What you need to remember before booking your tickets…..
A helpful guide for potential travellers going to more then one game.
Its a bit early for sunderland supporters to be thinking about traveling pre season, particularaly when SAFC’s position in the league remains so procariosu beneath the automatic promotion slot, your minds naturally on other things.
However it is never too early to plan ahead and that may just be what many sunderland supporters thinking about attending more then one game this pre-season tour need to do.
The biggest obstical is going to occur because Sunderlands tour is in two countries at the same rime, Canada and the USA, one after the other, and since that fateful day on september the 11th security has significantly changed (probably trippled) along the borders of both.
You can still visit USA on a visa waiver, as a 3 month visitor where you fill in the green form the airline give you, or can get at point of entry to the USA. You only need a Visa if you do not have a passport that is machine readable (i.e. issued by some UK embassies abroad) or if your passport was issued after a certain date (contact the embassy’s below if you think there is a problem), or if you have a criminal record. But if you are flying to canada you won’t neccisarally get a US visa on the flight and if you are flying to one or the other, make sure that immigration knows you intend to travel between countries.
Normally a travel agent would take care of this inter country travel (make sure you ask about visa requirments if you’re booking through the travel company reccomended by the official SAFC site) but in these days of internet flights and self book offers many fans might find themselves left out in the cold when trying to gain entry into the USA after the vancouver game. Also, make sure you don’t cover up any shady secrets from your past in the forms of past convictions. Having them isn’t a problem, having them, not telling anyone and then them finding out is (this may be discovered through a new finger print device, not sure if its been introduced on the border yet). other potential problems occur if you have a passport with stamps in it of ‘regions of interest’; such as Iraq, Iran, Syria-Lebanon, korea, china, vietnamn, egypt (and assorted middle east countries, including israel bizzarely enough) or any other country where there’s a war/international problems. Remember, although the country is no longer technically at war, it might as well be (in the style of the korean war its now a ‘policing action’… read ‘war’).
The most important change, and one that definitely needs considering before you book flights is that travel into the USA requires a Visa (either obtainable through the US embasy, see links below) or a visa waiver (obtainable on any flights to the USA)… unless of course your a US or canadian citizen and you’re not on a USA bound flight; which I’m willing to bet many of you aren’t, and in any case if you are on a USA bound flight, staying in the airport doesn’t count if you aren’t going to leave it, its not technically the USA until you pass through customs and immigration (anyone seen the terminal?).
British Consulate/Embassys in the USA (usually for travel to the UK from USA)
For those of you who might think you have a problem: Other useful information to know is that US customs work on a first opinion basis, so basically if they don’t like the look of you, you ain’t coming in. So its best not to be completely wasted on the stella and smelling of booze when you approach the border… unless you think that you can get away with it. Bear in mind that these guys are tough, many people get turned way from US admittance every day and immigrations word is final, although large groups are less likely to be turned away… Its bad for business. Psychologically speaking single males are also always a target for more vigourus scrutiny. I always get stopped and yet I work for a US semi-miltary hospital which requires even toighter security. But maybe thats because I just look dodgy.
Don’t let this put you off, its very easy to get a visa into the USA (just ask anyone who’s gone to florida this year) but don’t forget if you are flying to Canada.
Good luck and see you in vancouver!!! (and thats the one in Canada, not the one near portland in the USA otherwise you’ll be the only one there) and for first time visitors to the USA, perpare yourself for some potential hilarity wth the visa wavers: Just don’t tick the “have you ever commited racial genecide and got away with it/Nazi war crimes” box. They won’t think you’re joking and will body cavity search you all the way back to the UK.
More useful information can be found on both the official
And the more vital page within this that I reccomend everyone go to well in advance, the document requirements for entry into the usa.
Alternatively, the canadians Candian border services agency (CBSA) might also offer some help for potential travelers.