If you travel outside the U.S., you must have your original DS-2019 signed for travel by CIEE and receive a Letter of Good Standing.

• To receive these, mail your DS-2019 and a note explaining your travel plans to CIEE at 600 Southborough Drive, Suite 104, South Portland, Maine 04106. Include a prepaid UPS or FedEx return envelope (addressed to your U.S. mailing address) so we can return your DS-2019 form and Letter of Good Standing. For questions or more information, call 1-888-268-6245 or email us at contact@ciee.org.

• Notify CIEE by phone or email at least two weeks before your trip to ensure you get your DS-2019 signed and returned on time.

• Travel to Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas) is covered by CIEE insurance. Travel anywhere else outside the country is not. If you are traveling to a country that is not covered by CIEE insurance, we recommend purchasing separate travel insurance for the duration of your trip.

Your J-1 visa must be valid and the dates on your DS-2019 must be current when re-entering the U.S.
You will not be allowed back into the U.S. with an expired DS-2019, even for connecting flights.
It is your responsibility to make sure you meet re-entry requirements.

Do not travel without your signed DS-2019 form. Doing so may result in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer denying your re-entry into the U.S.

Depending on your home country, you may be required to have a visa for the country you are traveling to. Be sure to check with your embassy before traveling anywhere outside the U.S.
If you have planned multiple trips outside of the U.S., you may not need to get an updated travel validation for each one. Please contact CIEE at 1-888-268-6245 or contact@ciee.org for more information.

Once you have determined the date of your departure from the US and the date of return to the US, you will need to send Pan Atlantic:

• Your Original DS-2019 form (if you have more than one DS-2019 form, an original and an updated form, you must send both to Pan Atlantic)
• Your departure and return dates;
• A US address where your paperwork can be returned
• A check or money order made out to Pan Atlantic in the amount of $25 which covers the cost of processing the paperwork and returning it to you. You may also pay online. Additional fees will apply for any online credit card payments. Please note that the fee for paperwork sent to us less than two weeks in advance of your departure date OR that must be sent overseas is $60 instead of $35 to cover international and rush shipping fees.
• An email from your supervisor at the host property confirming that you are in good standing in your program and that your time off has been approved;
• A contact number and email address overseas where you can be reached in case of emergency while you are gone;
• Please send all paperwork to our office via a mail service such as FedEx or UPS so that you can confirm delivery.

You must send your paperwork to us at least two weeks in advance of your travel date so that Pan Atlantic have enough time to get everything processed and returned to you before your departure. There is a rush fee of $50 for any paperwork that is received less than two weeks before your US departure date.
Additional fees will apply for any paperwork that must be sent to you overseas.

In some case, it may be possible to apply for an extension to your existing programme in the USA.
Choose your Programme below for information:

You should apply for any extension at least 6 weeks prior to the end date on your existing DS-2019 Certificate - NOT the end date on your J1 visa.

In some case, it may be possible to apply for an extension to your existing programme in the USA.
Please email our team at premiumteam@istplus.com for more information.

You should apply for any extension at least 6 weeks prior to the end date on your existing DS-2019 Certificate - NOT the end date on your J1 visa.