This post is an article on how to get White House tour tickets and includes tips for planning your visit, such as dealing with security.
How to apply for tickets is a common question from visitors on our walking tours. However, if you ask one of our tour guides after arriving in Washington, DC, you are too late.
Reservations must be arranged in advance.
So, we've created this post to help you secure tickets and plan your visit before and after your tour.
The White House is open to public tours from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, except on Federal Holidays.
It is hard to get a White House tour, but the further in advance you request and the more flexibility you offer in dates, the better your chances.
These are to tour the main building, West Wing tours are a different experience and even harder to get tickets. I was lucky enough to get a West Wing tour if you want to see photos!
The White House is free to tour, but you must apply for tickets. Both U.S. nationals and foreign visitors can tour the White House.
To visit the White House, it's important to know that you must reserve your tickets in advance, MONTHS in advance.
You can submit a request for White House tours up to 3 months in advance and must do so no later than 3 weeks.
Don’t apply early or late, or you risk having your request automatically denied.
Requesting a reservation as soon as possible can increase your odds of getting a White House tour.
For U.S. citizens and residents, requests must go through the office of the Member of Congress for your district (find your Member here).
If you are coming during the peak tourism seasons of March-April or June-August, we recommend closer to the 3-month mark.
The White House only accepts requests between 21-90 days before your requested dates.
If you are from a foreign country, you should go through your embassy in Washington, D.C. Not all embassies will be interested in or helpful in the request.
However, nothing stops you from requesting a tour through any Member of Congress.
There is no actual requirement for you to be a resident of their district or state. Therefore, it's worth a try.
Most will ask you for contact information at home and during your stay in DC, dates available for tours, and the total number of persons in your group.
You'll also be required to provide information for security clearance, including:
- Full Name
- Date of Birth
- Social Security Number (only U.S. residents 18 and older)
- Citizenship
- Gender
- City, State of Residence
How long before I hear back about my White House request?
Typically, once you have submitted your visitor info, you will receive an email two weeks before your requested dates informing you if you were selected for a tour.
If you do not get approved, the communication will vary. Some people have received rejection letters, and some have never heard back.
Assume if you haven't heard back a few days before your trip that you were not approved.
You can also visit the White House Visitor Center. It's a few blocks from the White House, but it's a great alternative to interior tours.
You can always see the White House from the street, as well.
There are a number of great views of the White House that we talk about - but the closest is from Pennsylvania Avenue NW by Lafayette Square.
But, if you are accepted, then read on for tips on planning your trip.
In this section, we discuss where to enter the White House grounds, how to get there, security, and prohibited items.
WHITE HOUSE TOUR ENTRANCE
We strongly recommend using our Google Maps for directions to the tour entry point.
There is no White House Metro Station.
The closest metro stop to the tour entrance is Metro Center (red, orange, blue, and silver lines) (take the 13th Street exit), which is just a 7-minute walk.
When you come up the escalators, you will be facing 13th Street.
Take 13th Street southbound (downhill) and make a right turn on E Street and proceed straight until you reach 15th Street.
McPherson Square Metro station (orange, blue, and silver lines) is also close to the White House.
Public transportation is recommended for reaching the White House.
If you must drive, you can find a parking spot at a nearby garage through a service called SpotHero.
This website allows you to reserve guaranteed parking spots ahead of time, often cheaper than the garage itself would charge.
If you've been granted a tour, you must arrive at the visitors' entrance before your meeting.
Note: The meeting spot for the White House tour is NOT at the White House Visitor Center.
Click here for a 360-degree view.
The tour lines up along 15th Street NW on the west side of the street by the William Tecumseh Sherman Statue.
It's across the street from where Pennsylvania Avenue NW dead-ends at 15th St NW.
You'll check in with the National Park Service Park Ranger standing guard outside the temporary fence.
There is no specific street address or sign—you just have to know you're in the right place. Since there is often a line, it should be easy to spot.
You can click on the 360-degree view to familiarize yourself with the surrounding area.
SECURITY AND PROHIBITED ITEMS
Security is a concern everywhere in Washington, but nowhere more than in the White House.
To gain entry into the White House, each member of your group must have a valid government-issued photo ID or passport. Foreign nationals must use their passports.
You will have to stand in line for security, so arrive at least half an hour before your tour. (longer in peak seasons or with a group).
WHITE HOUSE DRESS CODE
There is no dress code for touring the White House, but due to its importance, you should want to dress neatly.
The list of what you can’t bring into the White House is extensive:
- no video devices; video cameras including any action camcorders, cameras with detachable lenses, tablets, tripods, monopods, and camera sticks are not permitted. Video recording is not permitted but cell phones with video capability is fine, just don't use it!
- no strollers.
- no food, beverages, tobacco products, liquids, gels, or lotions.
- no guns, firearms, knives, other sharp objects, martial arts equipment, etc.
- no purses, backpacks, handbags, etc.
If you need a place to store these items, read our White House luggage storage post.
The list of things you can bring to the White House is not extensive:
- keys
- wallets
- cell phone
- umbrellas
Cameras are now permitted on tour!
Smartphones and compact cameras with a lens no longer than 3 inches (stills only) are permitted on the public tour route as long as their use does not interfere with other guests’ enjoyment of the tour.
Flash photography or live streaming, as well as talking or texting on cellular phones, is not permitted while on the tour.
Where can I leave the rest of my belongings while I tour the White House?
If you can't leave your belongings at your hotel, then consider storage facilities.
For $6/bag for up to 24 hours, you can store your bags in nearby stores, souvenir shops, and even other hotels.
Once inside, the tour is self-guided and will take about half an hour.
NOTE: There are no restrooms on the White House tour.
Though the White House has 132 rooms, you are only shown through several rooms they use for entertaining.
You will NOT see the family living quarters, the Oval Office, or the West Wing (read about my experience of the West Wing tour!) So, don't expect to meet the President on your White House Tour.
Small tip: there are secret service agents in every room. You can interact with them and ask them questions. They are usually really nice and very informative.
After you line up along 15th Street, you'll have your reservation checked and then line up again for an ID check.
You'll cross a street and then have your ID checked again.
All of these checks are outdoors, so remember when preparing for your visit - you're outside for around 30 minutes before your tour.
You then go through security to enter the East Wing of the White House.
What Will I See on a Public Tour of the White House?
The tour is self-guided, though there are occasionally guards who can answer some questions.
Each room has a placard or two explaining what you're seeing with some information.
The tour is self-paced, and you can return to previous rooms if needed, but you will not be able to exit the building and reenter.
The East Garden is visible from the hallway, the movie theatre, the China Room, the Vermeil Room, the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, and the State Dining Room.
Throughout, you'll also see several presidential portraits.
A gift shop inside the White House sells the famous White House Christmas ornament and many other items from the White House Historical Association.
You'll exit the White House from what used to be the primary entrance facing the North Lawn and exit out the gates by the Lafayette Statue.
Will I See the President on a White House Tour?
You are unlikely to meet the President or First Lady on the White House tour, but you never know who you might see at the White House complex, including cabinet members or prominent visitors.
VIRTUAL TOURS OF THE WHITE HOUSE
These videos offer virtual tours inside various parts of the White House that are not available on public tours.
Inside the Residence
Tour of the West Wing
Video Tour of the Situation Room
Learn About the West Wing Marines
Watch Marine One Land on South Lawn
During your visit to Washington, D.C., you will see many helicopters, but they usually won't be transporting the President.
Most helicopters fly along the National Mall - over the Tidal Basin and Potomac River.
When you see three helicopters fly across the National Mall, right past the Washington Monument (that is why there are the red flashing lights on the top), one is Marine One.
So, how do you watch Marine One take off/land?
For advance planning, you can check the President's Schedule. It will give an approximate time when the president will depart from the South Lawn.
Keep in mind it sometimes is early or late, and they don't give any warning!
Marine One often transports the President to Joint Base Andrews to board Air Force One.
If you're already in the area, you might notice some of the ways they prepare for Marine One:
- Sharpshooters are always on the White House roof, but when the President leaves, they can also be seen on the corners of nearby buildings.
- Two decoy/escort helicopters will accompany Marine One but not land. You will always see a group of three helicopters.
- The walkway to the South Lawn fence is closed. While you can typically walk right up to it, you won't be able to get that close when Marine One is landing.
Where can you stand to watch Marine One land?
The best place to watch Marine One land if you want to be as close as possible is on the south side of the White House, an area called The Ellipse.
Usually, the circular sidewalk that forms the ellipse is open to the public, but when the President is leaving - the side closest to the White House is closed.
You can, however, walk directly on the grass to the center of the Ellipse.
If you line yourself up with the Washington Monument behind you and the White House South Lawn Fountain in front of you, the helicopter will fly right over your head!
If you want to watch Marine One with some DC landmarks in the frame, stand at the WWII Memorial, facing the Washington Monument.
The three helicopters will fly in front of the Washington Monument, lining up for a great photo op.
What kind of helicopter is Marine One?
Officially, any helicopter that the President is on is Marine One.
That is the call sign for any USMC aircraft with the President on board, just like Air Force One denotes whatever plane is carrying the President.
It is usually operated by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1 "Nighthawks"), only four pilots have this honor every year.
The type of helicopter is often a VH-3D Sea King:
or the VH-60N "WhiteHawk"
Marine One helicopters have standard military anti-missile countermeasures, and ballistic armor and can continue to fly even if it loses one of the three engines.
It can fit 14 passengers but is quiet enough that the President can use a normal tone of voice on his secure line to the White House.
NOTE: A few times a year, when the President is out of the country, you will see a helicopter take off and land on the South Lawn on repeat for about half an hour - this is training!
The President isn't on the helicopter - but your Instagram followers won't know that!
THE WHITE HOUSE VISITOR CENTER:
After an extensive revamping, the White House Visitor Center is now open again to the public.
Read our overview of the museum and visitor center for more information.
The restoration took over 2 years and cost $12.5 million, much of which came from private donations through the White House Historical Association.
Over 90 new artifacts are on display, many of which have never been on display.
Some of our favorites are the desk that Franklin Delano Roosevelt sat at when he delivered his famous fireside chats and a scaled model of the White House.
Within the White House Visitor Center, you can watch a 14-minute film that takes you inside the White House and the lives of the First Families.
Allow your visit here to last anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
VISITOR TIP: The White House Visitor Center has a great gift shop. There is also a gift shop at 701 15th St NW called White House Gifts. Here can take a photo of yourself sitting behind a replica of the Presidential desk in the Oval Office!
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