- Home
- About us
- Visas and migration
- Travelling to Australia
- Services for Australians
- Doing business with Australia
- Passports
- Study in Australia
- Media
- About Australia
- Events
- Australia-United States of America relationship
Visiting Washington DC and the White House
Are you planning to visit Washington DC?
The White House was closed to the public for several years after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. While the White House reopened to tours in 2005, visitors must commence security clearance procedures weeks in advance of a visit, with no guarantee that the visit will be approved. This process is particularly complex and time-consuming for non-US citizens. Unfortunately, the Embassy of Australia is not able to support this process for the large number of Australians who visit Washington every year.
You might wish to explore alternative experiences related to the White House, starting with a visit to the White House Visitor Center. You'll find details at http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/tours . For the Pentagon, you'll find detailed history, facts and figures at http://pentagon.afis.osd.mil .
Visiting the Capitol is another experience open to all visitors. Details are at http://www.aoc.gov and at http://www.house.gov/house/tour_services.shtml . The new United States Capitol Visitor Center is scheduled to open on 2 December 2008. Check for updates at http://www.aoc.gov/cvc .
The National Park Service arranges tours of a large number of sites in and around Washington DC, not just park lands. You can see the whole range at http://www.nps.gov/state/dc . Scroll down to the bottom of the alphabetical list and you will see that you can make reservations in advance online for the Washington Monument.
Admission is free for all thirteen Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington DC. The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum complex and research organization. See http://www.si.edu/visit for details.
The Government of the District of Columbia also has a website for visitors at http://www.vrc.dc.gov .
Please carry your passport with you, as public buildings in the USA require government-issued photo identification at security checkpoints. Many buildings have prohibited items. If you plan on carrying anything more than an umbrella, a wallet, a cell phone and car keys, you need to check the websites above.