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CIBT VISA and
Passport Updates
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
• CIBT announces the opening of full service office in Atlanta. CIBT
is pleased to announce the opening of an office in Atlanta, Georgia effective
October 1. Address details and contact information will follow soon. For
further information, please don't hesitate to contact the CIBT Account
Management Department.
• Effective immediately; India has just announced that a letter from the
sponsoring organization in India on company letterhead will be required for
all business visa applications. Please contact customerservice@cibt.com for
further information.
• India has increased fees for most visa types effective July 01, 2008. Six
month business visas will no longer be granted to U.S. citizens. Please
contact customerservice@cibt.com
for the latest information. India will reject applications anytime the
vital information on the passport does not match the application exactly.
Please proof your application form carefully.
• Please be advised that CIBT will now charge a $45.00 per country
research fee for any non-business or non-tourist visa request.
• The Chinese Embassy and its Consulates recently changed visa submission
requirements. As a result, an additional fee of $15 will be temporarily
assessed to cover the extra costs associated with expedited processing and
strict jurisdiction enforcement imposed by China. Please contact customerservice@cibt.com for
further information.
• U.S. cell phones do not work in Japan and Korea. Please contact Global
Phoneworks (http://www.globalphoneworks.com/)
for reduced rate mobile phone rentals. Special promotional discounts
available for groups of 20 or more traveling to China.
• Department of Homeland Security delays border crossing rules. Those
U.S. citizens returning to the U.S. by land and sea will not have to
present a passport until June 1, 2009, according to the U.S. DHS and the
State Department. The WHTI land and sea final rule and specific information
on documentation requirements may be obtained at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/.
For general information on the WHTI or other travel-related programs,
visit www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov or www.cibt.com.
• CIBT offices are not open on weekends and cannot accept weekend
deliveries.
• The CIBT National Customer Service Center will close at 5 PM on Friday
August 29.
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QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
• To apply for a visa, how long must my passport be valid? In order
to get a visa, most countries require that your passport be valid for at
least 6 months past your scheduled return to the U.S. If you are getting a
multiple entry visa, and your passport is set to expire soon, you might
consider getting your passport renewed first, since the visas in you
passport are no longer valid once your passport has expired.
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TIP OF THE WEEK:
• Please remember to
include photocopies of all documents submitted to CIBT for processing. CIBT
also recommends keeping a set of photocopies on file for your own future
reference. Providing photocopies of all documents submitted will help to
ensure that all of documents are processed efficiently.
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CONSULATE AND EMBASSY CHANGES:
CITY ITEMS & ISSUES
Chicago- Brazil: now
requires two blank visa pages, side by side. All visa applications must be
filled in online.
Germany: now requires a personal appearance for all tourist visa
applications.
Houston- No issues.
Los Angeles- Brazil: visa processing can take up to two weeks.
Czech Republic: now requires traveler's personal appearance.
Croatia: now requires traveler's personal appearance.
Hungary: now requires traveler's personal appearance.
Romania: now requires traveler's personal appearance.
Miami - No issues.
New York- Brazil: will no longer issue same day visa requests.
India: will be closed on August 15.
Kenya: will not issue multiple entry visas until further notice.
Nigeria: in addition to the manual form; all visa applications must be filled
in online.
Philippines: will be closed on August 18.
Tanzania: will no longer issue 1 year visa.
Uganda: will no longer issue multiple entry visas.
San Francisco- India: will be closed on August 15.
Indonesia: will be closed on August 18.
Vietnam: will no longer issue 3 month multiple entry visas.
Washington- Azerbaijan: all visa applications must be filled in
online.
Brazil: will no longer process out of jurisdiction applications.
Indonesia: will no longer process out of jurisdiction applications.
Nigeria: all visa applications must be filled in online.
This update is designed to keep our clients more informed about consulate
and embassy changes. Please circulate it among your staff. If you have any
comments or would like to add or delete a name to the distribution list,
contact us at acctmgmt@cibt.com.
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