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Passport, Visa, Immunization, and
Insurance Concerns
PASSPORTS
U.S. citizens:
You need a passport to leave and reenter the U.S.
If you do not yet have a VALID passport (check the expiration date!),
you should obtain one AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! It can take up
to a month or more for a passport to be issued. It is very
important that your passport remain valid for your entire time
abroad.
You'll need:
a) a passport application
b) proof of citizenship (e.g. a certified birth certificate)
c) two identical passport photos; and
d) the passport fee.
Applications and more information is now available
online
Non-U.S. Citizens:
Please be sure your passport will be valid for the amount of time
you will be away. International students at Brown should also be
sure to check in the Foreign Student, Faculty & Staff Services
Office regarding leaving Brown for study abroad.
VISAS
Foreign
Entry Requirements
The U.S. Department of State Bureau
of Consular Affairs lists (by country) foreign entry requirements
and contact information for foreign embassies in the United States.
US citizens: A visa is your permission
slip to enter another country. Tourist visas may usually be obtained
at the port of entry. However, student visas must often be
obtained prior to leaving the United States. Some visas, such
as for Australia and Japan, require x-rays and other medical information
and may take up to a month to obtain, whereas others may take just
a few minutes!
Non-US Citizens: Check with your
program and/or country consulate if visa application procedures
are different for your country.
IMMUNIZATIONS
Check
with your program and/or the Travel Clinic at Miriam Hospital in Providence
(331-8500) or Brown Health Services (3-1001) to see if you need any
inoculations before your trip or medicine to take with you.
The U.S. Centers
for Disease Control (CDC) website is another helpful resource.
This is a comprehensive, government-run resource that lists all
current outbreaks, diseases, and available vaccinations. It can
be searched by region and also offers pointers on how to best maintain
health and what practices to avoid or embrace while abroad.
INSURANCE
All study abroad programs require
health, repatriation and sometimes evacuation insurance. Check with
your program and your parents and guardians to verify that your
insurance will cover you while overseas. Don't leave home without
it!
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