The rule for re-entry
Under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(13)(ii), an F-1 student with an unexpired EAD issued for post-completion practical training who is otherwise admissible may return to the United States to resume employment after a temporary absence. The EAD has to be used together with a Form I-20 endorsed for reentry by the DSO within the last six months.
Documents to carry
The ICE travel page for F-1 students lists what is expected when you come back on approved OPT: the EAD card in hand, the Form I-20 with a recent travel signature, a valid passport and F-1 visa, and a letter of employment if you have one. A visa that has expired has to be renewed abroad before the return flight, so check its date as well as the EAD and the signature date.
Traveling while the OPT application is pending
ICE says re-entry is possible while the request for OPT is pending, but that the trip should be taken with caution. USCIS may send a request for evidence while you are away, and it sends the EAD only to a US address. If the application is approved while you are abroad, you are expected to have the EAD in hand to re-enter, so someone at that address may need to forward the card.
Leaving after the program ends and before the OPT is approved is the case that most often goes wrong: the 60-day period after a program or after OPT is only for preparing to leave, and ICE says you cannot re-enter during it.
Trips and the 90-day or 150-day limit
SEVIS counts each day after the OPT start date that has no employer information, so a trip does not stop the count when you have no job on record. ICE warns that if you go over the limit on unemployment while outside the United States, you will not be eligible to re-enter in F-1 status. Before booking, add up the days already used and the days you will be away; the tracker on the front page shows the last day you can be without work. The details are in how SEVIS counts unemployment days and what happens past the limit.
Before you go
Rules differ by case, so ICE asks students to talk to the DSO before traveling. Get the travel signature early, and check the entry and transit visa rules of the countries on the route.
Updated: November 8, 2026