This month, we continue our series of travel tips with some advice dedicated to foreign nationals.
For many foreign nationals living and working in the United States, the summer is a popular time to travel back to their native countries and renew their visa paperwork. If you are traveling abroad to renew your visa paperwork, here are a couple of helpful tips to facilitate the process:
Have a valid passport – Your current passport should be valid for at least six months and with at least three free or unmarked pages. In some cases, your passport should be valid for the complete period of the anticipated U.S. stay.
Start your visa application early – If you need to obtain a visa at a post abroad, plan ahead. Most consulates are very busy during the summer and holidays, and appointments may not be available on short notice. Visit www.usembassy.gov and familiarize yourself with the procedures of the post including documentation requirements. You can learn about visa wait and processing times at the State Department’s Travel Information website. Please note that these times are only approximate and subject to change.
We’ll continue this series throughout the summer. You can find the most recent tip, as well as an archive of all of my travel tips, by clicking here.