Renewing your Passport

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 during winter break, you may find it easiest to renew your passport while there. However, 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, DC, where you may be able to obtain the renewal in person while you wait or return the same day. 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 U.S. Department of State maintains a list of foreign embassies in the United States at http://www.state.gov/misc/10125.htm