Visiting the White House
Tours of the White House are self-guided, but tour officers are positioned throughout the White House to help answer questions and provide interesting information.
Please submit a tour request as soon as your travel plans are firm.
Please note that tours fill up very quickly during holiday times and in the spring and summer months. Therefore, I ask that you give at least six months advance notice.
Before making a tour request, please note:
- Please make travel plans first, then contact my office when you have a specific visit in mind. It is not advisable to wait for a confirmed tour before making travel arrangements, as the White House confirms tours with very little notice.
- Tours are self-guided so you can take as little or as much time as you like. For planning purposes, you should allow 45 minutes.
- The White House Visitors Office will assume that you are available for any of the tours between your dates of arrival and departure (tours are offered Tuesday through Saturday and can start as early as 7:30am with the last tour of the day starting at 12:45pm). If you have any time constraints during your visit, please make a note of them.
- If a tour request is accepted by the White House Visitors Office, they require my office to submit your security information no later than two weeks before the requested tour date.
- My office will then contact you with an update of your tour request status (usually 1-2 weeks before your tour, depending on how quickly you send your security info and how many other tours you have requested).
- Once the request is submitted, the number of people allowed on the tour cannot be changed.
- Please note that tour schedules are always dependent on official events taking place in the White House. Occasionally, it may be necessary to deviate from the regular tour schedule, or reschedule a tour.
- Please understand that tour request acceptance or denial is solely at the discretion of the White House Visitors Office.
To submit a tour request form, please click here.
Southeast corner of 15th and E Streets, NW
I highly recommend that you visit the White House Visitor Center. It is open to the public and does not require reserved tours. The location is easy to find by looking for three American flags and the blue awnings. It is open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and features many aspects of the White House, including its architecture, furnishings, first families, social events, and relations with the press and world leaders, as well as a 30-minute video. Allow between 20 minutes to one hour to explore the exhibits. The White House Historical Association also sponsors a sales area. Please note that restrooms are available, but food service is not.
For more information please click here.
Closest Metro: Federal Triangle or Metro Center
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Tours of the White House must be scheduled through a Congressional office. These tours are only offered Tuesday – Saturday. Tours start at 7:30am and the last tour of the day starts at 12:45pm.
Once your request is placed through the my website, please send a copy of the security roster (available here as an Excel or Word document) to my tour coordinator via email (tour_coordinator@mccain.senate.gov) or fax (202-228-3995). If you cannot access the security roster documents from the links provided, please send the following information for everyone planning to attend the tour: Full Name, Date of Birth, and Social Security Number. Should your request be approved by the White House, this information will be given to the White House for a security background check. If anyone planning to attend the tour is not a U.S. citizen (this includes permanent residents and legal immigrants awaiting citizenship), please include their passport information.
Please note that White House tours are distributed on a first come, first served basis. The earliest they will accept a request is six months in advance. Therefore, it is best to contact my office as soon as you have firm travel plans. It is not advisable to wait for a confirmed tour before making travel arrangements, as the White House confirms tours with very little notice. The White House will be closed for federal holidays and occasionally for diplomatic events.
For more information please call the 24-hour Tour Information Line (202) 456-7041 or click here.
Closest Metro: Farragut North, Farragut West, McPherson Square, Metro Center or Federal Triangle
PROHIBITED ITEMS
Prohibited items include, but are not limited to, the following: handbags, book bags, backpacks, purses, food and beverages of any kind, strollers, cameras, video recorders or any type of recording device, tobacco products, personal grooming items (make-up, hair brush or comb, lip or hand lotions, etc.), any pointed objects (pens, knitting needles, etc.), aerosol containers, guns, ammunition, fireworks, electric stun guns, mace, martial arts weapons/devices, or knives of any size. The U.S. Secret Service reserves the right to prohibit any other personal items. Umbrellas, wallets, cell phones (without cameras) and car keys are permitted. All persons and items entering the White House will be screened through a security process. Individuals may be requested to consent to an interview or additional security procedures before they are admitted to the White House complex.
Please note that no storage facilities are available on or around the complex. It is highly recommended that you either leave items in your hotel room or car while visiting the White House. Individuals who arrive with prohibited items will not be permitted to enter the White House.
There are several hotels near the White House that allow a small number of items to be stored at their bell desks or front desks on a case-by-case basis (unless a foreign dignitary is staying at the time). These hotels are the Hotel Washington, Willard Intercontinental, Sofitel, Hay Adams and the Marriott, among others.
There is a baggage storage room, with attendants, available to the public at Union Station for a fee. Open 6am-10pm. Located at Gate A (next to the MARC info counter). For more information please call them directly at 202-898-1592.
MEDICATION
All necessary medications must be identified and remain in the custody of an adult chaperone or contact for the entire tour.
TRANSPORTATION
Metro: Exit McPherson Square (Red or Orange Line) or Metro Center (Red, Blue or Orange Line)
Cab: ask for 15th and E streets NW.
TOUR CANCELLATIONS AND LATE ARRIVALS
White House tours are always subject to last minute cancellation. A day before your tour, please call the White House Visitors Office 24-hour information line at (202) 456-7041 for the most current information about your White House tour.
You should arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled tour time. Late arrivals will not be accommodated.