Passports & Visas

First, because there's always a risk of losing something like your passport while traveling, we recommend that you save scanned copies of the photo page of your passport, visa (if applicable), other ID cards, credit/debit cards, and any other important documents somewhere that you can easily access if needed. It's also good to have a paper copy of your passport's photo page and visa printed out to carry with you.

If you lose your passport abroad, immediately report it to the U.S. Department of State. You will also need to contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate to obtain a replacement, and you may need to obtain a new visa. See the U.S. Department of State’s FAQs on Lost Passports for more.

To update the name in your passport, refer to the U.S. Department of State pages on completing a Name Change.

The U.S. State Department is no longer issuing passports with an X gender marker nor allowing gender marker change requests. Passports that were previously issued with an X gender marker or gender marker change remain valid until their date of expiration.

See the Forum for Education Abroad's page and the U.S. Department of State's FAQ page for more.

In some cases, a U.S. citizen can apply for a second passport book to be able to travel internationally while their regular passport is in processing for a visa. The second passport has its own unique dates of issue, passport number, and is generally valid for a shorter period of time than a standard passport.

The US State Department limits the number of duplicate passports, so the issuance of a secondary passport is NOT guaranteed. Because of this, we don’t recommend students make plans around obtaining a secondary passport, because if the request is denied, the student faces having to cancel travel plans or withdraw from their program last minute - which can involve significant financial and academic repercussions.

If you decide to look into a secondary passport further, be aware that:

• If you need a second passport for international travel while your visa is being processed, apply for a second passport, not a standard passport. Applying for a new “regular” passport will invalidate your original passport and the visa stamped inside it.
• You should not plan to enter your host country on your secondary passport without talking to your program first. For some countries, this can jeopardize your legal immigration standing and your ability to complete your program.
• We strongly advise against mailing a passport internationally.

Once accepted into your program, you will be given info on any required visa process. Hold off on starting the visa application until you receive these instructions from your program.

If you want to get an idea of what the visa process may look like for you in the meantime, the Entry/Exit Requirements section in the Country Specific Information pages on the U.S. Department of State Website provide a quick overview of what's generally required and a link to the country's embassy or consulate website for further details.

Entry requirements can change at any time. Pay close attention to consular and program updates, as you are responsible for knowing and addressing the requirements for your host country and program.

It depends on your destination, but you can't apply for your visa until after you have been accepted to your program. Consulates also often have a window of time in which they will begin accepting visa applications (like 90 days prior to your program start date), so you may have to wait for that window to open as well.

At the same time, there is usually no way to expedite your visa application, so make sure you know your consulate's normal processing timeline and submit your visa application with plenty of time to receive a decision before departure. During particularly busy times of the year (like over winter and summer breaks), visa processing timelines may be slower, so apply as soon as you receive the necessary instructions and documents from your program post-acceptance.

Visa costs can vary greatly, from $0 to over $1400.

Education Abroad includes the visa cost within the personal expenses category on our estimated costs page. If the visa process requires an in person application, our estimate also includes the cost of traveling to and from the consulate. The Office of Financial Aid takes into account the total estimated cost for the program, including these visa expenses, when determining your aid package for that term.

This varies widely by country and visa type, and you'll receive more detailed instructions from your program after acceptance on what documents you need to gather. But your visa application may require a subset of the following:

• Valid passport - you'll always need to have a valid passport in order to apply for a visa. In most cases, you'll need to submit your physical passport with your visa application as most visas are an actual stamp inside your passport.
• Letter of acceptance from CU Boulder and/or from your program
• Letter of acceptance from host institution
• Doctor's letter certifying that you meet certain health requirements
• FBI background check - if required, you will want to start this process ASAP as it can take up to 16 weeks to get
• Proof of health insurance - your program will usually provide this
• Proof of financial means - this varies but could be a letter from the Office of Financial Aid, a bank statement, a document confirming that your parent/guardian will be supporting you, etc.
• Travel itinerary - you may need to show proof of a purchased round-trip ticket (we recommend booking a ticket with a flexible change policy)
• Passport photo

Contact Education Abroad sooner rather than later if you think you might want to study abroad on back-to-back programs (like a fall semester in one place followed by a spring semester somewhere else) or potentially extend your study abroad for another term (such as extending from a fall semester to a full year).

Extending on the same program

For some countries, it can be quite easy to simply extend your stay for another semester. For others, it may not be an option at all, or you may need to return to the U.S. between semesters to apply for a new visa.

Back-to-back combinations

Studying abroad on back-to-back programs is entirely doable, but can take some additional planning and, in some cases, some flexibility in your program choice or location due to visa requirements. 

Talk to our office as early as you can in your planning process, so we can discuss what combinations might be doable. We also recommend checking out our Visa "Lite" Semester Programs list, as most of those programs work well as a second semester abroad.

In most cases, you will not be allowed to work on a student visa. It is also generally not possible to obtain a work permit without first securing a job placement from a company willing to sponsor your visa. For the rare countries that do allow students to work, pay close attention to the rules on how many hours you can work each week, the dates of your work allowance, etc.

If you plan to do an internship, check with your program to see how this will impact your visa requirements. 

Visa denial is extremely rare, but is usually due to one of the following:

• incomplete visa application
• visa application submitted without a signed passport
• visa application submitted to the wrong consulate
• some countries may not issue visas to persons with a criminal record

While visa denial is rare, every semester we have students not be able to depart for their program on time because their visa hasn't been approved yet (usually because the student applied late). So make sure you are reading all the instructions from your program as soon as you receive them and stay on top of the process!

All students must obtain a visa if required by their host country to participate in their program. Failure to obtain a visa will not only prevent you from attending the program, but could also result in financial or academic repercussions as well. You may be denied entry into, or be deported from, a country for which you have not obtained a required visa. Education Abroad and the University of Colorado Boulder are not responsible for obtaining visas nor are they in any way responsible for the consequences of visa denial.

The first thing to keep in mind is that consulates are commonly understaffed - they may even be a one-person office. It is important to remain considerate and polite.

• Some consulates prefer you to contact them via email, and others prefer phone. If your consulate doesn't specify, then it's worth trying both (but know consulates may have limited hours when they answer the phone).
• Allow several days (or more) for a response
• In most cases, it is not possible to expedite visa applications. Emailing the consulate to request this or to check on the status of your application - especially if it's within the posted processing timeline - actually slows the consulate down, because the same people who respond to your email are the ones who would otherwise be reviewing your application.
• If your consulate requires an in-person application, you will generally be required to book an appointment. If you are struggling to find an appointment, keep checking the appointment booking link for cancellations.
• Neither CU Boulder nor your program are able to intervene on your behalf with the consulate as both the visa application process and the decision to approve or deny your visa are determined entirely by the government of your host country.