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Passport

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Your passport is an important document issued by your country of citizenship that identifies you and authorizes you to travel. It is necessary to have a passport in order to qualify for any US Visa stamp and to enter the United States.

This walkthrough will answer some common questions about your passport.

Various international passports displayed. - Passports Link to file

Select the boxes below to learn more about your passport!

Yes, you should always carry your passport with you when you travel from one country to another. You will be required to present your passport to border officials when you reach the port of entry of your destination country.

No, you should only carry your passport on you when needed for an official purpose. This will reduce the chance of it being lost or stolen. When not carrying your passport it should be stored in a safe and secure location.

When traveling within the United States you should only carry your passport if you do not possess another form of identification such as a driver's license or state ID card. Using your passport as an everyday identification document increases the likelyhood that it will be lost or stolen while you are traveling.

In most cases the best identification document to carry is either a California State ID or Driver's license. More information about obtaining a California Driver's license can be found our on our Driver's License Website.

If your Passport has been lost or stolen you should contact the Office of International Student's and Scholars by emailing ISS@SCU.EDU as soon as you can after discovering it is missing. We can then offer guidance for how to best go about obtaining a replacement.

 

While there is no requirement that your passport remain valid in order to remain in the United States, you could run into issues when applying for immigration benefits or when interacting with local, state, or federal government agencies if your passport has expired.

 

Requirements to renew a passport vary from country to country. If your passport is expiring you should contact the nearest consulate of the country that issued your passport in order to begin the renewal process.

 

If your passport has expired but your U.S. visa has not then the visa will remain valid. However, if you choose to travel outside of the United States you will be required to carry both your new non expired passport and your old passport containing your F-1 visa when reentering the country.