If you are a student in F-1 or J-1 status or a scholar in 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 or scholar advisor. (Note: J-1 students and scholars sponsored by other organizations such as IIE / Fulbright must have their DS-2019 forms 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).
• Travel signature is 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. If you are a scholar, contact the ISSS directly at isss@brown.edu with details about your travel situation.Students: Request an I-20/DS-2019 with travel signature through your OISSS Gateway portal

Travel Signature Eligibility

A travel signature confirms that you have been maintaining valid F-1 or J-1 status, and that you are eligible 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 your program at Brown, or have stopped your program early for any reason.
• You are no longer maintaining valid F-1 or J-1 status and must depart the U.S.
• You intend to be outside of the U.S. for an extended absence of more than five months (F-1 students), and/or if you will need to take a temporary absence from your studies, research or work for any reason.
• You plan to leave the U.S. and come back in a different status, such as permanent resident.

Missing a Travel Signature? Request 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-515A 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 also be given instructions for removing the 30-day limit on your stay, once your I-20 or DS-2019 has been signed by ISSS.

Form I-515A is issued at the discretion of the CBP officer and only if the officer is convinced that you are in fact a full-time student or bona fide scholar, 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.