Passports & Visas for AMIGOS: Overview for Volunteers

• AMIGOS requires that all volunteers, regardless of country assignment, send two copies of the first page of their passport to the international Office by April 1.
• Volunteers’ passports should be valid through September of the project year.

Volunteers Assigned to the Dominican Republic, Paraguay and Michoacan-Mexico (not Oaxaca or Guadalajara)

• Currently, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, and Michoacan-Mexico (not Oaxaca or Guadalajara) are requiring a visa.
• AMIGOS will collect the passports of these volunteers, along with completed application forms and applicable fees.  (Information will be sent out in February or March to all impacted volunteers. These documents are due at IO by April 1. Please make sure that the volunteer has signed all passports before mailing them to the International Office. To ensure the safe arrival of passports, send them via certified mail or through an express mail carrier that will insure them. These passports will be returned to volunteers at the gateway departure city.
• The volunteer is responsible for the cost of processing and obtaining a visa, if such an expense is incurred.

Volunteers with Non U.S. Passports

• Chapters must call the International Office to report the name and country of citizenship of each volunteer with a non-U.S. passport as soon as that information is known.
• Citizenship may affect project assignments and the need for special visas.
• Volunteers traveling with a non-U.S. passport are required to obtain their own visas for travel to their ass

   

  igned host country. If they are traveling to Brazil or the Dominican Republic, the International Office will assist them in obtaining a visa.

• Residence Cards - Volunteers must travel to the field with the original document (not a copy) of their residence card in order to re-enter the U. S. at the end of their project. Send two copies of the Residence Card to the International Office by April 1.

Lost or Forgotten Passports

• All volunteers will 

   

  be responsible for traveling with their passport to the gateway departure city. If a volunteer arrives in the gateway departure city without a passport, he/she will NOT be permitted to travel to the field. In such an instance, the volunteer will be held liable for any related expenses.

Renewing or Applying for a U.S. Passport

The process and requirements for obtaining a passport are outlined on the US State Department website. You can apply at a regional passport agency. This is explained in further detail here.

The cost of applying for expedited service to receive a passport within the last 2 months of traveling is huge, and the chances of not receiving the passport in time are considerable. Normal processing times take about 6 weeks, although this time can increase as the summer travel season approaches! Apply NOW if you need a passport. 

• Proof of US citizenship– normally a birth certificate, report of birth abroad, or proof of naturalization or derived citizenship.
• Documentation proving identity – with a signature, photograph, and physical description. A driver’s license (but not a learner’s permit) is normally the best identity document. If the volunteer does not have a driver’s license, the parent may show their driver’s license and attest to the volunteer’s identity.
• Two identical 2" x 2" passport photographs taken within the last 6 months.

Visit the State Department first-time appicant page to see what documents to bring, which fees to pay, etc.

The U.S. Department of State runs the Passport Services Department. Inquiries can be made by calling 1-877-487-2778 or by emailing NPIC@state.gov.