Passports, Visas and Insurance

IMPORTANT PASSPORT INFORMATION FOR U.S. CITIZENS

The U.S. State Department's Passport Services unit is experiencing a major backlog in processing applications. Routine, non-expedited applications and renewals are taking approximately 12-14 weeks. Expedited service is taking approximately four to six weeks. Additionally, because the service uses a centralized system, travelers cannot get their documents faster by submitting applications directly to a regional processing facility. Although the passport agency has hired extra help, the anticipated surge due to Phase I of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was far larger than expected.

We recommend that all students have a valid passport, regardless of when they plan to study abroad. You cannot go abroad without a passport, and most countries require that you have a student visa, which you cannot secure until you have a passport. If you plan to study abroad in the spring 2008 semester, and do not have a passport or have one that will expire less than 6 months AFTER THE END OF YOUR PROGRAM, it is imperative that you apply immediately. Use the expedited passport process and express postage to send your passport application and receive your passport back from the Passport Agency. It costs more, but will put you in the 4-6 week turnaround time, rather than the 12-14 week time frame. You need this time to apply for and receive a student visa AFTER you receive your passport. 

Passport applications can be obtained from the Clerk of Court at all county court houses and at U.S. Post Offices. In Middletown, passport applications may be obtained at the U.S. Post Office, 11 Silver Street (telephone 638-6977) or the Probate Court office, 94 Court Street (telephone 347-7424). You must send a certified copy of your birth certificate and two passport-sized photographs with your application. Passport photos can be purchased at various locations in Middletown, including CVS, Brooks, and Walgreens. The cost at all three locations is currently $7.99 plus tax; photos can be taken at the Post Office, but the cost is $15. The passport processing fee is $55, the application execution fee is $30, and the security surcharge is $12, for a total of $97. The additional fee for expedited service is $60, bringing the total passport cost to $157. The Passport Agency recommends that you use U.S. Postal Service Express Mail to send your application and to receive it. Express Mail is $16.25 each way for a total of $32.50.

**Whether on Wesleyan-administered or -approved programs, students are responsible for obtaining their own passports and student visas for travel abroad unless they are specifically informed otherwise by the program directors.

**Students are also responsible for their own health insurance if the program does not provide it. One option is to purchase the student insurance plan available through Wesleyan. We also strongly encourage the purchase of an International Student Identity Card, available through the OIS. In addition to discounts on travel and activities, this card provides some insurance coverage, including medical evacuation and repatriation.