Travel Signature

It is essential to remember that you must take full legal responsibility for maintaining your status with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). That is, you are responsible for finding out, knowing, and following pertinent regulations. All USCIS forms are available online.

Every time international students re-enter the U.S. they must have a valid passport, visa and I-20 with a valid signature at hand. A valid signature is important as it lets USCIS know that you are currently a full-time student at MCC.

For more information about traveling as an F-1 student please visit this page.

How to get a travel signature

Every semester you must have the second page of your I-20 signed by your school’s DSO. The signature is valid for six months. Before signing your DSO will verify that you are indeed in status as a student, are registered for classes full-time and have no tuition charges pending.

It is important that you make the necessary preparations before traveling as you will need to allow between 7-10 business days for your order to be processed.

DO NOT RE-ENTER THE US WITHOUT YOUR SIGNED I-20

  1. Pre-requisites

    To apply for a travel signature you will need to:

    • Be enrolled for the next semester

    • Either have paid for your classes in full, set up a payment plan or, if sponsored, submitted your sponsor’s financial guarantee*

    • Print the receipt for your classes (you will need to submit this along with your application)

    *Note: every semester you must submit a financial guarantee. Even if the financial guarantee is valid for a whole year.

  2. Complete the online application

    Once you have gathered the required documentation log into your ISP . Complete the Travel Signature Request application.

    A couple of things to keep in mind:

    Please answer all items as accurately as possible, read instructions carefully and submit all the required documentation. Any incorrect information or documentation that is submitted without following the guidelines correctly will result in your application being delayed.

    Complete all items, if you do not complete all items your request will not be processed. If you have a question regarding an item please email us at ie@mesacc.edu.

  3. Once you have completed the application, bring your I-20 to the office

    Submit your I-20 at our front desk.

  4. Wait until we contact you

    Once you have submitted everything we will review your application. We will let you know if you are missing something. If not, please leave between 7-10 business days for us to process your application. Once your documents are ready we will contact you.

    After we have contacted you please come to our office to pick up your documentation.

    We are open:

    Regular Business Hours:
    Mon-Thu: 8 am – 6 pm
    Fri: 10 am – 5 pm
    Closed Sat and Sun

    Extended Business Hours
    (January and August only):
    Mon-Thu: 8 am – 7 pm
    Fri: 8 am – 5 pm
    Closed Sat and Sun

    Summer Semester:
    Mon-Thu: 7 am – 6 pm
    Closed Fri, Sat and Sun

    Time Zone Converter

Make sure that you submit your I-20 and complete this application at least 7-10 days prior to your departure date.