Volume 3, No. 17. September 12,2003
Border time
If you are a resident
of any country except the United States and plan to attend the IAAPA 2003 Annual
Convention and Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, in November, you need to look
into your visa and passport requirements for entry into the country .
In post 9/11 America, all non U.S. citizens are subject to increasing travel
restrictions and delays. It is not just paranoia; it also is an extra-burdened
bureaucracy as the increased scrutiny of visa applications is causing delays
in processing. “Perhaps more than in anytime during IAAPA’s 85-year
history, visitors traveling to the United States need to contact their respective
US consular office or embassy far in advance of their intended departure date,”
said J. Clark Robinson, IAAPA’s president and CEO. “For those wishing
to attend the IAAPA Orlando 2003 Annual Convention and Trade Show, that means
now.”
Your application may be subject to additional screening procedures or you may
have to physically visit the embassy or consulate for a personal interview before
your visa will be issued. Even if you have traveled to the United States since
September 11, 2001, you need to ensure you know the latest requirements, for
they can and do change. Among the changes issued in 2003 are new requirements
for visa photographs.
One key change announced this week applies to the citizens of the 27 countries
who do not usually require visas to enter the United States. An October 1 deadline
for those citizens to have “machine-readable” passports with text
that can be read by computerized scanners will likely be delayed to 2004, pending
approval by US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. Belgium already enforces
the requirement for their citizens to have machine-readable passports. While
this is good news for this year, consider it a heads-up in your preparation
for IAAPA 2004.
Visit the US State Department’s website for The Bureau of Consular Affairs
at www.travel.state.gov
for more information.
— Sarah-Janette Smith
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
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