Travel Information for Non-U.S. Attendees
The following information is provided in order to make international travel as convenient as possible for non-U.S. attendees. The conference management staff is here to help whenever possible, providing participant letters to conference attendees who have completed the registration process. Letters cannot be issued to potential attendees until registration and full payment are made.
CUSTOMS INFORMATION – ENTRY REGULATIONS
People visiting from non-U.S. countries require a valid passport and possibly other documentation. Since obtaining travel documents outside the United States can take time, it is important to check with the nearest Consulate well in advance of a trip to the United States.
Citizens of 36 countries in Europe and the Far East may visit the US, for up to 90 days without a visa if the attendee has a passport with a computer-readable bar code under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Details can be found at the U.S. Department of State web site here. or contact your local American consulate. Attendees from Canada and Mexico are reminded to bring a valid passport to cross into the United States.
International visitors to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program are now required to apply for travel authorization online. To apply visit the Electronic System for Travel Authorization web site here.
If you do not already have current ESTA authorization, we recommend that you apply as soon as you know you will be traveling to the United States under the VWP.
ESTA
Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is an automated system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). ESTA approval authorizes a traveler to board a carrier for travel to the United Stales under the VWP.
ESTA is not a visa. It does not meet the legal requirements to serve in lieu of a US. visa when a visa is required. Travelers that possess a valid US. visa may travel to the United States on that visa for the purpose it was issued. Travelers traveling on valid visas are not required to apply for an ESTA. In the same way that a valid visa does not guarantee admission to the United States, an approved ESTA is not a guarantee of admission to the United Stales.
ESTA became mandatory January 12, 2009. VWP applicants are required to complete a green Form 1-94W and a white Customs declaration upon arrival in the U.S. whether or not they have an ESTA authorization.
Approved ESTA applications are valid for a period of two years, and multiple trips to the United Slates without the traveler having to re-apply for another ESTA. The ESTA travel information may be updated before each trip to the U.S., but it is not required. When traveling to the US. with the approved ESTA, you may only stay for up to 90 days at a time – and there should be a reasonable amount of time between visits so that the CBP Officer does not think you are trying to live here. There is no set requirement for how long you must wait between visits.
Travelers whose ESTA applications are approved, but whose passports will expire in less than two years, will receive an ESTA valid until the passport’s expiration date.
New ESTA authorization is required if:
- You are issued a new passport
- You change your name (first and/or last)
- You change your gender
- Your country of citizenship changes
- Your circumstances change, eg., you are convicted of a crime of moral turpitude or you develop a contagious disease. Such a change may require you to get a visa to travel to the U.S. You must re-apply and your application must reflect the change in your circumstances or you may be denied entry upon arrival in the United States.
DHS recommends mat you apply for ESTA authorization as soon as you know you will be traveling to the United States under the VWR.
CURRENCY AND BANKING
Official currency of the United States is the dollar, denoted by USD ($). Automated teller machines (ATM) are available throughout the area and locations may be found here for Visa and here for MasterCard.