Can You Visit the White House? How to Book a Tour

To book a White House tour, submit a request through your U.S. Representative or Senator’s office between 7 and 90 days before your preferred date; foreign nationals request through their country’s embassy in Washington, D.C. Tours are free, self-guided through the State Floor, and every visitor goes through a Secret Service background check. Availability shifts with the President’s schedule, so nothing is guaranteed until you receive a confirmation.¹

Who to Contact and When

U.S. citizens go through Congress. Most House and Senate websites carry a dedicated White House tour request form where you enter your group’s information and preferred dates. Foreign nationals use their country’s embassy in Washington instead of a congressional office.¹

The submission window opens 90 days before your requested date and closes at 7 days out.¹ Slots go on a first-come, first-served basis, so submit as close to the 90-day mark as you can. Your congressional office or embassy will notify you about approval roughly two to three weeks before your date.

Tours generally run 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, with extended hours 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. There are no tours on Sundays, Mondays, or federal holidays.¹

What Each Visitor Has to Submit

Once your request is accepted, every person in the group completes an RSVP with personal information before the visit. For U.S. citizens 18 and older, that means full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number. Foreign nationals provide passport number, country of issuance, and date of birth. U.S. citizens 17 or younger do not need to submit a Social Security number. The Secret Service runs a background check on every visitor.²

The information you enter must match the ID you plan to carry, exactly. A small mismatch can delay or block entry.² Enter your name the way it appears on that ID and check every field before submitting.

ID Requirements on Tour Day

As of May 7, 2025, adult visitors must present REAL ID-compliant identification. A standard driver’s license that has not been upgraded to REAL ID will not get you in. Acceptable options are a REAL ID-compliant state driver’s license or state-issued ID, or a valid U.S. passport.² Look for a star in the upper corner of your license, or confirm with your state’s DMV.

Foreign nationals of every age, including children, must show a valid government-issued photo ID. U.S. citizens 17 and younger do not need to show ID as long as they are with an adult who has valid credentials. Only physical IDs work. Digital IDs and phone photos are not accepted.²

What You Can and Cannot Bring

There is no coat check and no storage on site. Anything you cannot bring inside stays behind for good, so pack for the visit before you leave your hotel or car. Prohibited items include:

Bags of any kind, including backpacks, purses, fanny packs, clutches, and briefcases, regardless of size
Strollers of any style, including compact and umbrella models
Knives, including pocket knives, multitools, and any type of blade
Food, liquids, and aerosols, including water bottles, snacks, and spray containers

Allowed items are limited to what fits in your pockets: car keys, a wallet, and a cell phone. Compact cameras with lenses under three inches are permitted, as are umbrellas without metal tips. Still photos with a phone or camera are fine along the route. Flash photography and video recording are not.²

Medical Items and Infants

Anything needed for medical purposes is permitted through security, including wheelchairs, EpiPens, and prescription medication. Registered service animals are allowed after Secret Service screening.²

Parents of infants have a harder time, since strollers and diaper bags are both banned. The White House does not publish specific guidance for baby supplies. Plan to carry your child and keep any diapers or wipes minimal.

Arriving for Your Tour

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. Officers check your name against the approved list and verify your photo ID before you enter physical screening.² Screening moves quickly as long as no one in the group is carrying a prohibited item.

The closest Metro stations are Federal Triangle (Blue, Orange, Silver) and Metro Center (Blue, Orange, Red, Silver), both a short walk from the entrance.³ Street parking near the White House is very limited, so plan on transit.

What the Tour Covers

The self-guided route walks visitors through the public rooms on the State Floor: the Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room, State Dining Room, Cross Hall, and Entrance Hall, reached via the East Colonnade.¹ Each room is furnished with period pieces, artwork, and artifacts.

The standard public tour does not include the West Wing, the Oval Office, or the private residence. West Wing access requires a personal invitation from a White House staff member and runs through a separate process.

The free White House Experience App has a room-by-room companion guide and a virtual tour of areas the public route does not reach, including the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, Lincoln Bedroom, and Press Room. It also offers captioned transcripts and audio descriptions, and the Green, Blue, and Red Rooms have tactile elements for visitors who are blind.⁴ The full route is wheelchair accessible, and a limited number of wheelchairs can be borrowed on site.²

If Your Tour Gets Cancelled

Confirmed tours can be cancelled or changed at any time with little notice for security reasons, weather, or unexpected additions to the President’s schedule. The point of contact on your reservation receives an email if a cancellation happens. Replacement slots are not guaranteed, and dates generally cannot be modified after booking; if you need a new date, cancel and submit a fresh request through your congressional office.

Don’t build your entire D.C. itinerary around the tour. Treat it as a highlight that may or may not happen and keep a backup plan for that morning.

Options Without a Booked Tour

The White House Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW is open to the public without a reservation and requires only a TSA-style screening at the door. Its prohibited items list is more forgiving than the White House itself: small sealed food, water in clear plastic containers, and bags under 18 by 16 by 8 inches are allowed, while knives, aerosols, and glass containers are not.⁵

Two seasonal events also open parts of the grounds. The annual Easter Egg Roll distributes free South Lawn tickets through a Recreation.gov lottery; for 2026 the lottery ran February 26 to March 4, with results announced March 10. Each household can submit one application for up to six tickets, and every application must include at least one child aged 13 or younger and no more than two adults.⁶ The grounds also open for public garden tours one weekend in spring and one in fall, typically April and October; 2026 spring garden tours were held April 18 and 19, with ticketing details released closer to each event.⁷

1
The White House. Visit The White House
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The White House. Visit The White House FAQs
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National Park Service. Public Transportation – The White House and President’s Park
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White House Historical Association. New White House Experience Mobile App
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National Park Service. White House Visitor Center
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The White House. The White House Easter Egg Roll
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National Park Service. White House Garden Tours