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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
• Please be advised that China continues to tighten its visa policy in
advance of the Beijing Olympic Games. In many cases, Chinese Consulates are
requiring additional back-up documentation such as proof of hotel stay, flight
itineraries, proof of previous visa, host business or Foreign Ministry
invitation letters from China, and certificates of financial guarantee.
These requirements are changing almost daily and are not uniform from city
to city. These changes are also being immediately implemented without
advance notice or grace period, so that items already in progress may be
affected. In some cases; we are seeing that China may deny visa requests to
certain foreign nationals residing in the U.S., and will refer the individual
to their home country for application. Please be assured that CIBT is
working diligently to understand and implement these new requirements. We
are updating our systems with this new information as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, we recommend that travelers contact CIBT (www.cibt.com) for the latest information
prior to submitting documents for processing.
• Many consulates will be closed for the upcoming May 1st holiday.
• U.S. cell phones do not work in Japan and Korea. Please contact Global
Phoneworks (http://www.globalphoneworks.com/)
for reduced rate mobile phone rentals. Special promotional discounts
available for groups of 20 or more traveling to China.
• Bolivia now requires travelers to have a valid yellow fever
vaccination certificate.
• India will reject applications anytime the vital information on
the passport does not match the application exactly. Please proof your
application form carefully. Additionally, India will no longer issue
a 5 year visa to U.S. citizens. U.S. passport holders may only request
visas for 6 months, 1 year, or 10 year visas (a 10 year visa request
requires a business invitation letter). All U.S. passport holders who apply
for a 5 year visa will have their applications rejected by the consulate.
The Indian consulate will no longer automatically convert 5 year request to
a 10 year request.
• China Group Travel: CIBT anticipates that many of our clients will
be sending groups of employees to China to attend events related to the
summer Olympics. CIBT can help your organization create a program with
customized visa "kits" for groups of 20 or more employees who are
traveling to China at the same time. If you are interested in learning more
about this program, please contact Steven Diehl (CIBT Business Development)
at: steven.diehl@cibt.com.
• Department of Homeland Security delays border crossing rules. Those
U.S. citizens returning to the U.S. by land and sea will not have to
present a passport until June 1, 2009, according to the U.S. DHS and the
State Department. The WHTI land and sea final rule and specific information
on documentation requirements may be obtained at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/.
For general information on the WHTI or other travel-related programs, visit
www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov or www.cibt.com.
• Effective December 3, 2007, The United Kingdom introduced a biometric
visa process. Travelers will need to complete applications online. CIBT
will continue to assist with securing the visa. Please contact CIBT for
additional information. http://www.britainusa.com/visas/articles_show_nt1.asp?i=65024&a=46974&L1=41000.
• CIBT offices are not open on weekends and cannot accept weekend
deliveries.
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