The Study Abroad Program does not process or issue visas for students.
All travelers should check the embassy web page of countries they plan to visit for updated visa and travel requirements. Visas can be obtained either directly from the embassy or from a visa service. Submitted paperwork must be completed fully with attention to detail to prevent delays. A visa is usually just a stamp or slip of paper attached to a page in your passport and is the official permission by a government for you to visit or study in their country. There are different types of visas, the most common are study, work, and tourist visas. Be sure that you understand the type of visa you need. Be aware that the visa may require you to leave the country after a specified date or forbid you to work for money. The visa process can be quite lengthy as it requires you to gather supporting documentation including your actual passport (always required - you cannot apply for a visa until you have a passport), your acceptance letter (always required - like the passport, you cannot apply for a visa until you have an Acceptance Letter), financial records and guarantees, proof of health insurance while abroad, an application fee, and so on. Each country outlines their own requirements, including the application fee (the fee charged for the processing of your visa Application), so do not be surprised if your friend's visa requirements are different than yours. Even once you have gathered all of your documentation and completed the visa application, consulates generally require 4-6 weeks for processing. Some consulates require up to 3 months for processing. Visa types include: tourist, business, and student. You should read carefully to determine which type of visa you need. Some European countries will allow US citizens to visit for short periods of time without a visa. Care should be taken to ensure students studying abroad are allowed this same privilege. First, you should determine whether or not you will need a visa to enter your country of choice before you apply, since not all countries require a visa. An excellent resource to determine whether or not you will need a visa is the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Entry Requirements website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1229.html
In order to obtain a visa:
1. Check with the representative of your program to find out if you will need a visa for your study abroad experience. Most programs will aid you in obtaining a visa, supplying instructions and some of the supporting documentation for you; others may require that you obtain the visa yourself prior to departure. Remember, in all cases, you must wait to apply for a visa until after you have been accepted to your study abroad program.
2. If your program provider requires you to obtain your own visa, contact the Consulate or Embassy for the country in which you will be staying for exact details. One of the primary jobs of a consulate is the issuing of visas, and they see a large volume of visa applications everyday. All consulates work on a per jurisdiction basis, meaning that they divide the United States into regions. You must first figure out which consulate has jurisdiction over you. For instance, the French Consulate in Washington, DC is the consulate with jurisdiction over residents of Pennsylvania. A resident of California may not apply for a visa to the French Consulate in Washington. They must instead find the consulate that has jurisdiction over their region. It sounds confusing, but all of the regions of jurisdiction are clearly outlined on the consulates websites. Generally, they will have a line on their website to the following effect: "If you are a resident of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York and Maryland, please click here. All others, please visit the Main Consular Services Website to determine your consular jurisdiction."
To begin the visa process, we recommend that you use the consulate's website for information. You can also call a consulate of the country in which you wish to study. Tell them that you will be studying abroad, for how long, and ask them what the procedures are for obtaining the necessary visa. Note: Calling consulates can be very frustrating as they generally have an extremely large volume of requests per day. Because of the volume, most consulates have moved to automated-answering systems which may simply tell you to visit their website (where we recommend you start anyway). Most consular websites are incredibly thorough and contain all of the information that you will need to obtain and application, complete it, and send it with all of the necessary supporting documentation.
A good way to avoid any frustration is to begin the application process as soon as you are accepted into your program. In most cases, obtaining a visa is a painless enterprise if you allow enough time. It can become difficult if you wait too long to apply. Patience is necessary as you are dealing with another culture. Remember though, you will not be allowed to apply for a visa until you are accepted, so simply wait until you have that Acceptance Letter in your hand and then worry about obtaining a visa.
3. Some consulates require that you apply in person, others will allow you apply by mail. If you apply by mail, it is always advisable to use some sort of Express Service (again, each consulate will outline their policies on which services you may use. Some consulates will allow you to use UPS, some will only permit Federal Express Mail). It is important to use a mail provider like the ones listed above because they offer package tracking, which allows you to check on the status and delivery of your package. Do not send your visa application through regular mail as you could risk losing your passport and other important documents. Below is a list of several consulate phone numbers and websites where you may learn about the visa requirements for that particular country as well as which consulate has jurisdiction over you. If your country is not listed here, you can call (212) 555-1212 for Directory Assistance in New York City, or (202) 555-1212 for Directory Assistance in Washington DC. Additional information is also available on the web at http://travel.state.gov/foreignentryreqs.html