Temple University cherry "T" logo

Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses
Search Keywords

Passports and Visas

Passport

You will need a valid passport to study abroad, meaning that it will not expire within three to six months after your flight home.  If you don’t have a valid passport and are considering study abroad, you should apply for or renew your passport as early as possible.

Learn how to apply for your U.S. passport and review current processing times.

Passport Deadlines

For long-term study abroad programs (semester and year) and some summer programs, you will need a student visa to study abroad. You need a valid passport to apply for your visa, so it's important to have a valid passport by Education Abroad's Passport Deadlines. For some programs, passports are required as early as the program application deadline to be able to complete required visa paperwork. 

If you already have a passport, double-check the expiration date. As mentioned above, your passport can't expire less than three months after your flight home. Some countries require that it doesn't expire less than six months.

Student Visa

If your destination requires a visa, you’ll apply to the consulate of your host country for the visa before you depart. Once the consulate issues your visa, it will be stamped inside your passport. The visa process typically requires you to submit your actual passport along with supporting documents to the consulate for several weeks or more. Processing times vary by country and consulates base their processing times on the official program dates rather than individual travel plans. Therefore, we strongly discourage you from traveling outside of the U.S. between the program application deadline and the program start date. If you must travel before your program, please contact Education Abroad to discuss the feasibility of your plans. 

Read below for more information about visas by program type.

Temple University Rome

A student visa is required for study in Italy for a semester or academic year, and for some non-US citizens studying in the summer.

Temple students and others who live or study in the jurisdiction of the Italian Consulate of Philadelphia, we will collect your visa materials and submit them to the consulate on your behalf. If you live or study in another part of the US (or abroad), you will apply to the consulate closest to your address. We will provided specific instructions for the visa application to accepted students, and Education Abroad will assist you throughout the process.

Temple University Japan

A student visa is required for study in Japan for a semester or academic year, and for some non-US citizens studying in the summer. Before you can apply for the student visa, you must apply for and obtain a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from the Japanese government. Specific instructions for the COE application are made available within the program application online approximately one month before the COE application will be due, and Education Abroad will guide you through the process.

Once you receive your COE, Education Abroad will provide detailed instructions on how to obtain your student visa; students apply for a visa independently at a consulate within their jurisdiction.

Temple in Spain

A student visa is required for study in Spain for a semester or academic year, and for some non-US citizens studying in the summer.

Temple students and others who live or study in the jurisdiction of the Spanish Consulate of New York will submit their passport and visa materials to Education Abroad, who will submit them to the consulate on your behalf. If you live or study in another part of the US (or abroad), you will apply to the consulate closest to your address. We will provided specific instructions for the visa application to accepted students, and Education Abroad will assist you throughout the process.

Please note that some consulates require students to submit visa applications in person. At the time of writing, the Spanish Consulate in New York allows program staff to appear in person on behalf of each student. If that procedure changes, Education Abroad will notify applicants immediately. 

Faculty-led Summer Programs

Visa requirements for summer programs vary by country and citizenship. If you are participating in a Temple faculty-led summer program and are required to obtain a visa, we'll help you with the process. We will provide more details about immigration requirements after you are accepted.

Exchange Programs

A visa is required for most exchange programs. Education Abroad and your host university will provide guidance about the process after you are accepted.

External Programs

If you’re studying on an external program, check with your program sponsor to see if a visa is required and if they offer assistance with the visa process. 

Non-U.S. Citizens
  • If you’re not a U.S. citizen, start researching visa requirements for the country you’re planning to travel to as early as possible since there might be additional requirements for you. You should also confirm your entry and exit requirements for the U.S. with immigration officials. 
  • If you're an international student, make sure that your F-1 will be valid from the program application deadline through your program's end date. If your F-1 will expire before your program's end date, please contact Education Abroad immediately. Also, consult your international student office regarding your re-entry into the U.S.

Passport Scholarship

If you’re a freshman or first-year transfer student at Temple and have never applied for a passport, make sure to apply for Temple’s Passport Scholarship to help cover the cost of your passport fees.