Au Pairs traveling outside of the US during their first year

Au pairs are allowed to travel outside of the U.S. during their 12 month stay.  In order to assure re-entry into the U.S., the au pair must send in her DS-2019 form to Cultural Care to have the Travel Validation box signed by a Responsible Officer.  The au pair should include a note indicating the dates of departure, as well as a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The au pair should allow 3-4 weeks for processing. If the au pair sends in the DS-2019 form less than 3 weeks before travel, a Federal Express envelope or a self-addressed USPS priority mail envelope should be used. The au pair should also include a pre-paid return Federal Express envelope or USPS priority mail envelope so that the signed DS-2019 form is returned promptly. If no pre-paid envelope is enclosed, there will be a 10USD for sending a DS-2019 form by Federal Express within the US, and 20USD for sending overseas. The au pair may pay by check or credit card.

The DS-2019 form should be sent to:

Cultural Care Au Pair
Attn: Travel Validation
One Education Street
Cambridge, MA 02141

Please note! We do not recommend traveling outside of the US during the last 2 months of the year. While technically the au pair has a valid visa and should not have any problems getting back into the country, sometimes immigration officers question why the au pair traveled outside of the country so close to the expiration date of her visa.

Previously, au pairs did not need to send the DS-2019 form in if they were traveling to Canada or Mexico. While this has not changed, some au pairs have had trouble at the border because the form was not signed. Therefore, it is advisable that all au pairs send in the DS-2019 form, even when traveling to Canada or Mexico. Many Non-Western European au pairs are required to obtain a tourist visa to visit Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Au pairs should contact the closest embassy of their destination country for information and visa applications. Please visit www.embassyworld.com for the closest embassy or consulate. If an au pair travels without the appropriate documents, she may be denied re-entry into the U.S. and may be prohibited from boarding the plane.

It is the responsibility of each au pair to check to see if a tourist visa is required for the country he/she is visiting.

• Travel to Canada: please follow this link to find out if the au pair needs a tourist visa: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp.
• Travel to Mexico: please follow this link to find out if the ay pair needs a tourist visa: National Institute of Immigration Mexico
• For all other countries, please visit www.embassyworld.com for a listing of embassies for various countries. If the au pair travels without the appropriate documents, such as a tourist visa, she/he may be prohibited from boarding the plane and/or denied entry into the country.

• Travel outside of the U.S. during the au pair’s 13^th month is not permitted by the J-1 visa.  If an au pair leaves the continental U.S. during this month, she will not be allowed to re-enter the U.S. Cultural Care has no authority in this case. The only exception to this rule is travel to Hawaii. Au pair may travel to Hawaii in their 13^th month.