Oh, the places you’ll go!!! Your au pair year is full of experiences! Some even chose to travel abroad during this time! Before you travel outside the U.S. during your year, you must send your DS2019 and a travel request form to the Connecticut office for a travel validation signature. Once the form has been signed one time, it does not need to be sent in again. One signature is valid for the entire year.
**Plan to send this at least three weeks before your trip departure.*** 
If you plan to travel outside the U.S., it is very important to check with the consulate of the country you are planning to visit at least one month before your trip to find out whether you need a visitor’s visa or a transit visa for any stop-overs. Regulations change frequently, so it is important to check for current visa requirements. If you are an extension au pair planning to travel outside of the US, please see the travel visa section for more information. See the links below for more information about consulates.
For a list of all the consular offices in the United States, click here. Scroll all the way down to find a list of countries. Click on the alphabetical listing that contains the name of the country you are looking for to locate the office nearest you.
For a list of countries whose citizens require a visa to visit Canada, visit http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp. If you need a visa to visit Canada, you can find the form and further information here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/apply-how.asp. You may need to apply for an eTA – Electronic Travel Authorization.
Please note: the Canadian consulate no longer accepts in-person applications for a temporary resident (visitor’s) visa. All visa applications for Canada must be mailed and can take more than 30 days to process. Plan your trip accordingly.
All visitors to Mexico must have a tourist card that can be obtained at the border. You can find details about this card at http://www.mexonline.com/visamex.htm. As long as you hold a valid U.S. visa (J-1) in your passport, you will not need any additional visas to travel to Mexico. Au pairs in their second year who want to travel to Mexico may need to obtain a tourist visa in advance from a Mexican consulate in the United States. You should have at least six months of validity left on your passport in order to apply for a visitor’s visa to Mexico.
Check here for the consulate closest to you. Contact them as far in advance as possible to find out if you need a visa and how long it will take to get one.
Extension Au Pairs: In your extension year, travel outside the U.S. is restricted. Please contact me before making any plans to travel outside the U.S. in your extension year.
Have a great trip!
Photo: 7th Groove {flickr}
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