International Attendees Attending Convention from outside the US

If this is your first time attending the ICES Convention from a country outside of the United States , please use this guide to help you make your arrangements to attend the convention.

Letters of Invitation

Some countries require a visa to travel to the United States . A Letter of Invitation is helpful during your visa appointment at the US Consulate office. To obtain this letter, please follow the steps below:

You will need to contact the International Liaison on the ICES Board of Directors. For 2009-2010, the International Liaison is Maria Kovacs. Her e-mail address is callesur@ca.inter.net. You will need to send her a letter or e-mail with your complete name and complete mailing address, as it appears on your passport, requesting a letter of invitation. This request can be made 6 to 7 months before the convention.

An e-mail address is also helpful in case any questions or problems arise and the deadline to send a request is 12 weeks (three months) prior to the published start date (first day) of an ICES Convention and Show.

You should request the letter as soon as you are even thinking about possibly attending a Convention or before you schedule an appointment with a U. S. Consular office in your area. For some countries, it can take 2-3 months for the letter to reach its destination, so plan accordingly and allow plenty of time for your letter to arrive. Requests are usually processed within 3-5 days of receipt of request and sent to you via air post. When you receive your letter depends on how quickly the postal service in your country operates. ICES cannot guarantee how long it will take for a letter to reach you. ICES cannot control delays or problems experienced after a letter has left its offices. A copy of your letter can also be e-mailed to you for you to print, however, you will not have an original signature on the letter should it be required by the U.S. Consulate. Letters of Invitation will not be faxed to an Embassy or Consulate; it has been requested by these offices that documents not be faxed to them, as they do not hold documents until the date of one's interview appointment.

Applying for a visa

Once you obtain your Letter of Invitation, it is advisable to immediately apply for your visa. Do not wait until 30 business days before the start of a Convention to begin the visa application process.

It is suggested that you visit the following two U.S. Government web sites for detailed information regarding visas and the visa process such as visa policies, how to obtain a visa, locating a Consulate office in your area, visa wait times, and other tips for international visitors:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html

http://www.travel.state.gov

The time it takes to move through the visa process can vary. One thing is for certain: Expect delays. In some countries, it may take as few as 30 business days; other countries could possibly take three months. It is the responsibility of international visitors to plan accordingly and allow enough time for these potential delays in order to receive a visa in time to attend Convention.

Traveling with items to & from the United States

If you are bringing a display cake to convention, or plan to bring home items from the vendors area, please check with your local government regarding information on limitations and fees.

Travel

If you are flying, the closest airport is San Diego International. The airport code is SAN. If you are flying with a cake display, please click here for tips and hints.

If you are driving from Canada/Mexico. Please have your passport ready and obey the customs regulations for importing items into the US . Click here for more details.

Meetings

We invite all registered International attendees to the International Meeting and Social on Friday evening during the convention. You may also want to contact other members from your region and hold a International meeting on Thursday during convention hours.

Weather in San Diego , CA

While San Diego 's climates are relatively mild August can be warm. Please note that all the convention venues will be air conditioned. Click here for the local weather conditions.