Tour Requests and Tourist Info

Capitol Tours

Capitol tours are free and open to the public. The Capitol Visitor Center is open to visitors from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Inauguration Day. Tours of the U.S. Capitol are conducted from 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Visitors with official business appointments may enter the Visitor Center as early as 7:15 a.m.

Walk up tours are offered, but passes may also be reserved up to 3 months in advance at http://tours.visitthecapitol.gov. Groups of 10 or more are required to create a login and password to arrange a tour at http://groups.visitthecapitol.gov.

When traveling by bus, please note possible passenger loading and unloading locations. Due to security concerns, buses are only able to drive within a certain radius of the Capitol. See Capitol bus map here. The closest drop-off location to the House of Representatives is at Garfield Circle on First Street and Maryland Avenue SW. Groups of more than 20 people should plan to arrive at the bus drop-off location at least 45 minutes prior to the scheduled tour start time.

Disabled visitors, or seniors with mobility issues, may take a passenger shuttle to the Visitor Center Entrance which runs every 20 minutes from the corner of First Street and Maryland Avenue SW (near the U.S. Botanical Garden). Visitors needing shuttle service are encouraged to contact the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services at 202-224-4048 prior to the day of the tour.

The following items are strictly prohibited during tours of the Capitol. For a complete list of prohibited items, click here.

  • Aerosol containers
  • Sharp or pointed objects (knives, knitting needles, letter openers)
  • Bags larger than 14" high, 13" wide, and 4" deep.
  • Cans and bottles, full or empty
  • Food or beverages of any kind

In addition to the items listed above, the following objects are prohibited inside the House of Representatives and Senate galleries. You will have an opportunity to check items so you can enter the galleries while visiting the Capitol.

  • Battery operated electronic devices (excluding medical devices)
  • Cell phones
  • Cameras and video cameras
  • Creams, lotions, and perfumes
  • Strollers

Constituents can pick up Gallery passes from Congressman Hoyer's office located at 1705 Longworth House Office Building. You must have a Gallery pass if you would like to see the House or Senate in session.

When taking the Washington DC Metro to Congressman Hoyer's Office, use the Capitol South stop, located on the Orange and Blue lines. Click here for a map of Capitol Hill. A short video is available for students to watch before visiting the Capitol at visitthecapitol.gov. The video is also available here.

White House Tours

White House tours are scheduled on a first-come first-serve basis with no way to prioritize requests. Unfortunately, submitting a White House tour request does not guarantee a tour request will be approved due to the inability of the White House Visitors Office to accommodate the high volume of requests received every day from across the nation.

The White House tour is not a guided tour and generally takes no more than 45 minutes. Following the tour, groups are welcome to visit the White House Visitors Center, located across the street in the Commerce building at 15th and E Streets NW. Wheelchairs are available upon request. Please specify in your request if someone in your group may need a wheelchair during the tour to ensure one is available upon arrival. If you are requesting a tour for a school group, please be sure to read the special notes for school groups at the bottom of the instructions.

Tours are typically scheduled Tuesday to Thursday from 7:30a.m. – 11a.m. and Friday to Saturday from 7:30a.m – 1:30 p.m.

How To Submit a White House Tour Request

  1. Submit a tour request by completing the online tour request form. Please include three dates, in order of preference. If you cannot make it to the White House before a certain time of day, please indicate that in your request. Having less date and time flexibility in your request may decrease the likelihood that the White House Visitors Office is able to accommodate your request. If the White House Visitors Office assigns your group a tour date and time, you cannot reschedule.
  2. All guests who plan to visit the White House must provide the following information to the Secret Service: Full Name, Date of Birth, Social Security Number (U.S Citizens 18 and older only), country of birth, gender, and city and state of residence. Guests are responsible for submitting this information online via the secure RSVP form generated by the White House Tours Application. All RSVPs must be submitted before the RSVP deadline. Tour capacity will adjust after the deadline based on RSVPs (i.e. if you request a tour for 5 and only 4 guests RSVP by the deadline, the tour will now auto-adjust to a reservation of 4).

Please note: Tour requests cannot be transmitted to the White House Visitors Office if the requested date is less than a month away. Similarly, our office is unable to transmit your request to the White House Visitors Office if the dates requested are more than six months away. Tours may be submitted 3 months in advance and no later than 3 weeks before.

After Submitting A Tour Request

You will be notified by Congressman Hoyer's office when the request is received and has been submitted to the White House. If the request is approved and a tour is scheduled by the White House Visitors Office you will be notified of the assigned tour time. We strongly recommend downloading your confirmation page and reading the White House Tour Information Documents provided. You should hear back approximately 14 days prior to the date of the requested tour.

Large Groups

You may request a tour for up to 100 guests. The group size requested must include every child and adult over the age of six months old. You will not be able to add at a later date more people to your group than the number you submit in your request. The larger your group size, the harder it will be for the White House Visitors Office to accommodate the number of spaces requested.

School Groups

If you are requesting a tour for a school group, there are some things you should know:

  • The White House Visitors Office schedules tours Tuesday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Friday-Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. If your school group cannot make it to the White House prior to a given time, please indicate that when you request your tour.
  • White House tours are usually not confirmed more than two weeks out from the requested date. For some school districts, this makes it hard to plan for transportation and gain approval from the school district for the trip. Unfortunately, this is something that cannot be changed.
  • No bags are allowed in the White House, nor are food or drink. There are no lockers or storage spaces for people to stow their belongings while they are on the tour.