Domestic Visa Information

Getting Started

1. If your passport is already expired or will be expiring within 6 months of your anticipated program's return date, you must renew it ASAP before you complete your visa application, as this information will be asked of you on the visa application.
2. Your visa application can only be completed once you have received your official acceptance from your program, as your acceptance packet will provide information that is needed for filling out the visa application correctly.
3. The consulate's website will indicate if you have to attend the appointment in person, if you are able to send in all of your paperwork for review, or if you can obtain it through an online submission process. Consular jurisdictions, with the individual consulate web links for discovering which consulate you should use can be found through the country’s main embassy’s webpage.
   1. If you do have to appear in person for the appointment per the consulate’s website, you should make your appointment at the correct consulate based on your permanent address, or in some cases, by where you attend school (if it is in a separate consular jurisdiction).
4. The consulate will keep your passport until they have issued your visa, which will be affixed inside your passport. Therefore, you should not have any other international travel plans scheduled for the time immediately following your visa appointment, or until you receive your passport back from the consulate.

Applying for a Visa

It’s an exciting time for students as they prepare for their term abroad!

One of the most important things that students need before they study abroad for a semester is a student visa. This is a legal document that allows students entry into their country destination for the duration of their study abroad program.

The student visa process can be long and, at times, anxiety provoking. Here are the most important things we want you to know about what it entails for students to apply for their visa:

• Students are legally responsible for obtaining their own student visa. It is not the student’s program provider or the Bryant Study Abroad Office’s responsibility.
• For most visas, an in-person interview/drop off is required, which is the reason that no one can obtain a visa for students.
• If students wait too long to make a visa appointment, against the advice by Bryant’s Study Abroad Office and their study abroad program, they run the risk of not obtaining their visa on time.
• Since visa processes are facilitated through country governments, it is crucial to know that Bryant does not have a way to obtain the visa for the student.
• A few country’s visa processes allows a third party to submit the required visa paperwork on behalf of a student for an additional fee (very few countries offer this). If this is an option through your student’s program, students will be informed of this benefit early so as not to miss the opportunity. However, if students miss the deadline set by the program to appear on the student’s behalf, the student then must make arrangements for getting the visa themselves.
• The Bryant Study Abroad Office works with partner programs for our study abroad opportunities, and it is these programs that are best equipped to help with answering all visa questions.
• If a student does not arrive for the appointment with all the required documentation, then he/she may be denied a visa at that time. They would allow the student to reschedule the appointment, but the new appointment may not be in time to go abroad.
• If students don’t receive their visa on time, they will not be allowed to study abroad for their intended semester, and will have to withdraw or defer their plans, which may result in fees. These fees are the student's responsibility and are explained at various points throughout the semester they’re applying for study abroad.
• No one within Bryant’s Study Abroad Office or with the program has contacts within the Embassy or Consulate Offices, so there is no way to help get an earlier appointment.
• In general, Consulate Offices do not offer expedited services, so planning ahead is a must. A student should plan for a visa to take 4 to 6 weeks for processing.
• If you cannot get an appointment, remember that you are dealing with a foreign government, so your US senator or congressman will be a little to no help with this matter.

Visas for summer and winter programs are not likely needed, but would depend on the country requirements a student has selected.

Visa FAQ

Any additional questions you may have about the visa process should be directed to your program provider (e.g. API, IAU, TEAN, etc.) or institution's International Student Office (if you’re participating on a direct partner program), as they field visa questions and stay apprised of visa processes and any applicable updates constantly. The time between submitting all your visa paperwork and receiving your visa varies by consulate, it is not an immediate process.

• Finish your program's application materials (even those pieces that list a later deadline) so you can receive your official acceptance early.
• Inquire with your program about the visa type you need for your study abroad program EARLY on and retain all communications with them pertaining to this.
• Research which of the consulates you will be using for obtaining your visa from based on your permanent or school address's consular jurisdiction, and what items are required from that consulate to receive your student visa. Bookmark the consulate's page listing the required items needed to obtain the visa or print it out for your records and start a visa folder to keep all of your required items together.
• Once you know which of the consulate's you need to make your appointment at, pick a day that you know you can appear in person (if required by the consulate) for your appointment, as well as whether you need to appear in person a second time to pick up your passport again. Then, schedule your visa appointment so it falls as close to the start of the 90-day mark before your program's start date as possible. This should leave plenty of time to receive your visa and will reduce stress and anxiety that you may not receive it in time before you have to leave.
• After you receive your program's acceptance and are sent your various documents needed for your visa, collect the original letter(s) and documents according to what your designated consulate lists as required for submission, and put them in the folder you should now have for your visa paperwork submission. Make sure to make and keep the exact number of copies of your documents as required by your consulate in this folder also, so they can be sub mitted with all of the original items.
• Also, retain a copy of ALL items you have to submit to the consulate for your own records in case the consulate contacts you.
• A week before your appointment, review the required list of items one more time and make sure you have everything ready for your appointment in your visa folder, including the original documents and the exact number of copies. Make sure you have the consulate's address handy, as well as know how to get there and what form of transportation is easiest to take to get to the consulate.
• On the day of your appointment, give yourself PLENTY of time to arrive and get to where you need within the consulate.

Remember that you need to wait to receive your passport back from the consulate. They either will return it via a traceable delivery method or will contact you to pick up your passport in person. The traceable delivery method should be listed as one of the required items on your consulate's website for what needs to be submitted with your visa paperwork.

Recommendations

• Visit the correct consulate’s website according to your home jurisdiction (e.g. if you are going to be studying in Italy and live in NY, visit the Italian Consulate of New York’s website for visa information) and review their information regarding obtaining a student visa.
• Make your appointment with the correct consular location (e.g. you live in Ohio, you are using the Chicago office). That said, all Bryant students are able to use a Boston consulate location if the consulate has an office there.
• Keep all of your visa documentation in one place (e.g. a visa folder).
• Follow all of the consulate’s directions given for obtaining a visa (number of copies, payment procedures, mailing, etc.).
• If you can’t get an early enough appointment, you must check the website 7-8 times a day until you find an opening and still have plenty of time left to receive the visa before you have to leave.