Will Your Adventures Require a Translated Passport?

Do your new year’s resolutions include plans for international travel?  Making a trip across the border or all the way to the other side of the world is a fun way to immerse yourself in another culture.  Many people enjoy taking a few weeks or even months to explore a foreign land.  Before you buy your tickets and dig out your luggage, there are a few things you need to prepare for first.  You’ll not only need a passport, but you may need a travel visa and a translated passport to be admitted into some countries.

When do you need a travel visa or a translated passport?

Documentation requirements vary from country to country and depend on the purpose of your visit.  Recreational travel is treated differently than business travel, for example.  Currently, about 100 countries around the world have agreements with the U.S. government allowing our citizens to visit recreationally without a travel visa.  

That doesn’t mean, however, that you won’t need additional documentation.  There are a number of circumstances where a foreign country may have other requirements.  Here are a few examples:

1. You can enjoy exploring the French countryside for up to  90 days without a travel visa.  However, beginning in 2023, you will need to procure a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) visa waiver online before your departure.
2. If you’re traveling to Canada with your minor child, either both parents need to accompany the child across the border, or you’ll need to bring custody paperwork, a death certificate, or written permission from the absent parent to prove you are authorized to remove the minor from the United States.
3. If your plans will include a pet, you should check for specific requirements.  You may need to bring results from a veterinary examination or vaccination records to avoid quarantining your pet at the border.

Since the requirements will be different for each country you visit, plan to spend adequate time researching the U.S. government’s international travel website.

Once you have your documents, don’t forget about translation requirements.

Some countries will accept your passport and travel documents as is, but in other countries, official staff may not speak English and will not be able to decipher your documents.  If you’re traveling to one of these countries, they may require all of your travel documents to be translated into their national language.  Without the correct translations, you could be refused entry into their country.

In these cases, you should work with a legal translator to prepare the documents for you.  A legal translator experienced with international travel will ensure you have all the documents needed for the countries you plan to visit.  You can also rest assured that they will be translated while retaining the document’s original format–a must-do for most official document translations.  

The Perfect Translation is your partner for preparing travel documents correctly.

Whether your travel plans will take you out of the country for a week or over a year, The Perfect Translation will help ensure you have all the documents you need and that they are translated accurately.  Our professional translators are experienced in working with travel and immigration requirements, so you won’t need to worry about being denied entry (or exit) because of non-conforming documentation.  Contact us today to learn more about all the services we provide at The Perfect Translation.