Executive Education participants are responsible for obtaining their own appropriate visa or travel authorization. Harvard Kennedy School cannot assist in this process other than providing a visa support letter once you are admitted. Obtaining a visa can be a time-consuming process, taking up to several months. Please take this into account when applying.
- Visa Waiver Program Citizens: if your country is part of the Visa Waiver Program, you don’t need a Visa, but you must apply for a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) ahead of time. This can be done online and may take up to 72 hours to complete.
- Citizens of Other Countries: you typically will need a B-1* visa (B-1 non-immigrant visa or business/travel visa). Executive Education Program participants are not considered full-time students at Harvard University and thus are not eligible for Harvard University's F-1 student visa sponsorship. Please follow U.S. State Department guidelines to obtain a visa.
Visa Support Letters: Once admitted, participants may request a visa support letter from Harvard Kennedy School to be used as part of the visa application process.
* Please note that HKS is unable to contact embassies on behalf of program participants.