Here are summaries of several mandatory emails that outlines things that you must do. The content is abbreviated to contain general information and web links. Please contact me or Cal Maradonna if you need the full message re-sent to you!

With that in mind I would like all traveling to South Africa this year respond to this message ASAP with the following:

1. Your name as it appears on your passport (or will appear if you don't have it yet)

2. A phone number where you can be reached for last minute information.

Also this Friday is the deadline for paying your initial $1,500 for this trip. I have 8 students on a waiting list and must notify them if they will be able to attend.

Just think we are only 43 days from departure.
 

Jan. 22, 2003
Dear Traveler,

Please read this entire message.
Here is the payment schedule for the South Africa/Namibia trip leaving March
12, 2003. - Sent in email - contact me if you need this.

PASSPORT
 

Based on some e-mails I have received there are a number of you whose
passport will or has expired before October 2003. You must have a passport
to travel on this trip and it must be good beyond the October 2003 date. If
you are not traveling on a US Passport you must go see Felix James,
Associate Provost immediately (3rd floor Armitage Hall). He will guide you
through the process of applying for visas. Also be sure to have all the
paper work you needed to enter the US with you on this trip.
 

Please submit a copy of your passport picture page and visas to Mary Falls
(2nd floor Armitage Hall).
 

FORMS

You must also complete a General Application, Insurance and Physician's
Form.  You can pick them up from Mary Falls (2nd floor Armitage Hall) or
they can also download them from:
http://int-studies.camden.rutgers.edu
 

PASSPORTS
All US citizens, including children, are required to obtain passports in
their own names for identification while traveling abroad and for re-entry
into the United States. Unless specifically authorized by a passport issuing
office, no person may have more than one valid, or potentially valid, US
passport of the same type at any one time. Following is a summary of the
passport application process that was compiled from information provided by
the US State Department, which maintains a web site at
http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html
 

You can download PDF versions of all applications at
http://travel.state.gov/download_applications.html
(NOTE:  I"ve had trouble with this link!)

First-Time Passport Applications
If you are applying for your first US Passport, you must apply in person at
one of over 3500 Clerks of Court or Post Offices which accept passport
applications or at one of the regional Passport Agencies listed below. Call
your county courthouse or the largest regional post office in your area or
look under the blue pages of your phone book. You will need to provide the
following documents:
 

1. Proof of United States citizenship or nationality such as: a certified
copy of a birth certificate (one issued from a government office, not a
hospital) for all applicants born in the US, a Certificate of Naturalization
or Citizenship, or an expired US passport.
 

2. Proof of identity (photo ID with signature) such as a previous US
passport, a Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, a valid driver's
license, or a valid government or military identification card.
 

3. Two identical passport photographs taken within the last six months. The
photographs must be 2x2 inches with an image size between 1 and 1 3/8
inches. Photographs must be a front view, full face, taken in normal street
attire without a hat or dark glasses, with a plain white background.
 

4. A completed passport application form DS-11 which contains all the
requested information except your signature. This form must be signed in the
presence of an authorized executing official.
 

Passport Renewals
Applicants who have had a previous US passport issued within the past 12
years, and who were 16 or older when the passport was issued, may be
eligible to apply for a new passport by mail providing they can submit their
passport and their name has not changed. They may also apply in person.
Documents required for passport renewals include:
 

1. US Passport
 

2. Two passport photos
 

3. A completed passport application form DS-82 which contains all the
requested information and is signed and dated. You can order an application
form by calling the passport agency nearest you. Mail the completed
application and attachments to:
 

National Passport Center
P.O. Box 371971
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7971
 

If you are sending your renewal by overnight delivery other than the US
Postal Service, send it to:
 

Mellon Bank
Attn: Passport Supervisor, 371971
3 Mellon Bank Center, Rm 153-2723
Pittsburgh, PA 15259-0001
 

Your previous passport will be returned to you with your new passport.
 

Passport Fees
Passport fees for an initial ten-year passport are now $85 if you are 16
years of age or over, and $70 for a five-year passport if under 16. Note
that the fee for a passport is written out as a check or money order to
Passport Services and to the county clerk's office, so you may need to bring
two checks. Passport renewal fees are now $55. Some local governments are
now charging additional processing fees as well.
 

Time to Apply
Passport application processing time varies with passport agencies
workloads. It is best to apply in the fall when workload volume is at its
lowest. Processing time is normally about 3-4 weeks, but you should apply at
least 4-6 weeks prior to any scheduled international travel. The spring and
summer months are the busiest so the application process may take longer
during these months.
 

Expedited Passports
If you are leaving on an emergency trip within five working days, apply in
person at the nearest passport agency and present your tickets or travel
itinerary from an airline, as well as the other required items. Or, mail
your application overnight express mail and enclose a include a
self-addressed, prepaid envelope for the overnight return of the passport,
with a check made out to Passport Services and request for its return by
overnight express mail. Be sure to include your dates of departure and
travel plans on your application. Applications are processed according to
the departure date indicated on the application form. If you give no
departure date, the passport agency will assume you have no immediate travel
plans. If you are leaving the country in less than 15 work days, enclose a
$60 expediting fee (in addition to the overnight mail fee) and clearly mark
the envelope "EXPEDITE."
 

Passport Security
When traveling abroad, carry your passport with you at all times in a safe
place. It is a good idea to take a photo copy of your passport with you and
keep it in a separate safe place along with copies of your credit cards,
traveler's checks and plane tickets. If your passport is lost or stolen, US
embassies will usually accept this as proof that you're a US citizen and can
quickly issue you a temporary passport. It's also a good idea to leave a
copy of your passport with someone at home in case of emergency.
 

Obtaining Additional Visa Pages
If you require additional visa pages before your passport expires, submit
your passport with a signed request for extra pages to one of the passport
agencies listed below. If you travel abroad frequently, you may request a
48-page passport at the time of application.
 

Changing Your Name
If your name has been changed, you may have your current, valid passport
amended with this new name. To do so, mail your passport with your Court
Order, Adoption Decree or Marriage Certificate showing your name change, and
a completed passport application form DS-19 to the Passport Agency nearest
you. You must complete the application and sign it in your new name.
 

Invalid Countries
Check with the embassy or consulate for the countries you are visiting
before departure; it is possible the US Passport will not be valid for entry
into these countries.
 

Passport Agencies
All have limited 24-hour recordings which include basic information about
the passport agency location, hours of operation and information regarding
emergency passport services during non-working hours. For additional
information try the U. S Department of State's Passport Information Web
site: http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html. Most passport agencies
now require appointments to service passport applications, so be sure to
call before visiting your local office.
 

You can also listen to automated recordings or talk to a live person by
calling the new privately run passport information service at 900-225-5674.
Callers will be charged 35 cents per minute for automated service which will
explain what's in this document and $1.05 per minute to speak to a live
person.
 

PHILADELPHIA Passport Agency
US Custom House
200 Chestnut Street
Room 103
Philadelphia, PA 19106-2970
(215) 418-5937
Region: Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, & West Virginia

If you have and questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.
Cal

http://travel.state.gov/namibia.html
http://travel.state.gov/safrica.html