Arrival Information

Please print this information before traveling 
and carry it with your travel documents
 
You will arrive in Manhattan, KS Monday, June 29, 2015.
 
Most participants will depart from their home countries that day in the morning and arrive in the United States in the afternoon or evening. Your flights will be long. We recommend you bring books or electronics to keep your mind occupied. Also, we recommend you bring a light snack and a large bottle of water for your journey.
 

Arrival in the United States:

Please keep all paperwork secured in your carry-on bag. Your paperwork should include your airline tickets, passport, DS-2019 (in a sealed envelope), customs forms and other official documents from Kansas State University or the U.S. Government.
 
You will arrive and go through customs at a large airport such as Atlanta, Chicago, or New York. No matter where you land, you will have to pass through customs and immigration at your port of entry.
 
Once the plane lands and arrives at the gate, check around your seat and in the overhead compartments to make sure you have all your personal belongings. Make sure your immigration documents (passport and visa) are easily accessible.
 
Once you get off the plane, follow the other passengers to the immigration area. There, you will find lines for citizens and lines for visitors. Enter any of the lines for visitors. When it is your turn to speak with the immigration officer, he/she will take your fingerprints and conduct an iris scan. This is a standard procedure, so you should not feel as though you are being singled out or accused of anything.
 
Next, you will proceed through the primary interview process and give the sealed DS-2019 envelope, your passport and your customs form to the agent. The agent will also process your forms. You will receive either a red or yellow folder before proceeding to a secondary interview process. Once there, your documents will be placed in a colored folder on the counter and you will be asked to take a seat.
 
The next process may take a long time. Homeland Security will ask you general questions about the purpose of your visit, the purpose of the Institute and the length of your stay. There is no need to feel nervous or disoriented while answering these questions. This is the normal procedure for people arriving from many countries.
 
 
If, for any reason, there are issues related to your immigration processing, the office may call Kristina Snyder at 706.372.4058 or David Carter at 785.341.2804.
 

After Clearing Immigration:

Identify the baggage carrousel for your flight and claim your baggage. In some cases your baggage may have been removed from the carrousel while you were waiting in the immigration area. In this case, please locate any uniformed airline representative and he/she will be able to provide you with assistance in claiming your baggage. If your baggage is lost or delayed, please fill out a lost claim form with the airline BEFORE you pass through the customs area. While filling out the paperwork, please ask the airline agent to contact Kristina Snyder at 706.372.4058 or David Carter at 785.341.2804 for delivery instructions.
 
Once you have your baggage, proceed to the customs area and search for the lines “Nothing to Declare.” Give the agent your customs form as you pass through this area. In some cases, you will be asked to open your bags or to have them scanned by an x-ray machine. This is a random process and you are in no way being singled out.
 
Once you are finished, look for airline representatives who will take your bag and put it on your connecting flight. Your connecting flight will be to Manhattan, Kansas (MHK) or Kansas City, Missouri (MCI). All baggage that you checked in your home country should be rechecked. Before you re-check your baggage, make sure that you have your ticket and passport with you.
 
Once you re-check your bags, you will pass into the arrival lounge of the airport. In most cases, you will need to go upstairs and locate a monitor indicating the gate and time for your connecting flight. You will again need to go through security before boarding the plane.
 

In the United States and most international airports, the Transportation Security Administration has established the following procedures for passing into secure airport areas:

  • Each adult traveler needs to keep available his/her airline boarding pass and government-issued photo ID (passport) until exiting the security checkpoint. Due to different airport configurations, at many airports you will be required to display these documents more than once.
  • Place the following items in your carry-on baggage or in a plastic bag prior to entering the screening checkpoint:
    • Mobile phones
    • Keys
    • Loose change
    • Large jewelry
    • Large belt buckles
    • Electronic devices (iPods, Gameboys, etc.)
  • There is a strict limit on the amount of liquids and gels you have in your carry-on baggage. No single item can exceed 3.4 ounces/100 ml. All liquids and gels in your carry-on baggage must be packed in a clear, plastic, quart- or liter-sized, zip-top bag and only one bag per passenger is allowed. NOTE: It is best to pack all liquids and gels greater than 3.4 ounces/100 ml in your checked baggage.
  • Take any laptops and video cameras with cassettes OUT of their cases and place them in a bin provided at the checkpoint.
  • Take off all shoes, jackets, suit coats and blazers and place them in a bin provided at the checkpoint.
Once you have passed the security checkpoint, proceed to your gate and board the plane. When your flight lands in Manhattan, KS or Kansas City, follow the other passengers off the plane to the main lobby area and look for the European Student Leaders Welcome Team. They will greet you and help you find your baggage.
 
In the event that you miss your connecting flight or it is delayed by more than one hour, please contact Kristina Snyder at 706.372.4058 or David Carter at 785.341.2804 for instructions.
 
For additional information about Transportation Safety, visit the Transportation Safety Administration website.
 
 

Terminal Maps for Arrival Airports: