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home | study, work, & travel | travel abroad | passports and visas Passports and VisasNews item: U.S. citizens will need a passport as of January 23, 2007 for travel by air to Canada, Mexico, or Bermuda. Citizens of those countries will need a passport if flying to the U.S. For more information, see New Requirements for Travelers. Passport Information Visa Information Passport InformationGetting a Passport ApplicationPassport applications are available locally at the Ann Arbor Main Post Office or at the County Clerk's Office. Start the process by collecting the items you will need to get a passport. To apply for your first passport or to renew a passport that was issued when you were less than 16 years old, you must apply in person at one of these offices. Routine processing takes approximately six weeks. Complete information and downloadable application forms are available at U.S. Department of State. You will need to bring the following items when you apply in person:
Apply in person locally at one of the following locations. For locations other than Ann Arbor, see the U.S. Department of State web site.
Expedited Passport ProcessingPassports normally take six weeks to process. To get a passport within about two weeks, you must pay an additional fee. See U.S. Department of State for more information. Apply for expedited passport processing at the following locations:
Getting PhotosYou can get passport pictures immediately at the following locations in Ann Arbor:
Passport Replacement
Visa InformationSome countries require travelers to get special permission before entering the country and it is called a “visa”. A visa is an official stamp in your passport authorizing you to travel, work or study in that country for a specified length of time. Each country, through its embassies abroad, issues its own visas (if one is required). Visa RequirementsYou may need a visa . . .
For information and for visa application forms, contact the consulate or embassy of your destination country (contact information for and links to foreign embassies in the U.S. can be found at Electronic Embassy. Refer to the U-M International Center's directory of Embassies and Consulates Near Michigan for a list of the embassy offices closest to Michigan. If you are a U.S. citizen traveling to most European countries as a tourist and will spend less than three months in any one country, you do not need any visas. If you are not a U.S. citizen, see the International Students section below. Russia and some other countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union require visas. Some Eastern European countries require visas for visits longer than 30 days. More information on foreign entry requirements for U.S. citizens traveling on tourism/business can be found at U.S. Department of State. Getting a VisaYou must have a visa before you arrive in a country in cases where one is required. Apply early because some visas can take up to eight weeks to process (depending on the type of visa, your citizenship, which country, etc.). Most tourist visas for U.S. citizens going to most countries can be processed fairly quickly, within a matter of days or even on-the-spot if you can go to the consulate. Be sure to check for processing times before going!
If you plan to visit several countries which require visas, it may be easier to apply for only one or two visas before leaving the U.S. and get the others at embassies or consulates abroad as you travel. You may need extra passport photos for this. An embassy or consulate in the U.S. can give you the details. Tourist CardsTourist cards also authorize entry into a country and are issued instead of visas for some Latin American countries. They can also be obtained through an embassy or consulate, or sometimes through an airline or travel agency. International Students at U-MBe sure to speak with an international student and scholar advisor at the U-M International Center (icenter@umich.edu)regarding your travel plans and obtain the necessary signatures before departure, even for a trip to Canada. Non-U.S. citizens and permanent residents: Visas for foreign countries can take up to eight weeks. For European travel, see the Schengen Visa web site. One visa covers a number of countries. However, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are not Schengen countries and you would need to apply for additional visas for these and other nn-Schengen countries. See the Electronic Embassy for contact information and links to foreign embassies in the U.S. Look under specific categories, such as travel, or visas to find specific requirements. Additional Online ResourcesRefer to Travel Abroad Web Site Directory, Passports and Visas section for a list of resources and online forms. Last reviewed: 2/09 |
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