International Travelers Information
VISA Information
We want to make you aware of important visa Information that might impact your attendance at the meeting. If you are planning to attend the meeting and you require a visa for entrance into the United States, please be advised the processing time to secure a visa has substantially increased due to security issues. Consulates in some countries are now taking several months to process visa applications. Please consider this and allow enough time for visa processing.
It can now take as long as four months to get a visa to enter the United States. If you require a visa to enter the USA, please check with your local United States Embassy or Consulate to obtain the necessary documentation and schedule an appointment for an interview as soon as possible.
If you are planning to attend the meeting, we urge you to apply for your visa immediately. For International members arriving a few days prior to the conference, or leaving after the conference, the Hotel will honor the group room rate three days prior and post conference based on availability.
Please see the notice below from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs
http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html
More Information and Useful Tips
Consult Discover America - Entry for a guide for international travelers, entry requirements, and links to U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.
Beginning January 12, 2009, all nationals, including children, from the 27 countries participating in the U.S. visa waiver program will be required to obtain an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to boarding a U.S.-bound plane or sea vessel. Modeled after a successful Australian program, ESTA is an automated system used to determine the eligibility of VWP visitors to travel to the United States and whether such travel poses any law enforcement or security risk. The program is a relatively simple and effective way to strengthen U.S. security, and that of international travelers, while at the same time helping to preserve the VWP program.
ESTA mirrors the data travelers already submit through the I-94W paper form currently filled out upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry; however, it simplifies the process by allowing visitors to fill out the form online prior to arrival. In order to obtain an ESTA, travelers will need to submit biographic data including name, birth date, and passport information, as well as travel information such as the flight number and destination address in the United States to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The implementation of the ESTA program will allow DHS to eventually eliminate the I-94W paper form.
Each ESTA will be valid for a period of two years and will allow visitors unlimited travel to the United States during that timeframe. An ESTA will not be issued to travelers with a passport that expires within six months of applying for an ESTA. In this instance, the traveler would need to obtain a new passport or apply for a U.S. visa.
While ESTA will become mandatory for all VWP travelers beginning January 12, 2009, visitors can obtain an ESTA as of August 1, 2008 by visiting https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/. Currently only available in English, the site will be translated into a variety of other languages this fall.
In the future, DHS will also allow travelers to obtain an ESTA through an air or sea carrier or a travel agent.
For more information please visit: www.cbp.gov/esta and http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html .
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Visitor Visas
Who Does/Doesn't Need a Visa? (Visa Waiver Program, Machine-Readable Passports)
ESTA: New Entry Procedures for VWP Countries
Residents of Canada, Mexico and Bermuda
Visa Procedures (Letter of Invitation)
US-VISIT Program
More Information and Useful Tips
Visa Problems
Who Does/Doesn't Need a Visa?
You do not need a visa to enter the United States if:
- Your country participates in the Visa Waiver Program and
- You possess a valid machine-readable passport and
- You plan to stay in the United States for 90 days or fewer.
You do need a visa to enter the United States if:
- Your country does not participate in the Visa Waiver Program or
- Your country does participate in the Visa Waiver Program but you do not possess a valid machine-readable passport or
- You plan to stay in the United States for 90 days or more.
Visa Waiver Program
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows citizens of 35 countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business, for 90 days or fewer, without obtaining a nonimmigrant visa:
- Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Malta, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and The United Kingdom.
Machine-Readable Passports
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security fully enforces machine-readable passport (MRP) requirements. Depending on when VWP travelers' passports were issued, other passport requirements will apply:
- MRP issued before Oct. 26, 2005: no further requirements
- MRP issued between Oct. 26, 2005, and Oct. 26, 2006: digital photograph printed on data page or integrated chip with information from the data page
- MRP issued on or after Oct. 26, 2006: integrated chip with information from the data page (biometric/e-passport). (All passports issued from VWP countries are required to be e-passports as of Oct. 26, 2006.)
ESTA: New Entry Procedures for VWP Countries
On Jan. 12, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security enacted the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). This new entry program requires nationals from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries to register before traveling to the U.S., and will replace the I-94W form previously used by some travelers.
In order to obtain an ESTA, travelers will need to submit demographic and travel information. Each ESTA will be valid for up to two years and will allow visitors unlimited travel to the U.S. during that period. ESTAs will not be issued to any traveler whose passport will expire within six months of the application for an ESTA.
Residents of Canada, Mexico and Bermuda
Passports/Proof of Citizenship
- The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires all citizens of the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Bermuda who are traveling by air to present a valid passport to enter or re-enter the United States. This also applies to Mexican citizens arriving by land or sea.
- Citizens of the U.S., Canada, and Bermuda who are arriving by land or sea must provide a passport or documentation that proves identity and citizenship. Passports will not be required until June 1, 2009.
Visas
- Canada, Mexico and Bermuda are not participants in the Visa Waiver Program; however, the Immigration and Nationality Act includes other provisions for visa-free travel under certain circumstances. Read more about nonimmigrant visas.
Visa Procedures
Most international Annual Meeting attendees will need to secure a visitor visa.
Letter of Invitation
Personalize the Letter of Invitation to assist in your visitor visa application process.
US-VISIT Program
Enhancements to the U.S. entry process include capturing digital fingerscans and photos. Consult the Department of Homeland Security Web site for more information on the US-VISIT Program:
- US-VISIT Enrollment Requirements and Exceptions - The program currently applies to all visitors to the United States (with limited exemptions), including those from VWP countries.
- How It Works - The US-VISIT process.
- US-VISIT Multilingual Videos and Brochures - Details of the entry and exit processes are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Tagalog.
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