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Passports and Visas
Passports
To
travel outside of your home country, you must have a passport. For most of you,
your home country will be the United States. If you do not have a passport
already, you must apply for one immediately. If you do have a passport, 1) check
that it is valid for six months past the last day of your stay. Some
countries require that your U.S. passport be valid at least six months or longer
beyond the dates of your trip. If your passport expires before the required
validity, you will have to apply for a new one. 2)
Check that you have one open page for every country you plan to visit.
Passport
applications may be obtained at Winfield’s downtown post office. The post office
is open 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Monday
through Friday. You will need 2 passport photos, a drivers license or official
ID, and a certified copy of your birth certificate. If you do not have your
official birth certificate, contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the state
you were born to receive one.
There is also
information on the web about how to apply for a passport. Visit the passport web
site of the Bureau
of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
The cost of a passport is $100 and the process will take 4-6 weeks.
Once
you have received your passport, it is crucial that you sign it and then
make at least two copies of the pages with the picture and passport number on it
in case your passport is ever lost or stolen. Submit one to the course
instructor to be kept in your file. Keep another packed separately from your
passport. You will need the passport number for various reasons during your
travels, so keep it handy.
Once
you have left the United States, you must have proof that you are a United
States citizen or have a visa to return. There are certain documents which
provide this proof. The most important one is your passport. As previously
discussed, you should keep this safe. United States citizens are granted easy
access to many countries that restrict other nationalities from entering. This
means that passports, especially U.S. passports are very valuable and in high
demand.
If you are careful, you should not have a problem, but if something does happen
to your passport it will be important that you have other documents with you to
prove your citizenship. One of these items is a notarized copy of your birth
certificate. If you lose you passport you will have to go through a complex
process to get another. Having these documents on hand can speed it up. Having a
copy of your driver’s license can also be of assistance, so bring that with you
also. As a backup, we encourage you to bring a copy of these documents to the
Builders Abroad office and we will store them in your file.
Visas
A passport is an international document that is
recognized by all countries. Visas represent each individual country’s way
of regulating visitors’ passage through their borders. Each country varies
as to what its entry restrictions are.
To receive a visa you must apply to the embassy,
consulate or representative agency of the country where you are planning to
study or visit. Southwestern College does not process visas, but we do
provide needed support documentation, such as letters of acceptance or
health insurance verification so that you can apply for the proper visa.
There is also information on the web about how to apply for a visa. Visit
the visa web site of the
Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
The easiest and most direct way to have your questions
answered about visas is to contact your host institution or the consulate or
embassy of the nation where you plan to study or travel. Talk with the Visa
Officer if possible. Other resources are travel agencies and airlines. They
can give you information when you are making your plans. However, it is best
to contact the consulates since they offer the most current and detailed
information.
Visas are normally only needed for long stays in a
country but are often not necessary if you are a tourist. Always check first
since visa rules are constantly changing. There are some exceptions to this,
such as Russia, Brazil, and China. If you plan to travel to other countries
during your study abroad, check with a travel agent to find out if a
visa is necessary for tourists for all the countries you intend to visit. In
many cases getting a visa is a cultural experience in itself. It will be
your first introduction to some of the bureaucratic processes you may
experience when working with a different culture or country. Builders Abroad
will assist you in every way possible, but please keep in mind that
ultimately you need to be responsible for making sure that you get the
proper information from the respective consulates of the countries you plan
to visit.
For
Non-US Passport Holders or those with Green Cards
Special visa regulations apply depending on your home
country and the passport or travel documents that you will be traveling
under. Please look into this as soon as you decide to go overseas.
You definitely must have visas for programs in the
following countries:
Brazil; China; France; Japan; Russia for any length of time, and some other
countries when your program is over six weeks in length. Always check first!
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Builders Abroad
100 College St
Winfield, KS
Sheila Krug, Director
Phone: (620) 229-6368
Email:
sheila.krug@sckans.edu
Campus Phone: (620) 229-6367 |
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This page was last updated on
Friday, March 28, 2008
This page has been accessed
times since December 22, 2001 |
