Visa Information
ASPB's Annual Meetings in the U.S. are registered
with the U.S. Department of State. Please read the recommendations below on
applying for a visa.
The International Visitors Office of The National Academies has supplied us with this PDF of easy to follow instructions on applying for a US Visa.
Some of the information below has also come from that office.
- Apply as early as possible - We recommend applying at least 4 months
in advance. 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. Estimated wait times for your consulate may be available online.
- Check to see if your country is on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)
- Some foreign participants may not need visas if they are citizens of any
of the countries on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). However, after October
26, 2004, all citizens of VWP countries must have a Machine-Readable Passport
(MRP) in order to travel to the United States without a visa. An MRP is needed
to apply for a visa. For further information on the Visa Waiver Program and
for the list of countries see:
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_novisa_waiver.html.
In addition, all foreign visitors (including Visa Waiver Program travelers
as of September 30, 2004) will be fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival
in the United States.
As of November 17, 2008 - additional nations that no longer require a visa – for details click here.
- Check your expiration date - If you have a U.S. visa, check the expiration
date to make sure that the visa will not expire before the planned travel
date.
- What you need to apply - Information about visitor visas, and what
a person needs to apply, is available on the Department of State's Visa Services
website at: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/index.html
- To apply for a visa - After identifying that a visa is needed, foreign
travelers should contact the Embassy Consular Section in their country to
determine visa processing timeframes. We recommend contacting the Consular
Section via internet at http://travel.state.gov/visa/questions_embassy.html.
Look for posted timeframes on the internet or call the Consular Section to
hear recorded information about visa processing timeframes.
Request an ASPB Letter of Invitation
The NAS is interested in complaints from participants about visa applications,
please report any case to NAS by completing the questionnaire at http://www.nationalacademies.org/visas
NAS International Visitor's Office: http://www.nationalacademies.org/visas
- visas@nas.edu
Information on a Recent Briefing on Capitol Hill Regarding Concerns in the Science Community with Visa Policy
