Student Immigration: Maintain a Valid Passport
Maintain a Valid Passport & Passport Renewal Process
In addition to providing you with the best identification document available, a current passport is an essential part of maintaining your legal nonimmigrant status here in the United States. Please be sure that it is always valid for at least 6 months in the future.
If you are traveling back home for an extended period of time (i.e., winter or summer breaks), you may find it easiest to renew your passport while there.
If your length of travel will make renewal at home impossible, you should contact your country's embassy here in the United States for information about the steps necessary for renewal. Most countries have embassies located in Washington, D.C., where you may be able to obtain the renewal in person while you wait. Some countries require a much longer waiting period, so you are encouraged to begin asking questions of your embassy eight to nine months before your passport will expire. The Electronic Embassy maintains a list of all Embassies found in Washington, D.C.
Once you have your updated passport, submit a copy through the Immigration Document Update application in Terra Dotta.
MSC 5731
100 East Grace Street
Room 2nd Floor
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
