Travel documents will be part of every contingent’s preparation for the 24th World Scout Jamboree. The information below should assist in those preparations.
The location of the 24th World Scout Jamboree, the Boy Scouts of America’s Summit Bechtel Reserve near Glen Jean, West Virginia, USA, will require that every contingent be prepared to enter the United States of America. The Jamboree Management Team will be working closely with the US Department of State and the US Department of Homeland Security to support the visa applications (where required) of participants of the 24th World Scout Jamboree.
The United States provides detailed information on visa requirements online at https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html [1]
Some contingent members planning to attend the 24th World Scout Jamboree are citizens of those countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Programs in place for the United States. In the event that participants are not citizens of the Visa Waiver Program of the United States, then a Letter of Invitation may be needed as part of the visa application process.
The Jamboree Management Team, upon request, will provide assistance to National Scout Organizations in the form of Letters of Invitation.
Because the 24th World Scout Jamboree is co-hosted by Scouts Canada, Scouts Mexico and Boy Scouts of America, some National Scout Organizations may choose to tour in Mexico or Canada prior to arriving at the Jamboree site. Please note that those contingents that travel to, or transit through, Canada or Mexico before entering the USA will also be required to clear US Customs prior to traveling to the Jamboree site.
Please note that the countries included in the Visa Waiver Programs for Canada, Mexico and the United States are not consistent.
The Government of Canada provides detailed information on visa requirements online at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada.htm [2]l or http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/visiter/index.asp [3].
Letters of Invitation for groups requesting visas to enter Canada must request those letters from Scouts Canada.
The Government of Mexico provides detailed information on Visa requirement online at http://www.gob.mx/sre/acciones-y-programas/visas-para-extranjeros-8036 [4].
Letters of Invitation for groups wanting visas to enter Mexico must request those letters from Asociación de Scouts de México.
For those groups needing a Transit Visa to travel through Canada or Mexico (no stops, just changing planes), no Letter of Invitation is required from the NSO of those countries. Groups may simply apply as part of their travel arrangements, and typically must provide proof of a US visa for their final destination as part of their Transit Visa application.
Questions on visa protocols may be addressed to [email protected] [5]. More information will follow in coming months.
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