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Meetings
U.S. Visa Information

View Visa and Passport Requirements for Canada

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. 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