Congratulations! Now that you have received your visa,
follow these simple steps and you should have a trouble
free journey:
- Check Visa for Correct Information
- Travel Preparation
- Medical Insurance
- Money Matters
- Sample forms
- Port Of Entry, Interview and I-94
- Once you reach the USA
1. Check Visa for correct information: Once you receive your
visa, check the information printed on
it and make sure that it is correct.
- Your photograph should look like
the present you.
- Your date of birth must be correct.
- The date of issue and the date of expiry must be entered accurately.
- Check the visa type, which should
either be B1or B2 for visitors' visa.
- Check to see if you have a single entry or multiple entry visa.
("M" denotes that the person can enter the US multiple
times, until the date of Visa expiry).
- In case of incorrect information printed on the
visa, contact the consulate or your visa service provider,
immediately.
2. Travel Preparation: When can you start? You can travel at any time before the
expiry date mentioned on your visa. If the visa
is for a short duration of 3 months or 6 months, and
for some reason you delay your start date, say after 2 months
from the date of issuance of your visa, does it mean that you can’t avail
the time frame given on the visa ?
In such a situation, once you reach the POE (port
of entry) in the US, request the Immigration officer to consider
the length of stay form the date when you enter into
USA , the office may consider your request and grant
you different dates on your I-94.
Remember the date given on your I-94 is the limit of
your legal status in this country and not the date on
the visa.
Dealing with Travel agents Once you decide on your tentative
travel dates, get in touch with your Travel agents to
buy your tickets. While shopping for tickets, deal smartly
with agents and get to know some general information
before hand, this can save you some money. 
Tips
- Check the ticket rates with at least 2-3 agents.
- Don't buy Online from Indian websites, these tickets
are generally more expensive.
- Understand your best options to travel. ·Do
not grab an airline/ticket just because it is cheap.
Generally cheap tickets mean more number of hops
or lengthy stop over, or it takes an odd route.
- Some agents also offer Medical Insurance from
Indian insurance companies/services. Make sure you
understand what is Visitor Medical insurance and
whether it meets your requirements, don t
just agree with every thing the agent says.
- Call the airline to verify the ticket/flight conformation/reservation
after you receive the tickets from the agents.
- More Travel Tips :
Travel
Tips
First
Air Travel
Do you need Transit Visa?
Depending on what route and airline you choose there
may or may not be a need of an airport
transit visa, depends on what intermediate airport/country
you will be going through.
> Click here to view more information on
Airport Transit visa for USA Visitors.
3. Medical Insurance?
Medical insurance is very important
for people coming to USA. Medical care is very expensive
in USA, without insurance, a small illness or any
other medical related problem can be an expensive affair
for you or your sponsor.
Read more about Medical insurance: What is visitor
medical insurance, and why do I need it?
4. How much currency should I carry? If you have your return tickets,
you may not need much of cash during your flight unless
you want to do shopping at transit airports.
Generally somewhere around $500 in different denominations
of 1's, 5's or 20's US Dollars should be sufficient.
People that have international credit cards are surely better
off as they don't have to carry that much cash around.
Almost all the international airport shops accept US
dollars, so you need not worry about any transit country
currency in case you want to buy something or have to
meet any other expense.
Is there a limit on how much foreign
currency (dollars) can be purchased on my trip? Yes , RBI has defined certain rules
for each traveler going outside of India. In general,
US$10,000, in any one calendar year may be obtained
from an authorized dealer. The foreign currency limit for each person depends
on their purpose of visit, if the purpose of the visit
is on Medical grounds then the limit could be more.
Check this link at Reserve Bank of India. (RBI
Link).
Where to get the dollars?
Private authorized agencies like Thoms cook etc.
OR
Any reputed banks.
All international airports also have currency exchange
booths. There might be restrictions or limits on how
much can be converted. But be prepared to pay
a little more than the normal exchange rates at
the airport locations.
5. Sample Forms. During your travel from your home
country to USA, you will be given a few forms by the
airline to fill up, here are the samples for your reference.
(For first time USA visitor) ·
| Sample
forms: |
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Note:
Requires PDF reader. After Downloading on
your PC make sure the view zoom is set to
100%, for better resolution and quality
of these forms) |
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6. Port Of Entry, Interview and
I-94. Port of Entry (POE)
is the immigration check counter at the destination
airport of the USA. Upon your arrival in the USA, you
will have to pass through this counter where the immigration
office will ask you certain questions, after which,
your passport will be stamped and you will be given
the I-94 counter slip. Few Tips on
requesting a longer stay at POE. Once you reach home/hotel where you
will be staying make a photocopy of the I-94 counter-slip
and keep it safe.
7. Once you are in USA: Now that you are in the USA, you
may like to know more about the American culture and
lifestyle. This knowledge will help you better understand
how the system works in the USA, you will surely enjoy
your tenure better if you know more about these things.
- Know about USA.
- Learn
about what is different here?
- Traveling in/around USA?
- shopping/Gift
ideas for people back in your country?
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