PASSPORT
A valid passport is required for you to enter and leave your home and host countries. Apply several months in advance for a passport.
If you already have a passport, please check that it has not expired and that it will be valid for at least six months beyond the end of your ISEP placement period. Keep a record of your passport number in a separate location from the passport itself.
Passports and other documents should be carried with you during travel, secure yet readily accessible at immigration or customs.
Make a copy of the identification page of the passport and carry it separately from your passport and give a copy to a parent or friend. This will help if your passport is lost or stolen. An official, certified birth certificate and additional passport-size photos are also good to take abroad in case your passport is lost or stolen.
U.S. Citizens: Please check the U.S. Department of State Web site (http://travel.state.gov/) for information about how to apply for a passport.
VISA/RESIDENCE PERMIT
Nearly every country in the world requires that foreign visitors obtain a visa. A visa is usually a stamp on a page of the passport that signifies an agreement on conditions of entry. In some cases, stays of more than three months require that you obtain a residence permit before leaving your home country, instead of a visa. Common visa types are tourist, student and work.
Be sure you understand the type of visa that you are receiving. The visa may require you to leave the country after a specified period of time or to maintain a full-time student status, or it may deny permission to work for money. If you violate the terms of the visa, you may be subject to legal action or deportation.
Visa and residence permit requirements vary widely among countries. It is your responsibility to find out what documents you are required to submit to the embassy or consulate.
You should allow adequate time to obtain a visa to travel abroad by beginning the process as soon as you know your ISEP placement site. Depending on your country of citizenship, you may need to allow a number of weeks or even months for your host country to process all of the required documents. If you delay in submitting the necessary materials, ISEP can do very little to assist you in obtaining the documents required for entry.
All ISEP participants who attend U.S. host institutions are sponsored under ISEP's J-1 exchange visitor program. ISEP participants are not sponsored by their host institution for visa purposes.
Initial information on visa or residence permit requirements can be found in the ISEP Country Handbooks.
CUSTOMS REGULATIONS
Become familiar with your home and host countries' customs regulations.
For U.S. customs information, visit the travel section of the United States Customs and Border Protection Web site. (http://www.cbp.gov/).
Entering a Foreign Country
Customs declaration forms are distributed on planes and should be prepared in advance of your arrival for presentation to the immigration and customs inspectors. Whether or not you have anything to declare, you must at least fill out the identification section of the form.
Upon entering the foreign country, you must show your passport, turn in your customs declaration form, and pass through a baggage check. Customs regulations and procedures, as well as the purpose, nature and thoroughness of the customs check, vary radically from country to country. If you are traveling with unusual items or large quantities of any kind of goods, check with the appropriate embassy before departure to find out if such articles are prohibited from entry.