Travel Checklist
From AFSWiki
TRAVEL CHECK LIST FOR U.S. HOSTED PARTICIPANTS
Below are documents AFS participants hosted in the U.S. will need to have in their possession when they travel abroad. These documents must be kept in a secure place and a copy retained at home or entrusted to your AFS volunteer for safekeeping. Ensure that you first obtain approval for the planned travel if required.
___SEVIS DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor J-1 Visa Status)
If traveling outside of the U.S., be sure that your DS-2019 is endorsed by an AFS Responsible Officer. If you do not have the Travel Validation by Responsible Officer box completed (bottom right box of the DS form), mail the form to your AFS Regional Service Center with a self-addressed, pre-paid courier envelope, Attn: Support (800) 876-2377. For domestic travel, carry copies of your travel documents (DS-2019, I-94, passport and visa), treat this as you would the original.
___PASSPORT
Your passport MUST be valid at least six months beyond the conclusion of your visit or after your program end date. Before traveling abroad, contact your country's embassy or consulate in the United States to renew your expired passport. You can obtain up-to-date information on passport renewal at http://www.embassy.org/embassies/.
___U.S. VISA
Check your J-1 U.S. visa stamp in your passport. Has your visa stamp expired? Under entries – M is for multiple, 2 for double, and S is for single. A participant with an expired entry visa stamp and a valid I-94 card may have their visa automatically revalidated when they re-enter the US from Canada, Mexico, or one of the adjacent islands. Please read carefully the conditions regarding Automatic Revalidation of U.S. Visa in the AFS wiki or http://travel.state.gov/visa/laws/telegrams/telegrams_1441.html.
___I-94 ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE CARD
You must have your white, I-94 card stapled to your passport. You will need to surrender your I-94 card when you depart from the United States. You are required to complete a new I-94 card upon your re-entry to the United States with a new admission number. Your SEVIS ID number (printed above the bar code of your DS-2019) will not change. IMPORTANT EXCEPTION: J-1 students with expired U.S. visas who are traveling to Canada, Mexico or adjacent islands for up to 30 days AND who will be resuming their studies upon their return should not surrender their I-94 card. Canadian or Mexican nationals returning to their home country should surrender their I-94 card as they enter their country, and obtain a new I-94 card the next time they enter the United States.
___STUDENT ID and MEDICAL ID CARDS
You are advised to carry with you at all times your AFS Student and Medical ID cards. Your I.D. cards contain important contact information. You will be required to present your Medical ID card if you have to visit a health care provider in case of an illness or accident while on an AFS trip. Be sure to contact your AFS Regional Office, Attn: Support (800) 876-2377, if you have not yet received your ID cards.
___ FOR SPONSORED PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ONLY
Sponsored program participants are required to carry with them the State Department Travel Letter in addition to the endorsed DS-2019 when taking a trip abroad. Please request a copy of the travel letter from the AFS Regional Service Center, Attn: Support, (800) 876-2377.
___VISA(S) TO COUNTRY(IES) TO BE VISITED
It is the responsibility of participants to contact the consulate or check the consular website and make sure that they have the proper visa and documentation to be admitted to the country they intend to visit. For example, border authorities generally require foreign visitors to present a valid passport and visa, roundtrip airline ticket, proof of medical insurance, and for those under 18 years old, a notarized Parental Consent form. See consular/Embassy website information below:
Foreign Consular Offices in the United States: http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco/
Embassies in Washington, D.C.: http://www.embassy.org/embassies/
Embassy of Canada http://www.cic.gc.ca/
Embassy of Mexico http://www.embassyofmexico.org/
