Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow Travel/Visa/Reimbursement Guide for Tech 4 Society Event February 11-13, 2010 Hyderabad, India
Preparation Checklist……………....2 Booking Your Travel…………….…..3 Applying for Your Visa………….…...6 Reimbursements……………………...9
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Preparation Checklist (We will contact you within the next few weeks for information and actions to be taken with regards to the agenda, the MarketPlace evening, etc)
Register for the event
Buy your ticket (try to arrive by Feb 10 afternoon)
Apply for Indian visa
Get yellow fever vaccination if required (check with your doctor about other recommended vaccinations)
Mail your receipts & wire information for Reimbursement
Email Your Travel Itinerary so airport pick-up is arranged
Contact your regional representative with any questions
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Booking Your Travel: Step 1: Register for the event at http://tech4society.eventbrite.com. This will confirm your participation in the event. If you have any problems registering or need an alternative-language, please contact: Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in Africa: Leila Akahloun at lakahloun@ashoka.org Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in South & Central America: Paula Cardenau at pcardenau@ashoka.org Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in Asia, Europe, North America, MENA: Danielle Dumm at ddumm@ashoka.org IF you will be traveling with a spouse or domestic partner, please let us know as soon as possible. We are happy to have your spouse attend this event but please note that spouse travel and visa expenses will be your personal responsibility. In addition, for activities or sessions during the event with limited capacity, Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows will have first priority.
Step 2: Decide when you would like to arrive to and depart from Hyderabad. We are recommending Fellows arrive in time for the night of the 10th to attend an informal Fellow's dinner before the formal conference opening on the 11th. For Fellows coming from the Western Hemisphere, this means you should plan to depart for Hyderabad by the 8th of February. Please note that Ashoka will cover all Fellows' travel, visa, food, vaccination requirements and accommodations for the conference with the generous support of The Lemelson Foundation. Any additional travel within India before or after the event will be the Fellow's financial responsibility.
Step 3: Book Your Travel Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows will book their own travel and receive reimbursement from either their local Ashoka office or the Ashoka global headquarters after we receive your ticket receipt and necessary wire information. If for some reason you are unable to book a ticket and wait for reimbursement, please email your local Ashoka representative and Danielle Dumm at ddumm@ashoka.org to make other arrangements.
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Ticket Price Guidelines: All tickets should be economy-class fares. Please choose the lowest fare possible that will get you to Hyderabad and back safely. The maximum fare price for any ticket should be no more than as follows. For Fellows originating in:
Origin of Departure South & Central America West Africa East & South Africa Egypt South & Southeast Asia Europe US, Mexico & Canada
Maximum Fare $2,200USD $1,300USD* $1,000USD* $800USD $600USD $900USD $1,300USD
If the fare you would like to book costs more than the maximum fares listed above, please contact your regional coordinator for approval of the fare BEFORE booking your ticket. Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in Africa: Leila Akahloun at lakahloun@ashoka.org Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in South & Central America: Paula Cardenau at
pcardenau@ashoka.org Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in Asia, Europe, North America, MENA: Danielle Dumm at
ddumm@ashoka.org *For Fellows originating from countries other than Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, we realize fares will likely be much higher, please email Leila Akahloun at lakahloun@ashoka.org or Danielle Dumm at ddumm@ashoka.org to discuss your fare.
Step 4: Apply for Your Visa *please see page 6 for visa instructions
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Step 5: Email Your Travel Itinerary Please include Flight Numbers, Arrival/Departure Times, and any special needs, to Leila, Paula or Danielle as soon as you have it or by January 1st at the absolute latest. In order to pick you up from the airport in Hyderabad we will need your: Flight Numbers Airline Arrival Time Departure Time
In addition, if you have any special needs from diet (vegetarian, pork-free, beef-free, gluten-free, any allergies), to access and mobility (wheelchair accessibility, help getting around the campus) to anything else please let us know as soon as possible so that we can do everything we can to make the event a pleasant and comfortable experience for you. Also, if you will be traveling with a spouse or domestic partner, please let us know as soon as possible. We are happy to have your spouse attend this event but please note that spouse travel and visa expenses will be your personal responsibility. In addition, for activities or sessions during the event with limited capacity, Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows will have first priority.
Step 6: Mail your receipts & wire information for Reimbursement *Please see page 9 for reimbursement instructions and policies.
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Applying for Your Visa Check the Indian Consulate/Embassy in your country/region for their visa requirements. Please apply for your visa as soon as possible since it may take several weeks to process at your country’s Indian Embassy or Consulate. Also, make sure you have completed and include all materials for the application process; these requirements differ from country to country. We encourage and are providing appropriate materials for each Fellow to apply for a Business Visa that will allow you to enter and re-enter the country multiple times from 6 months up to a year for most countries. Your visa fees ARE eligible for reimbursement. Please see page 10 for details on submitting the reimbursement.
Step 1: Check to see what Documents are needed to apply for your Business Visa Below are links to the information you will need to apply for your visa. COUNTRY Argentina Bangladesh Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Egypt Germany Ghana Indonesia Kenya Mali Mexico Nepal Nigeria Pakistan Peru South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Tanzania Thailand Uruguay USA Venezuela
NOTES
Several offices across Canada * Not very specific information concerning the visa process
EMBASSY LINK http://www.indembarg.org.ar/index.htm http://www.ivacbd.com/bangladeshi_passport_holders.html http://www.indianembassy.org.br/eng/consular/visa.htm http://www.cgitoronto.ca/visasvr/visasvrgeneralinfo.htm http://www.embajadaindia.cl/english/embajada3.php http://www.embajadaindia.org/visasIng.htm
*See Colombia Embassy Link
*Website being upgraded… * Indian Embassy of Senegal * Also serves Guatemala and Belize
Very difficult to attain visas… *Also for Bolivia
* See Argentina Embassy Link Several Offices granting Visas
http://www.indembcairo.com/Web%20Pages/ApplicationForms.aspx http://www.indianembassy.de/template.php?mnid=801&sm=1&inclpage=visaservices.htm http://www.indiahc-ghana.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=42&Itemid=79 http://www.eoijkt.org/ http://www.hcinairobi.co.ke/Pages/Visa_services.html http://www.ambassadeinde.sn/visa.html http://www.indembassy.org/embassyembassy.html#passport http://www.indianembassy.org.np/visa-and-passport.php http://www.indianhcabuja.com/Visa-Services.htm http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-in/Pakistan#13757 http://www.indembassy.org.pe/english/servicios/visa.htm http://indiainsouthafrica.com/visa/business-visa.html http://www.embassyindia.es/IndianEmbassy/IndianEmbassy/IndexBase/index2.php?lang=eng&key=infovisas http://www.hcicolombo.org/passport_visaserv.cfm http://www.hcindiatz.org/visa.htm http://www.indianembassy.gov.in/bangkok/visa.htm http://www.indianembassy.org/newsite/visa.asp http://www.embindia.org/visas.html
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Depending on your country of origin you will be asked to provide some or all of the following: •
2 or more Passport Sized Photos
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Visa Applications (found online or at the embassy)
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Yellow Fever Vaccination Papers
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Prepare Multiple Copies (3 or more) of Each Visa Application Document and Your Passport
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Many Embassies Only Accept Cash or a Cashier’s Cheque for Visa Fees
If your visa requires significantly more assistance, such as those from African countries or Pakistan, please contact your regional Ashoka office.
Step 2: Fill in Highlighted Blanks in Your Visa Invite Letters Attached to the email you’ve received two visa letter documents. The areas that require your attention are highlighted. The first visa document is a visa invitation letter from Ashoka staff in India. This is the most important piece and you will need this to receive your visa. Please just replace the highlighted sections with your name and passport number. The second visa letter document is a letter “releasing” you from your organization to attend the event. It is basically so that the embassy/consulate knows that you are traveling with full consent of your organization. As many of you are likely the founder of your organization, please have someone else very high-up in your organization sign this letter for you. This document is often required/helpful for receiving a business visa to India. For this letter please just replace the highlighted sections with your name and relevant information from your organization. Please insert your organization’s letterhead at the top of the document as well. If you do not have an organization or organization letterhead, please contact your local Ashoka office to provide a letter for you instead.
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Step 3: Send/Bring All Visa Invite Letters, copies, supporting documents and payments to your consulate/embassy Allow several weeks for processing. If you have any questions or delays, please contact either your local Ashoka office or regional Ashoka-Lemelson Tech4Society event coordinator: Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in Africa: Leila Akahloun at lakahloun@ashoka.org Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in South & Central America: Paula Cardenau at pcardenau@ashoka.org Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in Asia, Europe, North America, MENA: Danielle Dumm at ddumm@ashoka.org
Step 4: Mail your receipts & wire information for Reimbursement *Please see page 9 for reimbursement instructions and policies.
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Receiving Your Reimbursement Though Ashoka will cover your food and accommodation costs in Hyderabad, it is likely that you will incur expenses in purchasing your plane ticket, applying for your visa, and getting to the airport and back. These expenses (within reason) are eligible for reimbursement from Ashoka, with the generous support of The Lemelson Foundation. You may apply for reimbursement after each expense (i.e. after booking your ticket, then again after booking your visa, etc) or wait until after Hyderabad to turn in all of your receipts and materials at once. Either way, it is up to you. Please note that reimbursements will take 2-4 weeks and we will NOT be able to reimburse expenses for which we do not receive a receipt. Ashoka, with the generous support of The Lemelson Foundation, will be able to offer reimbursements for the following expenses: • • • • • • •
Travel to and from Hyderabad to attend the event Visa fees to attend the event Taxi fees to get to and from the airport 3 economical meals/snacks for flights over 8 hours long Internet access or a phone call to let family/friends know that you have arrived safely Yellow fever vaccination (if required by visa) Malaria pills (if desired)
For reference, the following following items are not available for reimbursement • • • •
Alcoholic beverages Travel or accommodation upgrades Travel or accommodations within India before or after the event (Ashoka will cover accommodations for the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th of February) Souvenirs
If you have any questions about what is available for reimbursement or not, please just contact your regional Tech4Society event coordinator, your local Ashoka office or Danielle Dumm and we will do our best to make your trip and experience in Hyderabad as convenient, productive, and comfortable as possible.
Step 1: Save All of Your Receipts for which you need Reimbursement. 9
This will include the cost of your plane ticket, the cost of your visa, and taxi fares for getting to and from the airport. If you will be traveling more than 8 hours to attend the event, you are also entitled to receive reimbursement for up to 3 meals/snacks in transit. Please note that these should not be lavish meals but rather the most economical option that is available to you. (For example, a sandwich will be reimbursed, a 3 course meal will likely not) Also, please also note that Ashoka never reimburses the cost of alcoholic drinks purchased by Fellows or Staff.
Step 2: Email a Copy of Your Receipts as well as your wire/bank information to the appropriate point person If you are an Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow from Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, India, Germany, France, or the United States, submit your reimbursement to your local Ashoka office. Please copy tech4society@ashoka.org on your reimbursement request. If you are an Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow from any other country, you will submit your reimbursement information to tech4society@ashoka.org. It will be most helpful if you include in the subject line for your reimbursement: REIMBURSEMENT FOR (YOUR NAME). If you For ALL reimbursements please include A COPY OF YOUR RECEIPT(S) OF PURCHASE as well as your WIRE and BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION including: Beneficiary Bank Bank Address Bank City, State, Country BA (if US Bank) SWIFT (if non-US bank) Beneficiary Account Number Beneficiary Name 10
Beneficiary Address As soon as we receive ALL of this information, we should be able to process and issue your reimbursement within 2-4 weeks. You will likely receive an email as soon as we have submitted your request to our finance team for processing. Please remember that we will not be able to begin processing your request until we received all of the necessary receipt and wire information.
Step 3: 2-4 weeks after emailing your reimbursement request, check your account to confirm that you have received your reimbursement If for some reason you have not received your reimbursement by this time, please check in with either your Ashoka country office or one of the regional point people: Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in Africa: Leila Akahloun at lakahloun@ashoka.org Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in South & Central America: Paula Cardenau at
pcardenau@ashoka.org Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows in Asia, Europe, North America, MENA: Danielle Dumm at
ddumm@ashoka.org We look forward to processing your request and please direct any questions to the people above as well.
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