Documents

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

The most important documents you must have while travelling, and should keep on your person at all times, are your passport and your International Student Identity (ISIC) Card if you're a student [faculty have a separate card]. If you are entering a country that requires a visa, or if you are not a United States citizen, you will also need to apply in advance for a visa. All three documents, and how to obtain them, are detailed below.

Passports

If you do not have a valid passport, you should submit application materials for a passport at least 2 months in advance of your first international trip, where possible. To request a passport , you will ultimately need the application (available at any county courthouse or downloaded from the Internet at http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds11/ds11_842.html; a certified official copy of your birth certificate; a current, valid driver's license or OU student identification card; two 2"x2" identical passport photos (get a sheet of 8 at CVS Pharmacy for $8); and exact cash or check for the execution fee and for the passport fee described in the instructions.

If you are leaving within a few weeks of submitting the passport application materials, or if you need a visa as well as the passport to travel immediately after the end of the quarter, you should obtain the passport by expedited service (see information at http://travel.state.gov/passport_expedite.html), which will increase your check for the passport to $80 (fee plus $35 expedite service), and will also require you to pay for Express Mail postage both to and from the National Passport Center, 31 Rochester Ave., Portsmouth, NH 03801-2900 (ca. $20-25 total).

For the precise steps to apply for a passport for the upcoming "Global Studies" field course, including expedited service, download and follow the Instructions for Getting a Passport.

Visas

US citizens do not need a visa to enter most countries for periods of up to 30 days, including Latin America or western and central Europe; notable exceptions include Brazil and quite a few other countries around the world!. Non-US citizens should investigate whether a visa is necessary, at least 3 months before departure and definitely before purchasing an airline ticket. For information on what each country around the world requires for visitors, and how to go about getting a visa, go to http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html.

ISIC Cards

All students participating in the international field course (which is a bona fide Study Abroad course) are required to obtain an International Student Identity Card (ISIC card) prior to departure. It provides a certain level of student insurance, as well as discounts on many in-country tourist attractions and other situations. It provides cheaper airfares for many flights. It is also, importantly, another piece of identification during the trip.

Get the application form at the Education Abroad Office, Lindley Hall 185, fill it out and return it to that office, with a check for $22. The EA office staff will process the application for you.

Prepared by Harvey Ballard; last revised 1 March 2007.

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