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Documentation Requirements for Non-Resident Aliens

This page is for Non-Resident Aliens only. If you are a United States citizen or permanent resident or member of the UW–Madison community, this page does not apply to you.

For the University of Wisconsin to pay for your travel, hotel, or meal expenses, we must have certain personal information from you. We collect as little information as possible and do not share it except with University staff who need it. Most of what we need comes from the online form you completed after accepting our invitation to attend.

When you come to the School in Madison, we will need to look at and verify your travel documents. Please bring all travel documents to the School! See below for details.

Tasks To Do Now

Please check your passport and visa for travel in the United States now. Make sure that all documents are valid from now and until after the School ends. If any documents are expired or will expire before the end of the School:

  • Tell us immediately, so that we can help you
  • Begin the process for updating your documents immediately
  • Do whatever you can to expedite the update process

The University of Wisconsin cannot pay for or reimburse you for costs without valid travel documents. We have no control over this policy and there are no exceptions.

If you are in the United States on a J-1 Scholar visa, there are extra steps needed to make the University and Federal government happy. If you have a J-1 visa and have not heard from us about it already, please email us immediately so that we can help.

Documents to Bring to the School

When you come to Madison, you must bring:

  • Passport
  • U.S. visa
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection form I-94
    • If you entered the U.S. before 30 April 2013, the I-94 should be stapled into your passport — do not remove it!
    • If you entered the U.S. after 30 April 2013, the I-94 is stored electronically; you can request a copy to print from CBP
    • If you are Canadian, you may use a second form of picture ID instead of the I-94 if you did not obtain an I-94.
  • Additional forms specified in the table below:
If you have this visa We will also need
F-1 (Student) Form I-20 (original document, not a copy)
J-1 (Visitor) Form DS-2019 (original document, not a copy)
Visa Waiver Program Paper copy of ESTA Authorization

Please bring all required information and documents to the School, especially on Tuesday, August 6. School staff will make copies of the documents and return them to you as quickly as possible. We will announce further details in class.