寒假出境前先办旅行签注：F-1学生I-20须由DSO签署，签注须在返美日期一年内
计划寒假离境的F-1学生，出发前有一件手续不能漏：I-20表格的旅行签注（Travel Endorsement）。国土安全部「Study in the States」说明，持有有效SEVIS记录的学生出境旅行，须由本校指定校方官员（DSO）在I-20的旅行签注栏签署，且签注日期须在学生计划返美日期的一年之内；签注必须在学生离境前完成。
「Study in the States」在2026年8月17日的开学准备提示中特别提醒学生：打算出境者，应确认I-20信息为最新版本，并至少提前两到四周向DSO申请旅行签注，临时抱佛脚容易赶不上行程。学生本人也须在I-20上签名，签注与学生签名缺一不可。
按规定，只有SEVP认证学校的DSO可以签发与签署I-20。学校若发生须更新SEVIS记录的情形（如专业、学位层次或资金来源变化），会换发新I-20；已换发新表的学生应持最新版本出行，旧表上的签注不能替代新表。
需要分清的是，签注解决的是「能否以F-1身份返美继续学业」的证明问题，最终入境仍由口岸的海关与边境保护局官员决定。出发前把I-20、有效护照与签证一并核对，并把DSO的联系方式留存手机里，遇到行程变更可第一时间联系学校。
（来源：美国国土安全部Study in the States）
Before Winter-Break Travel, Get the Travel Endorsement: an F-1 Student's I-20 Must Be Signed by the DSO Within One Year of the Return Date
F-1 students planning to leave the United States over winter break have one piece of paperwork they cannot skip: the travel endorsement on the Form I-20. According to Study in the States, the Department of Homeland Security's site for international students, a student with an active SEVIS record who travels outside the United States must have the Travel Endorsement section of the Form I-20 signed by a designated school official (DSO), the signature must be completed before the student travels, and the endorsement must be within one year of the student's desired return date.
In its August 17, 2026 back-to-school guidance, Study in the States urged students who intend to travel to confirm that their Form I-20 is up to date and to request travel signatures from their DSO at least two to four weeks before traveling. Students must also sign the Form I-20 themselves; both signatures are required.
Only a DSO at an SEVP-certified school may issue and sign a Form I-20. When a student's circumstances change in ways that require a SEVIS update, such as a new major, education level or funding source, the school issues an updated form, and students should travel with the newest version; an endorsement on an older form is no substitute.
The endorsement documents that the student is maintaining status and expected back to resume studies; the final decision on entry still rests with the Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry. Before departure, students should check their I-20, passport and visa together and keep their DSO's contact details on hand in case travel plans change.
(Source: Study in the States, U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
来源：美国国土安全部Study in the States
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，美国护照新旧版本封面（美国国务院），公共领域 | Image: Wikimedia Commons, U.S. passport booklet cover versions, U.S. Department of State, public domain
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