Passports & Documents You Need To Study Abroad

By Danielle Wirsansky on June 20, 2016

Studying abroad can be one of the biggest and best adventures of your life. Visiting, experiencing, and living in these countries can help to shape you in ways that you never expected. But in order to keep your adventure high flying and as successful as possible, there are some things you need to do in order to prepare for it.

Of course you need to book your flight, find your place to stay, and figure out and register for the classes you want or need to take. However, something important that is often overlooked is the documents that you will need when studying abroad. The most important documents that you will need to prepare are your passports and whatever documentation you need in order to get your passport.

Read on to learn about what documents you might need so that you can get your passport in time for your travels!

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Your passport is an important document that can be easy to overlook. But no country will let you in without a passport and some have even more stringent rules about how close it is to its expiration date. If you need to do anything with your passport at all, you need to do it right away because it often takes a very long time for it to get back to you and it can be somewhat costly.

If you have never had a passport before, you need to get one issued ASAP. Some things to know about getting your first passport:

You must apply for it in person, following these steps:

1. Fill Out Form DS-11: Application For A U.S. Passport
2. Submit Completed Form DS-11 In Person
3. Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship
4. Present Identification
5. Submit a Photocopy of the Identification Document(s) Presented
6. Pay the Applicable Fee
7. Provide One Passport Photo

On your application, please note that you must not sign the application until instructed to do so by the Acceptance Agent and that you must provide your Social Security Number in accordance with the FAST Act.

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If your passport will expire during the time that you will be studying abroad or has expired in the last five years, you need to renew it ASAP as well.

In order to be issued or renew your passport, you will have to supply primary evidence of U.S. citizenship. You will not be able to have your passport renewed or issued without them so make sure you have these items prepared. You must submit one of the following documents, and photocopies and notarized copies are not acceptable:

•Previously issued, undamaged, and fully valid U.S. Passport (5 years for minors or 10 years for adults)
•Certified U.S. birth certificate (must meet all of the following requirements):
1. Issued by the City, County, or State of birth
2. Lists bearer’s full name, date of birth, and place of birth
3. Lists parent(s) full names
4. Has date filed with registrar’s office (must be within one year of birth)
5. Has registrar’s signature
6. Has seal of issuing authority
•Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth
•Naturalization Certificate
•Certificate of Citizenship

Having your passport in tip-top shape before traveling internationally cannot be emphasized enough. It is always best to just renew it altogether before a big trip, even if it is not quite expired. Once while traveling to France on a research grant from my university, I was stopped at the Charlotte airport as I was about to board my plane due to my passport.

I was confused why I got flagged because my passport should have been fine — it had not even expired yet. But I was told that because my passport expired in less than six months, they were not supposed to let me board my flight. This was in case I was planning to stay abroad for longer than that — I would not be allowed back into the United States, or some such. I had to argue with the airline representative and show them that I had already bought my flight ticket back to the United States well before my passport would expire.

It was a harrowing experience and I almost missed my flight. But it certainly hit home the importance of having your passport completely straightened out so that you do not have any surprises.

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You also want to make sure that you send the appropriate fee money or your passport renewal or issue could be delayed even more (because it can take up to eight weeks for your passport to be returned to you). There are different prices for different options, but a basic Adult passport book and card costs $140 (which is the price for a completely new passport or one being reissued). To get expedited service will cost an additional $60 so make sure that you get enough of a head start on the process that you will not have to shell out the big bucks!

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