2008 51st SVC Annual Technical Conference
April 19-24, 2008
Hyatt Regency Chicago on the River Walk, Chicago IL

Reference Web Sites:
U.S. DEPT. OF STATE, TRAVELINFORMATION
For foreign citizens traveling to the United States and American citizens traveling abroad.
www.travel.state.gov

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE,VISA INFORMATION
Do you need a visa?
Visit this Web Site if you need a visa.
http://travel.state.gov/visa/index.html

O’HARE AIRPORT INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PROCESS
International travelers entering Chicago at O’Hare International Airport need to be aware of several important changes.

• U.S. VISIT fi ngerprint collection pilot program.
  Visit their Web Site at www.dhs.gov/us-visit for more information.
• Passport requirements have changed. Any passport issued on or after October 26, 2006, by a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) country, must be an e-Passport for VWP travelers to be eligible to enter the U.S. without a visa. The most common way of visiting the U.S. without a visa is through the VWP. Visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/
  without_1990.html for more information.

Visa applications now require face-to-face interviews at the embassy or consulate in your country, digital fi ngerprints, and more involved personal data as part of the process. These are new rules and time consuming. The SVC Administrative Offi ce will help you to attend our conference. As soon as you submit your abstract, send your request for the Letter of Invitation immediately to SVC at svcinfo@svc.org. You will need this Letter of Invitation to accompany your application for a visa, which you must take with you to the interview with the embassy in your country. The whole process can take at least four months depending upon your country of residence. SVC is here to assist you if you start the process early.

SVC has an International Freight Forwarder to assist exhibitors to get their equipment into the United States.