To tour the White House, you submit a free tour request through your U.S. Senator or Representative between 7 and 90 days before the date you want, provide identifying information for a background check on every adult in your group, and, once confirmed, arrive with a REAL ID-compliant license or passport and almost nothing in your pockets. That is the whole path in one sentence. The rest is detail that decides whether you actually get inside.
Who Can Go
U.S. citizens and permanent residents of any age can request a tour. Children 17 and younger must be with an adult guardian; without one, they are turned away at the door.1The White House. Visit The White House FAQs
Foreign nationals can visit too. Because they are not constituents of any Member of Congress, they usually coordinate the request through their home country’s embassy in Washington, D.C.
How to Request a Tour Through Congress
Every request runs through a Member of Congress. Find yours at congress.gov/members, or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Most offices keep an online tour request form on their website. Submit between 7 and 90 days before your desired date.2The White House. Visit The White House Closer to 90 gives you more flexibility, since slots fill.
The form asks for the full legal name, date of birth, and citizenship status of every person in your group. U.S. citizens 18 and older also provide their Social Security number for the background check. Children 17 and younger who are U.S. citizens do not.1The White House. Visit The White House FAQs The information you submit must match your ID on tour day exactly. A typo in a legal name is enough to lose your slot.
After the congressional office forwards your request, the White House emails you asking to RSVP within 72 hours. You are not confirmed until you complete that step. Even a confirmation is not a guarantee: tours can be changed or cancelled with little notice for weather, security, or the President’s schedule, and there are no rain checks. Keep the rest of your Washington plans loose.
Schedule and Cost
Tours are free. They run Tuesday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and Friday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., excluding federal holidays.2The White House. Visit The White House There are no Sunday or Monday tours, and the whole schedule can shift when an official event takes over the building.
ID You Need at the Door
This is where visitors most often get stopped. Since May 2025, the Department of Homeland Security requires a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state-issued ID for entry to the White House Complex. A standard, non-REAL ID license will not work. Every U.S. citizen 18 and older must present one of:1The White House. Visit The White House FAQs
- A REAL ID driver’s license or state-issued ID (look for the star in the upper corner)
- A U.S. passport
- A U.S. military ID (active, reserve, or retired)
If you’re not sure whether your license is REAL ID-compliant, bring your passport as a backup.
Foreign nationals of all ages, including children, must present valid identification. Acceptable documents are a valid passport, Alien Registration Card, Permanent Resident Card, or a U.S. State Department-issued Diplomatic ID Card.1The White House. Visit The White House FAQs U.S. citizens 17 and younger do not need to show ID. Every document must be an original. Photocopies, phone photos, and expired IDs are rejected.
What You Cannot Bring
The prohibited-items list is strict, and the White House has no lockers, coat check, or bag storage. If you arrive with something on the list, you will not be allowed in and you will not have anywhere to leave it. Plan to walk up with your ID, your phone, and little else. The banned items include:1The White House. Visit The White House FAQs
- Bags of any kind, including purses, backpacks, fanny packs, and clutches
- Strollers
- Food, water, and metal water bottles
- Cameras with detachable lenses, tripods, monopods, and Polaroid cameras (compact cameras and smartphones are fine)
- Laptops, tablets, and wearable technology capable of photo or video
- Tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and lighters
- Knives, guns, ammunition, mace, stun guns, martial arts weapons, toy weapons, and any pointed object
- Signs and flags
Prescribed medications and items needed for medical purposes are allowed. Screening includes metal detectors and physical inspection. During the tour, keep your flash off; flash photography and video recording are not permitted.1The White House. Visit The White House FAQs
Arriving and What You’ll See
The tour entrance is at the northeast corner of Lafayette Square, at H Street NW and Madison Place NW. Arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time.1The White House. Visit The White House FAQs If you’re late, you miss your slot, and there is no rescheduling at the gate.
The public tour covers the State Floor: the Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room, State Dining Room, Cross Hall, and Entrance Hall.2The White House. Visit The White House These are ceremonial and reception rooms. The private residence and working offices are not on the route. Secret Service officers along the way can answer questions about the rooms, the art, and the history.
Accessibility
The route is wheelchair accessible, and a limited number of wheelchairs can be borrowed on the day by asking a Secret Service officer. Registered service animals are permitted, subject to screening. Wheelchairs and medical items are exceptions to the bag and equipment restrictions.1The White House. Visit The White House FAQs
If you need an American Sign Language interpreter, tell the congressional office when you submit the request, and give them as much lead time as you can.
What the Public Tour Does Not Include
The West Wing, home of the Oval Office and senior staff offices, is not part of the public tour. Visits there require a personal invitation from a White House staff member who accompanies you the whole time, a separate background check, and usually after-hours scheduling. For nearly everyone, the West Wing is off-limits.
If your tour falls through, or you cannot get one at all, the White House Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW is open without reservation, without a background check, and without a fee.3National Park Service. White House Visitor Center It won’t put you inside the building, but it’s the closest thing when the tour doesn’t work out.