How to Visit the White House

Requesting a Tour through a Congressmember or Embassy

Request a public tour through your House representative. If you’re a U.S. citizen, you can request to take a public, self-guided tour of the White House through your representative in the House. These tours are free and will take you through the East Wing and White House Residence. To find who your local congressmember is, go to https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.

Fill out the online request form on your congressmember’s website. Find your congressmember’s website online by googling or looking on the House of Representatives’ website. Look for their “Services” or “Visiting DC” page, or search for “White House tours” on their website. Fill out the request form there to start your tour booking process. You’ll be asked to give the dates that you’re available for the tour, the number of people, and your contact information.

Choose a non-holiday date, on Tuesday through Saturday. The White House is only open for public tours on certain days and hours, so plan your visit accordingly! It’s closed on federal holidays as well. All tours are subject to last minute cancellation, so try to plan an alternate activity on the same day, just in case. White House Visiting HoursTuesday-Thursday, 7:30am-11:30amFriday-Saturday, 7:30am-1:30pm Note: The White House is closed to the public on federal holidays, or when otherwise noted.

Submit your request up to 3 months ahead of time. You can submit your tour request up to 3 months ahead of time and as late as 3 weeks before, but you should try to submit as soon as possible. Spots fill up fast, especially during busy times like summer and winter breaks.

Look for a confirmation email from the White House 2 weeks before your requested date. Once you’ve submitted your request, you’ll have to wait for a while before hearing back. The White House won’t let you know that you’ve received a tour until about 2 weeks beforehand, due to security reasons. Try to be patient in the meantime! Plan the rest of your trip to the capital to keep yourself busy. You might want to see other sights, like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, or Capitol Hill.

Contact your embassy to schedule a tour if you’re not a US citizen. If you’re a foreign visitor wanting to tour the White House, call your country’s embassy in Washington, D.C. Your tour will be arranged through the Protocol Desk at the State Department. Your embassy officials will let you know what steps you’ll take to request a tour. You can find your embassy’s contact information at https://www.embassy.org/embassies/.

Call the Visitors Office information line if you have any questions. If you need to make last minute changes or have any questions about scheduling, the tour experience, or anything else, call the White House Visitors Center. Their hotline is available 24 hours a day. Call the Visitors Office at 202-456-7041.

Doing the White House Garden Tour

Take the Garden Tour for a free stroll of the White House grounds in spring or fall. White House Garden Tours are offered 2 weekends per year—once in the spring and once in fall. Instead of reserving your tickets months in advance, like you would with a regular White House tour, you’ll simply pick up tickets on the day of the event. The Garden Tours are public and free of charge as well. You won’t be able to go inside the White House, but you will be able to walk around the gardens, grounds, and lawns.

Check the White House website in spring for the public tour dates. The Garden Tour dates and times are announced every year in the spring. They’ll be announced on the White House website as well as in the news and on social media, so keep an eye out! The tours are typically held in April and October.

Pick up free tickets at the National Park Service tent near the White House. All attendees, including children, will need a ticket to get in. You can pick them up from a National Park Service tent on the days of the Garden tours. Get there early, since lines are usually very long and tickets are first come, first serve. Make sure your whole group goes with you as well—you can only pick up one ticket per person. Keep an eye out for ticketing time announcements, which will be decided a few weeks before each tour. The ticket tents typically open in the morning.Pick up Garden Tour tickets at the National Park Service tent on the corner of Constitution Ave and 15th St NW.

Avoid bringing prohibited items like backpacks, food, and tablets. Just like with regular White House tours, there are a number of items that won’t be allowed on the grounds during the Garden Tours. These items include: Suitcases and oversized backpacks Tablets Food and beverages Selfie sticks Balloons Weapons and toy weapons Fireworks

Arriving at the White House

Wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothes. There isn’t an official dress code for visiting the White House, but you should wear something appropriate and comfortable for walking and for the weather. There is no place to store items while you’re in the White House, so if you wear a heavy coat, make sure you’re OK to carry it around during the tour. Avoid wearing clothes with anti-U.S. slogans.

Use public transportation to get to the White House. There are no visitors’ parking lots around the White House, so it’s recommended to take public transportation to get to your tour. Check the instructions given to you by the White House for the best time to arrive. The Metro is the easiest option if you’re not staying in walking distance, and the closest stations are: Federal Triangle, on the blue and orange lines Metro Center on the blue, orange, and red lines McPherson Square, on the blue and orange lines

Use the bathroom at the visitor’s center before you go inside. Public restrooms aren’t available once you’re inside the White House. You can stop by the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion, located in the park area south of the White House, for the nearest bathrooms, or go in a nearby museum.

Bring government-issued ID or passport. All guests who are 18 or older are required to show an up-to-date, government-issued ID card. If you’re not a U.S. citizen, you’ll need to bring your passport. U.S. citizens have the option of bringing either a valid ID like a driver’s license or military ID card, or a U.S. passport. The information on your ID must exactly match the name, date of birth, and address you gave the White House when booking the tour. Photocopies and expired IDs won’t be accepted.

Avoid bringing prohibited items, like cameras, bags, and food. For security reasons, the White House has a strict list of items that won’t be allowed inside the building. There are no storage options at the White House, so you won’t be allowed to enter if you bring a prohibited item. If you can’t leave the item at home, you can rent a locker at a nearby museum or ask if you can store it with your congressmember’s office. Items prohibited from White House tours include: Video recorders (smartphones are OK, although you won’t be able to use any cellphones inside the White House) Handbags, purses, book bags, and backpacks Food or beverages Tobacco products Personal grooming items like makeup or lotion Strollers Pointed objects Aerosol containers Guns, ammunition, fireworks, knives, and any other weapons

Follow all rules and instructions when you’re inside the White House. The White House will contact you with other rules and instructions, and give further guidance once you arrive for your tour. Make sure to follow all instructions carefully. Security is extremely tight in the White House, and you may face consequences or be asked to leave if you break the rules.