Conference Visa Information
Do you need a visa to travel to the U.S.A.?
Visitors of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) who wish to come under visa
waiver may be granted permission to enter for up to 90 days only and may not extend their stay. The list
of VWP countries and requirements, including the required registration in the Electronic System for
Travel Authorization (ESTA), can be found on the US Department of State website here. 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.
If you are NOT a citizen of a Visa Waiver Country, you will need a visa.
If you already have a U.S. visa, check the expiration date to make sure that the visa will not expire before
your planned travel date. If you do not have a valid B1/B2 visa in your passport, you will need to apply
for one. Subsequently, check to make sure there are at least two blank pages in your passport.
Obtaining a B1/2 visa to the United States
If you require a visa, please start your application as soon as possible. We recommend applying for your
visa at least 2 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 are available here.
Please note: It is highly recommended that passports always be valid for at least 6 months of your travel
dates and have at least 2 blank visa pages. Many countries even require this for visa applications as well
as crossing borders.
STEP ONE: Find your Consulate/Embassy and make appointment
Below, please find the link to the web page for U.S. Consulates/Embassies worldwide. You must
schedule your visa appointment at a U.S. Consulate in your home country. It's a good idea for individuals
to start early in case there are lengthy visa delays, sometimes due to security or administrative checks.
http://www.usembassy.gov/
STEP TWO: Check the requirements for your visa interview
You will find the US Department of State's information on Visitor's Visas for Business at the link below.
Please review this in detail to ensure that you compile and provide all the requisite documents to avoid
unnecessary delays:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1262.html
STEP THREE: Obtain an Invitation Letter, if required by your Consulate.
International attendees may need a letter of “invitation” in order to obtain a visa to visit the United States.
A generic invitation letter will be provided for you AFTER you have received a conference registration
notice. Please request your letter by sending an email to: [email protected] with a copy of your
conference registration and include the following information:
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Full name as on passport
Citizenship
Passport number
Job Title
Office or business location and address
Name of conference attending
STEP FOUR: Check your visa
When you receive your visa, make sure it was issued correctly. That is, make sure that the information
listed is correct – name, date of birth, passport ID number. Also make sure that the Visa Type/Class listed
is “B1/B2” and that the visa is valid at least through the date that you plan to enter the U.S.
STEP FIVE: Documents to carry when traveling
Visa travelers should carry at least the following documents with them when traveling for this conference:
1. Valid passport with valid B1/B2 visa. Or, if you are a citizen of a Visa Waiver Country and are
traveling to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program, a valid, Machine Readable passport.
2. Registration receipt and/or agenda for the conference
3. Training/Meeting schedule, if applicable
4. Hotel registration/confirmation receipt
5. The generic invitation letter
STEP SIX: Arriving in the United States
Once you have been inspected at the U.S. airport by a U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) official,
an admission stamp will be placed in your passport confirming your date of entry. At the first opportunity
you have, you should print and review a copy of your I-94 record.
You will access your I-94 by going to www.cbp.gov/I94. You will need to have your passport with you
to do this. Review the I-94 to ensure that the “Class of Admission” is listed correctly as either “B1/B2” if
you entered the U.S. using a B1/B2 visa, or “VWB/VWT” if you entered the U.S. under the Visa Waiver
Program. The I-94 will also specify the dates that you are permitted to remain in the U.S. Check to be
sure that “Admit Until Date” is on or after the date that you plan to depart the U.S. If you cannot access
your I-94 record, try again in another day or two. If you still cannot access the I-94 record and/or there
are errors, please email [email protected].
For those of you who have traveled to the U.S. in the past when physical I-94 cards were issued at the
airport, now that the I-94 system has been automated, you will not need to return your I-94 upon your
departure from the U.S. The CBP systems will automatically be updated with your departure date based
on flight manifest information.
Those of you entering through U.S. land borders may still receive a paper I-94 upon entering the U.S.
Please take the time to ensure that the information on the I-94 is correct. When you depart the U.S., you
will need to surrender the I-94 card. You will do so by surrendering it to the Canadian or Mexican or
Canadian authorities once you cross the land border. Or, if you entered the U.S. through a land border,
but will be departing from an airport, you will surrender the I-94 card to a ticket agent for the airline you
are using.
All letters of invitation are generic in nature and will be signed and sent via secure PDF format that
can be printed out by the requester. No mailed (postal) letters of invitation will be sent unless your
home country Consulate requires it.
Please note that in the absence of any of the above mentioned information, or if you are not approved
to attend the conference, we will not be able to process your request.
It is the traveler’s responsibility to check and confirm current travel document requirements to enter
the United States.
Further information
Please review the following information about the United States before you travel:
http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english.html
http://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/united-states