Important Visa Information

Citizens of a foreign country who wish to enter the United States must first obtain a visa. It is vital that you do this as soon as possible. To assist you, information on how to apply for a Visitors Visa can be found here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_types_visitor2.html.

Once your paper has been accepted as an oral or poster presentation and/or you have decided to attend as a delegate and require a letter of invitation, please contact the Conference Secretariat directly.

Travellers coming to the US for tourism or business for 90 days or less from qualified countries may be eligible to enter the US without a visa if they meet the requirements of the Visa Waiver programme. These countries are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. With effect from 26 October 2004, all travellers wishing to enter the US on the visa waiver program must possess a machine-readable passport.

New rules for international travelers to the US

The US Department of Homeland Security has initiated a new rule for citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries travelling to the US. The 27 VWP countries include most of Western Europe as well as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore.

Starting January 12, 2009, visitors from these countries will be required to complete an application prior to travel to the US for the new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program. From August 1, 2008, VWP visitors may submit voluntary applications.

Visit the Department of Homeland Security Web site for a summary of the new rule, as well as a fact sheet and FAQs. These links will open in a new window.