Passports & Visas

Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States to attend a convention must first obtain a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay. The visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to the United States port-of entry and request permission of the U.S. immigration inspector to enter the U.S.

The “visitor” visa is a nonimmigrant visa for persons desiring to enter the United States temporarily for business (B-1), for pleasure or medical treatment (B-2), or combination of both (B-1/B-2) purposes.

For information on the procedure for applying for a visitor visa, please visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1262.html.

Visa Waiver Program

Travelers coming to the U.S. for tourism or business for 90 days or less from qualified countries may be eligible to visit the U.S. without a visa if they meet the visa waiver program requirements. Select Visa Waiver Program to learn more, and find out if you meet the visa waiver requirements.

Currently, 35 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program, as shown below:

 Visa Waiver Program - Participating Countries:

Andorra

Hungary

New Zealand

Australia

Iceland

Norway

Austria

Ireland

Portugal

Belgium

Italy

San Marino

Brunei

Japan

Singapore

Czech Republic

Latvia

Slovakia

Denmark

Liechtenstein

Slovenia

Estonia

Lithuania

South Korea

Finland

Luxembourg

Spain

France

Malta

Sweden

Germany

Monaco

Switzerland

Greece

the Netherlands

 United Kingdom
 

Letter of Invitation

You must register for the Congress and pay your registration fee prior to requesting any letter of invitation needed for visa purposes. Congress registration commences on-line in January 2013. Proof of payment is one of the requirements to apply for a visa. We discourage any illegal immigrants from using our congress to try to obtain a visa to enter the U.S.

Please request a letter of invitation to the Congress from the ICCB 2013 Conference Manager Coordinator by emailing 2013@conbio.org. You should submit the letter of invitation along with your visa application.

Please Note: It is your responsibility to ensure you have made the appropriate arrangements prior to arriving in the U.S.