International Traveler

The American Epilepsy Society continues to be one of the most popular international epilepsy forums. With a large international attendance, AES actively provides information and resources to make travel to the 62nd Annual Meeting a positive experience.

Luggage

Letter of Invitation

Attention foreign attendees:

You are encouraged to apply for visas as early as possible to attend the American Epilepsy Society – 62nd Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. The Department of State recommends applying for a visa at least 3-4 months before the meeting. Some consulates may have backlogs in scheduling visa interviews so applicants should first contact the consulate to find out how long the wait is for an interview. Visa wait times are available at: http://travel.his.com/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php.

If a Letter of Invitation to attend this meeting is required for you to obtain a visa, you must register for the meeting. To request a Letter of Invitation please check the appropriate box on the registration form. Once your payment has been processed a letter will be sent to you. The invitation letter is for those requiring the letter for a visa application. Letters are only sent to those individuals who will be attending the meeting.

The meeting has been listed by the Department of State Visa Services on their internal CA Intranet under News-Upcoming Conferences in the United States. As a communications tool for embassies and consulates worldwide, this listing consists of scheduled conferences where significant international attendance is expected.
To assist with your questions in applying for Visas please see
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/visas/Traveling_to_US.html

For more information on applying for a visa, click here

International Travel Information

Visa Application Information
For information regarding important timelines and travel to the United States, you may access the following Web sites:

Letter of Invitation
To receive a Letter of Invitation to attend, you must first register for the meeting (available at the end of June, 2008). Please check the appropriate box on the registration form. Once your payment has been processed a letter will be sent to you. Please send any questions to conferenceregistration@aesnet.org.

Consulates and Embassies
All international embassies from other countries to the United States are located in Washington, D.C. There are a number of international embassy branch offices, called consulates, located in Seattle. If your country does not have a consulate in Seattle, call directory information in Washington, D.C. (phone: 202.555.1212), for the number of your national embassy.

International Traveler Service
U.S. Customs and Immigration assistance for international delegates is provided by multi-lingual receptionists at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Phones are located in the inspection booths at Customs and Immigration and at the Airport Information Booth outside the exit from the B gates (pre-security, south of the Central Security Checkpoint), these phones link up travelers and inspectors to interpreters for more than 150 different languages.

Additional Information
Currency Exchange is located in the Airport’s Main Terminal - Ticketing Level (one on the south esplanade and one on the north), in the Main Terminal - Baggage Claim and on Concourse A.

During the month of December Seattle, Washington operates in the Pacific Standard Time Zone (GMT +8 Hours).

For international dialing, the country code to the United States is +1. The local area code for Seattle, Washington is 206.

Gratuities are not automatically added to the bill, except in some cases for large groups. Waiters and waitresses are usually given 15 to 20% of the bill. Taxi drivers usually receive 15% of the fare and doormen, skycaps and porters are normally tipped $1 per bag.

The electricity used in Seattle, Washington is standard 110 volt electricity. European appliances will require a voltage transformer.