S., don't panic! You can ask the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer to issue Form I-515A to you. Form I-515 is issued when the CBP officer decides to let you to enter the U.S. for a temporary period of 30 days. After entering, you must report to ISSS immediately to get an updated travel signature. You will then be given instructions for removing the 30-day limit on your stay.

Form I-515A is issued at the discretion of the CBP officer and only if the officer is convinced that you plan to be a full-time student and otherwise eligible to re-enter the U.S. on an F-1 or J-1 visa. You must have other valid travel documents, such as an unexpired passport and F-1 or J-1 entry visa, if needed.