Visa Requests

1. As soon as you know you will be traveling internationally, search visa requirements to learn if a visa is needed and the forms and other supporting documentation required for your length of stay. If a visa is not required, you must still submit a request to pick-up your Official Passport from the International Travel Section (ITS).
   • If you are not a FAS employee, you must notify your Agency Travel Coordinator, who will submit your visa request to the International Travel Section (ITS) and inform you of any agency specific international travel requirements. Your Agency Travel Coordinator may have you fill out a visa form per embassy requirements.
   • If you are a FAS employee or FAS Travel Arranger, you must submit the visa request via the International Passport and Visa Request System (IPATTS). Refer to the How to Guide to obtain a Passport and/or Visa for information on using the IPATTS system. NOTE: GovTrip does not notify ITS of passport and visa requests. You must use the IPATTS system for any international trip even if a visa is not required and you are just picking up a passport.
2. If a visa is required, complete and submit the visa form and supporting documentation, as outlined in the visa requirements, to your Agency Travel Coordinator, Travel Arranger or directly to ITS, if you are a FAS employee. Refer to the Visa Forms Do’s and Don’ts Guide to ensure your form is filled out correctly and the How-To Guide for Electronically Completing Visa Forms
3. Make sure you are giving the International Travel Section (ITS) enough time to obtain your visa prior to your departure date. Please refer to the Processing Periods section below to obtain a rough idea of how long visa requests take to process.
4. Once ITS has obtained your visa(s), they will inform you that your passport is ready for pick up.
5. If you have any questions contact your Agency Travel Coordinator, Travel Arranger or ITS for more information.

Note: The International Travel Section (ITS) is responsible for obtaining visas for USDA official government travelers. You are not to obtain the visa on your own, in transit, or after departing from the United States.

Processing Periods

In general, the processing periods for visa requests are as follows:

• To obtain 1-3 visas, allow 5-10 working days prior to departure after your passport is made available to ITS.
• If you require more than 3 visas, add 2 working days for each additional visa.
• Countries such as China, Russia and Vietnam require from 7 to 20 working days to issue a visa, depending upon the purpose of the trip. This is in addition to the time required by ITS.

If you need to renew or obtain a new passport, add an additional 15 working days to the processing periods listed above.