During a recent conversation with a friend of mine, I found myself rambling in the lingo bingo of travel, going on about entry requirements, customs and immigration. He smiled & kindly suggested that instead of blabbing about it, I should share some information on how it all works. That’s what good friends are for, they know how to tell you to be quiet with diplomacy. He did have a point though, and it is the inspiration for this article.
What do you need to see the world?
If you are an American Citizen the first thing you need to do is get yourself a passport from the U.S. State Department. You will need to find a local passport office and fill out a DS-11 form, provide a valid government issued I.D., birth certificate, and two passport photos.
To find a passport office near you or to download the DS-11 form, check out the US State Department website at state.gov.
Image: Jamison Antoine
For an adult passport (individuals 16 and older), the cost is $120. The passport photos can be obtained at any drug store with a photo developing lab. The pictures take about five minutes to develop and shouldn’t cost more than $14. Once you submit your application with all the required documents and photos, allow four to six weeks for the state department to process it. There are expedited services that allow you get it in emergency situations in a matter of days, but usually it takes 2-3 weeks.
Depending on what part of the world you’re headed, you will need what is called a visa to enter a particular country. You can apply for a visa through the foreign embassies, which are normally located in Washington D.C. or New York. The applications require information such as the amount of time you plan to stay in the country, where you plan to stay while you are there, and whether your travel is for business or for pleasure.
Image: Jamison Antoine
Some countries require that you obtain a visa prior to arriving while others allow you to get it at the airport. The United Kingdom and most of the countries in the European Union do not require visas for U.S. citizens, but if you plan to travel in Africa, Asia, or the South Pacific you should check ahead. The fees for visas can range anywhere from $15 to $100 per application. It is best to contact the embassy or the country’s board of tourism to get bullet points of what they require and how long it takes to process an application. Once while picking up a visa, I overheard the dispair in a woman’s voice who had just been informed that her visa would take a week to process. The problem was she was traveling the next day!
Keep in mind that your passport will need to have at least 6 months of validity on if you already have one. This is a staple requirement on most visa applications, so make sure its up to date and has many years on it before it is set to expire.
Once you have your passport and your visas in order you are good to go. Now just try not to bore your friends to death with all your stories when you get back. See you in the world!
Jamison Antoine is a “Hip Hopper Turned Globe Trotter” currently on an exciting mission to see the world. Visit The C.O.M.B to read more about Jamison’s adventures.
Last 5 posts by Jamison Antoine
- How To See The World: Airport Security - August 4th, 2010
- How To See The World: Finding Travel Deals - July 14th, 2010
