many participants
will need to have passports in hand several months in advance of travel in order
to secure required visa or residency permits. Pick up an application at
the post office at Fourth and Washington in Bloomington, at a county clerk’s
office, or download it from the Internet (http://travel.state.gov/). You
will be instructed to submit the completed application with two recent photos, a
certified copy of your birth certificate, another ID with photo and a signature
(such as your driver’s license), and $100.
Processing time varies, but can take up to 4 months at peak times.
It will be valid for 10 years.
You can check the status of your passport application online
at: http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/status/status_2567.html
Make two photocopies of the passport page that has your name
on it. Leave one copy with your family when you go abroad and take the
other with you. The copy will make it much easier for you to replace your
passport if it should be lost or stolen.
Visa and Residency Permit
A visa is an authorization, usually a stamp in your passport,
that permits you to travel into or reside in another country for a stated period
of time. The visa is issued by the country’s consulate in the U.S. Student visas
are required for a number of programs. If your program requires a visa, you will
receive visa application instructions and supporting documentation. The
application process for some visas will require that applicants obtain
supporting materails from other agencies, possibly including translated and/or
notarized copies of official documents such as birth certificates, high school
diplomas and official transcripts, and may require submission well in advance of
travel dates. Some applications must be submitted in person.
If you plan to leave the U.S. well in advance of the time the
program begins contact Overseas Study or your program provider as early as
possible. Early processing of visa applications may be complicated or, in some
situations, not possible at all. Consulates process visa applications according
to the start date of the study abroad program and not according to personal
travel plans.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you are responsible for
contacting the embassy of the country where you will study to determine its
entry and visa requirements for citizens of your country. You are also
responsible for arranging to remain in compliance with U.S. immigration
regulations regarding an extended stay abroad and re-entry into this country.
Students on all programs will receive assistance at the
program site in arranging official student or nonresident status.
