Methods in Protein Structure Analysis has been registered as a scientific meeting with the International Visitors Office of the U.S. State Department. Foreign participants must apply for visas as early as possible and no later than May 28, 2004. For information about obtaining a visa, please visit the U.S. State Department's International Visitors Office website: http://national-academies.org/visas.

Some travelers under the Visa Waiver Program may need a machine-readable passport (MRP) in order to enter the United States without a visa. For the list of countries and their deadlines for obtaining a MRP passport, see the U.S. State Department's Visa Waiver Program webpage: http://www.travel.state.gov/vwp.html.

Information from the U.S. State Department about Getting a Visa
and Coming to the U.S.

Since September 11, 2001, visa applications are now subject to a greater degree of scrutiny than in the past. The time for visa processing today is difficult to predict with accuracy for any individual applicant, and will vary significantly by country. The U.S. State Department is working hard with other government agencies to rationalize clearance procedures in ways that continue to protect U.S. borders, our first priority, while facilitating legitimate travel.

For many nonimmigrant visa applicants, a personal appearance interview is now required as a standard part of visa processing, and contact will need to be made by the traveler with the embassy or consulate to schedule an appointment for an interview. Additionally, applicants who need additional screening are informed at the time they submit their applications. These steps can take additional time to process a visa.

Please note that Embassy Consular Sections overseas have sole responsibility for issuance of visas, and they generally are the first point of contact for visa processing status. Visa Services at the U.S. State Department is not able to expedite the processing of visa applications.

Advance planning is important! Please review your visa status now and make an early visa application, if one is required. Information about visitor visas, what a person needs to apply, is available on the U.S. State Department website at http://travel.state.gov/visa_services.html. The U.S. State Department suggests these planning steps for your visa:

- As soon as travel to the United States is contemplated, foreign travelers should identify whether a visa is needed. For visa waiver countries, citizens meeting the visa waiver criteria will not need a visa.

- After identifying that a visa is needed, foreign travelers should contact the Embassy Consular Section in their country to determine visa processing timeframes. We recommend contacting the Consular Section via internet at http://travel.state.gov/links.html. Look for posted timeframes on the internet or call the Consular Section to hear recorded information about visa processing timeframes.