Information for International Attendees
If you are attending the CDC and are traveling to Orlando from outside of the United States, there are certain U.S. passport and visa policies that you need to be aware of.
Passports
All persons traveling to the U.S. are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter the United States. For attendees to the CDC, you should apply for a passport by the time you have submitted your abstract, no later than November 3rd, 2019.
Visas
A citizen of a foreign country entering the U.S. must first obtain a non-immigrant visa for a temporary stay. All temporary visitors to the U.S. are required to obtain a visa, with the exception of nationals of Canada and countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program. If you are a citizen of one of the 36 participating countries in the VWP traveling to the U.S. for tourism or business and staying for 90 days or less, you can do so without obtaining a visa. Please see the VWP link for more information about this program.
If you do not qualify for the VWP program, you will need to apply for a Visa. Applicants for visitor visas should apply at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. As part of the application process, an interview at the embassy or consulate is required for applicants ages 14-79. You can complete a U.S. visa application online at travel.state.gov. Once your application has been completed, you will need to schedule a visa application interview. The wait time for interview appointments varies, so you are encouraged to apply as early as possible. To learn how to schedule an appointment, pay the application fee, review specific instructions for your embassy, and other information, please visit the website of the U.S. embassy or consulate where you plan to apply. You can find a list of all U.S. embassy and consulate websites at usembassy.gov.
In order to obtain your visa, you will need an official letter of invitation from the Conference Director, Dr. William Boles. As soon as you receive notice that your abstract has been accepted for presentation (no later than December 15) ,you should fill out this International Template filling in the bold sections with your pertinent information and adding in any other required information, save it as a Word document, and e-mail it to compdrama@rollins.edu. We will edit the letter, print it on letterhead, sign it, scan it, and e-mail it back to you.
If you are attending the conference, not presenting, and need a Certificate of Participation, you should e-mail a request for one no later than February 28. You will be able to pick up your Certificate at the registration table.