University of Michigan - Flint

You will need to make sure your have the following documents well ahead of time:

PASSPORT
Getting a passport is a simple process:

1. log on to the State Department Web Site at travel.state.gov/passport_services.html.
2. You can download the application form, but you must apply in person (main post office, Flint. Check with other post offices about the availability of this service)
3. You will need two photos of yourself. Stop at any photo lab, or Sear’s photo store in all main shopping centers and ask for passport photos. It takes only a few minutes. It must be current (note time limit)
4. You will need your birth certificate and driver’s license.
5. It takes 4 to 6 weeks, but for a small charge you can have an express application.
6. Cost about $60 for the actual passport, $15 approximately for photos.

Emergency Passport Service
Web site http://www.travel.state.gov/passport_services.html offers to have a new or replacement passport in as little as 24 hours. The site also has extensive resources including visa requirements, links to travel advisory sites, and a health section.

VISA
Some countries require a visa, although most European countries, the UK and Ireland, Canada and Mexico do not.
1. Go to the State Department site at travel.state.gov
2. Under the Services Heading click Passport Information.
3. Under Help and Information click the visa and foreign entry requirements links.
4. On the next page, scroll down to review the requirements of the nations listed there.
5. Visas are acquired at the embassies and consulates of the country. The following locater sites will give you links to the embassies

www.embassies.org/embassies/
www.enbasstwirkd.cin/
www.embpage.org/

IMMUNIZATION AND HEALTH INFORMATION
Some countries require immunizations and special precautions because of local diseases and conditions that the traveler must keep in mind.
1. Check the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Travel Information Page for disease related topics, including immunizations, a geographic map of disease outbreaks, health recommendations by region, and US State Department information on non medical issues like civil unrest, crime and natural disasters.
2. Check Travel Health Online
3. For immunizations, check the website of the International Society of Travel Medicine. They have up-to-date information of immunizations, and immunization centers offering the most recent kinds of immunizations and medications necessary for countries were diseases such as malaria are present.

MEDICAL INSURANCE
Supplemental Travel Medical Insurance may be a necessity.

1. If you belong to an HMO or other insurance plan in the United States, the plan is likely to cover reimbursement, but will probably not pay immediately for medical treatment, and will have no provision for medical evacuation. It may require you to make your own arrangements, then seek reimbursement.
2. Restrictions may cause delays in treatment, so that your regular coverage will not be adequate for emergencies.

You may never need this special coverage, but if the need arises, this insurance will prove indispensable. You will need and insurance service that
1. is available on a 24 hour basis, internationally, for emergency services or to relocate you to a treatment center
2. will consult with your personal physician in the United States
3. will bring you home to the United States if necessary.
4. speaks English

The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT) is a non-profit organization that gathers and distributes world wide health information. Membership is free.

The University of Michigan-Flint offers supplemental insurance for students at a relatively low cost. (medical insurance is expensive!)

Check for travel insurance at the following websites

1. Health Link Travel Medicine
2. International Society of Travel Medicine
3. Travel Health Online
4. Highway to Health provides detailed information about local hospitals, clinics, airport clinics, pharmacies and health care providers
5. www.travel.state.gov/medical.html provides information on medical evacuation services

Check the fine print of insurance providers to make sure that they provide adequate protection. You must find a service provider that is suited to your needs. Whatever company you choose, you must demonstrate that you have health insurance adequate to cover your period of study abroad.

The International SOS Assistance (ISOS) is one of the largest personal and travel assistance companies in the world, and offers medical assistance as well as medical evacuation. MEDJET, located in Birmingham Alabama, is recommended by some travel guides and has an excellent reputation. Peter Greenberg, author of The Travel Detective, and Travel Editor of NBC’s Today Show recommends MEDJET because MEDJET officials “consult with your own primary care physician in the United States and basede on that consultation will usually send one of their medically equipped jets, complete with EMT personnel, to bring you back home”

MEDICAL EVACUATION INSURANCE
You must enroll in Medjet Assistance in order to receive funding for the off campus study. It works like AAA roadside assistance with a one year membership. For up to 90 days outside the U.S. you have coverage at the regular cost. For longer than 90 days, your membership cost will be slightly higher. This is covered by the Honors Program. Call 1 800 963 3538. You can get the insurance over the phone with a credit card.

IDENTIFICATION
1. Keep a photocopy of your passport and other identification in a separate place in your luggage, and at home in the United States so that it can be accessed.
2. Keep an emergency information card on your person at all times including medical information (if necessary), local address and home address along with emergency numbers and information about emergency medical insurance.
3. Do not travel anywhere, or leave your apartment or residence without identification.