Hey, just wondering something. I read something today that said the consulate keeps some of my paperwork that I mail in-- like birth certificates and marriage licenses... is this true? Do I need to order a 2nd copy of each? It cost me a fortune to get them in the first place, but if I need to get another copy, I will. Did anyone else even need to submit these when their names were already on the copy of the orders?

I sent the originals and they sent mine back with the passports. Our names were on the orders but we still had to send them anyway. I've never heard of them keeping them, thats a little strange.

Another question-- Can I ask if you had a box checked that said something like "unaccompanied/restricted" or if it just said "unaccompanied"

Ours say "unaccompained, dependents restricted"

Thanks a bunch!

Boy, I wish that I didn't need to get the visas before I left. I could leave a week sooner. But, I think its probably best to have them in hand before I go and not run into any roadblocks once I get there. What do you guys think? Is it a hassle to get visas once you are already there? And how do you go about that?

I got all my original paperwork back when I turned in my Visa application, with the exception of the passport photo that I turned in. I haven't heard of the consulate keeping anyone's documents, although yes, they do make photo copies of your documents and keep them..is that perhaps what you're referring to?

Again, I personally think that coming over here *WITHOUT* a visa is a very unwise thing to do. It doesn't take that long to get your A-3, you can even schedule a layover in a city that has a consulate and get your Visa on your way *over* (Frequently done, btw, in the Atlanta consulate.. fly in in the morning, stay overnight, leave out of Atlanta on a night flight). In my opinion, in this case, it's better to have a bird in the hand than two in the bush,and know, for a fact that all your bases are covered before that plane even touches down.

As far as to how to get an A-3 Visa once you're over here, you might want to give the consulate a call and ask them. Quite frankly, from what JJ and some of the others have said about getting your visa once here, having to go off peninsula to Japan to get it, it sounds to me like it could end up being a *very* expensive and time -consuming proposition, and could end up delaying you in the long run.


Dee

I have somewhat of a developing problem here...maybe some of you can help. I leave for Korea on 17 March. My wife submitted the passport applications for her and our daughter a little over two weeks ago. This week she received a letter from the passport office with additional paperwork to fill out for their visas. She filled those out as well, and we submitted it all on Tuesday, 13 Feb. Then an ice storm hit, and most of the east coast shut down. Add to that the upcoming federal holiday this weekend, and we're getting nervous about the paperwork getting sent in, processed, and returned to us before we leave. My question: We have Command Sponsorship, and my dependants are on the PCS orders. If they don't get the passports in time, can they still travel with me? If not, what recourse do we have? At this point everything is squared away but the passport situation. Thanks in advance for the help.