White House Tour Tickets: How to Visit the White House

There are no tickets to buy — the official White House tour is free and arranged through the government, not sold by any website. US citizens request it through their Member of Congress (call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or use your Senator's or Representative's online White House tour request form). Foreign visitors request through their embassy in Washington, DC. Submit your request a minimum of 21 and a maximum of 90 days before your visit; slots are limited and first-come, first-served.

They are completely free. There is no charge at any stage of the official public tour, and no third party is authorized to sell White House tour tickets. If a website or seller asks you to pay a fee to 'book your White House tour' or buy an 'entry ticket,' it's a scam — the real tour can only be arranged for free through a Member of Congress or, for foreign nationals, an embassy.

Requests must be submitted at least 21 days and no more than 90 days in advance. Because tour slots are limited and allocated first-come, first-served, submit as early in that 90-day window as you can. After your congressional office passes on the request, the White House emails you a link to enter your security details by a deadline, and you're usually notified of the outcome about 2 to 3 weeks before your requested date.

Officially, yes — foreign nationals are directed to request a tour through their country's embassy in Washington, DC. In practice, though, many embassies do not arrange these tours for tourists because of the strict security paperwork involved (some routes even require a senior diplomat to escort the group). If your embassy can't help, the realistic options are the free White House Visitor Center and viewing the building from the surrounding public parks — both covered below.

Plenty of visitors don't secure an interior tour, and there's a good plan B. The White House Visitor Center (1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) is run by the National Park Service, is free, needs no reservation, and is open daily with 90-plus artifacts, interactive exhibits, and a short film about the building. You can also see the White House itself for free from the public parks — Lafayette Square to the north and the Ellipse to the south — or book a guided DC sightseeing tour that loops past it.

The guided tours on this page take in the White House from the outside — the classic head-on view of the North Portico from Lafayette Square, and the South Portico across the lawn from the Ellipse — then continue to the rest of DC's landmarks. They do not include entry into the White House (no tour does — that's the free congressional/embassy route). What they add is a comfortable, narrated loop past the White House fence and on to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln, Jefferson, and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorials.

The free public tour is self-guided and covers the public rooms of the State Floor — typically the East Room, Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room, the State Dining Room, the Cross Hall, and the Entrance Hall — with Secret Service officers and staff on hand to answer questions. It usually takes around 45 minutes. Tours generally run on weekday and Saturday mornings, excluding federal holidays, and the exact rooms and hours can change at short notice.

Yes. Every visitor's details are submitted in advance for a background check, and on the day you must bring the valid, government-issued photo ID you registered with — it has to match exactly. Foreign nationals of all ages, including children, need a valid government-issued photo ID (typically a passport). The Secret Service checks your reservation against their roster, so carry your confirmation.

The tours bookable on this site are independent, third-party Washington, DC sightseeing tours — they are not operated by the White House or any government agency, and none of them includes White House entry. We're an affiliate that helps you compare and book them through GetYourGuide. The only 'official' way inside is the free tour arranged through a Member of Congress or an embassy; everything we list is the convenient way to see the White House and tour the wider city.

Spring (March–May) and fall (September–November) bring the mildest weather for walking the spread-out National Mall; the cherry blossoms peak around late March to early April. Summer is hot and humid, so open-air cart and trolley tours — and floodlit evening tours — are popular. If you want the interior tour, remember to start your congressional or embassy request 21 to 90 days before you travel, regardless of season.

Because the official White House tour is free, the only thing you'd pay for is an optional guided DC sightseeing tour. These vary by length and style — short electric-cart and trolley loops are the most affordable, while full-day tours that add a river cruise or vintage-car ride cost more. Each tour on this page shows its current price, rating, and review count, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before and instant confirmation.

No — and neither can anyone else, because the interior tour isn't sold; it's requested for free through your Member of Congress (US citizens) or embassy (foreign visitors). What you can book here are guided DC sightseeing tours that pass the White House and cover the monuments. Use the free official route for the inside, and book a guided tour for an easy, narrated way to see the White House and the rest of Washington.