Visa and Passport Assistance for Travel to the United States

This conference will be registered with the U.S. Department of State and information contained herein is provided to aid you in applying for appropriate documents for travel to the United States.

International Visitors Office
http://www.nationalacademies.org/visas

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
http://www.dhs.gov/us-visit

U.S. Department of State
http://www.travel.state.gov

It is recommended that you visit your country’s government-sponsored web site which provides updated passport information with specific regard to travel to the U.S.

Persons planning to attend the 2013 International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering should begin visa and passport applications or upgrading at least three to four months ahead of the conference date. Individual travelers who require special clearance or special administrative processing may need to make an earlier request for travel documents. Some consulates may have backlogs in scheduling visa interviews so applicants should first contact the consulate to find out how long the wait is for an interview. Visa wait times are available at http://travel.his.com/visa/temp/wait/wait_4638.html

It is important to note the expiration date of your current passport, as a renewal may require additional passport features that may take extra time to process. Even if your passport was issued by a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) country, you may still need to obtain a visa as the visa may override a passport that does not meet new or newly enforced U.S. government security requirements.

To be sure that you are in compliance, research travel document requirements with the passport issuing authority in your country well in advance of planning your travel to the conference.

Applying for a Visa
The process for applying for a visa is outlined by the United States Department of State on their website, http://www.travel.state.gov. The process for foreign nationals entering the U.S. to attend a meeting or conference has grown longer, more involved, and more restrictive. The process will certainly require paying a fee and undergoing a background check and may take several months to process, so please plan ahead.