The Office of Global Operations provides guidance both before and after you travel outside the United States by helping you navigate all necessary paperwork, documentation, health requirements, and more.
It is important to understand how, when, and where to obtain required travel documents, including passports and different types of visas.
It is important to understand how, when, and where to obtain necessary travel documents, including passports and different types of visas.
If you are planning to travel outside of the United States, you will need a passport. Make sure your passport will be valid for at least six months after you return home and that it has two or more blank pages.
If you do not currently have a valid passport, submit an application to the U.S. Department of State (or your home country’s foreign ministry) in a timely manner in order to request or renew one. Processing times for a U.S. passport can vary between 2-6 weeks depending on the time of year; some countries may have longer processing times.
In order to obtain a new U.S. passport or a passport renewal, it is important to learn how to apply and where to apply.
If you lose your passport while traveling outside the United States, contact your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate to replace your passport.
For each country you visit, determine if you need a visa, and make sure you obtain the correct type of visa based on your trip purpose. You are responsible for submitting visa applications well in advance of departure, and for collecting invitation letters or other supporting documentation when required.
Visa information is available from the consular/embassy in the U.S. for the country you are traveling to. Some countries require you to appear in person at the consulate (fortunately most countries have consulates in New York). Websites of foreign embassies in the United States provide further application information. In addition, the visa processing firm CIBT has a useful tool for determining visa requirements.
If you will be traveling to Europe for an extended period of time (multiple weeks), you should know what a Schengen Visa is. The Schengen area is the entirety of the European Union plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and minus Romania, Bulgaria, Ireland, the UK, Cyprus, and Croatia. If you get a tourist or business visa from one of these countries it is colloquially known as a Schengen visa. If you are an American citizen or from certain other countries and you travel to one of these countries without a visa you are allowed to stay for up to 90 days in any 6 month period for tourist or business purposes. However travel between any of these Schengen countries counts towards the same 90-day visa allotment.
Make two copies of your passport identification page and any visas. You should keep one copy in your baggage (separate from the originals) and leave a second copy at home with a family member or trusted friend. Consider emailing a copy to yourself for emergencies (but remember email is not a secure mode of communication).
In order to receive immunizations, prescriptions, and other pre-travel medical services, students, faculty, staff, and post-docs must schedule a travel health visit.
Visit the Student Health Center or your personal physician for a travel consultation.
Schedule your travel health visit at least 4-6 weeks before departure to get any recommended immunizations or medications. All currently enrolled students are eligible to use Student Health Services, and there is no cost for any visit type, regardless of insurance type. Before your appointment, check the CDC Traveler’s Health website for country-specific information.
Individuals can use MARC to schedule an appointment at the Student Health Center. Groups scheduling an appointment at the Student Health Center can email both Dr. Zbar and Jeanifer Tang.
During a travel health consult, you can expect the following:
Visit Employee Health or your personal physician for a travel consultation.
Schedule your travel health visit at least 4-6 weeks before departure to get any recommended immunizations or medications. There is no cost for services related to your job. Before your appointment, check the CDC Traveler’s Health website for country-specific information.
If you require vaccinations that are not available at the Student Health Center or Employee Health (i.e. Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, etc.), please make an appointment at a travel medicine clinic. Bring your travel itinerary and immunization records when you visit the clinic.
There are many travel medicine clinics in and around NYC. Some include from the Mount Sinai Travel Medicine Program, Passport Health, and the New York Center for Travel and Tropical Medicine.
If you aren’t feeling well once you’ve returned from your trip, please make an appointment with the Student Health Center, Employee Health, or your personal physician. Make sure you let your physician know that you recently traveled abroad.