SPI Urges Overseas Attendees To Obtain Visas Early

Published: January 28, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC | The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI), has urged individuals in many countries who plan to visit the United States to attend NPE2009 to start the process of obtaining a visa well in advance of the event. NPE2009 will take place June 22-26 at Chicago's McCormick Place.

Most travelers to the US must obtain a visa in a process that can take anywhere from one to three months and sometimes longer. The process involves 1) making an appointment for an interview at the US embassy or consulate in one's home country; 2) submitting an application, passport, and supporting documents at the interview; and 3) allowing for a period of time after the interview for one's application to be reviewed and processed. One of the required documents is an official letter of invitation to attend NPE2009 from SPI, which can be requested as part of registering in advance for the event.

The US government has posted extensive information on the visa process at www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/index.html. This website includes a page with links to the sites of US embassies and consulates throughout the world, typically providing local visa information in the host-country language as well as English. Registrants for NPE2009 can obtain additional visa information and assistance by clicking on the "International" button at the NPE2009 website, www.npe.org.