The following provides basic information on visa requirements for travelers to the United States.
Participants are requested to check with the American consulate or diplomatic mission in their home country. It is the responsibility of the participant to obtain a Visa, and is not part of the organizers to provide any financial support. In order to ask at your local embassy/consulate, please visit the website of the US Department of State to locate your nearest branch: http://www.usembassy.gov/
From January 12, 2009, visas or electronic travel authorization will be required of all foreigners visiting the United States except for citizens or nationals of Bermuda, Canada, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia.
The change will affect mostly those from countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program. Previously they were able to enter the United States without a visa but now must obtain a visa or a travel authorization. Travel authorizations are free and available by registering online at http://www.travel.state.gov at least 72 hours before traveling here.
The affected countries are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
For more information, contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 877-CBP-5511 or http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel.
Processing Times
Please be aware that Visa applications can be a lengthy process and in some cases can take anything up to 3 months.