I am the biggest idiot there is! My husband and I have been planning our first trip to Europe in June 1998. We have just purchased our plane tickets and are leaving May 29th.

My husband is a citizen, but I am just an permanent alien resident. Needless to say, I need special documents (not a passport) in order to visit other countries. For some stupid reason, I have waited until the middle of January to send away for my "travel document." Most of you probably think "Why is she freaking out? She has 4 months!" Immigration says it can take up to 4 months to receive this document and I still have to get tourist visas for the 3 countries that I am visiting. I also spoke with a lawyer who says that it can sometimes take 6 months.

My question is as follows: Does anyone have first hand experience with the re-entry permits and/or refugee travel documents? If so, how long did it take you to receive yours?

I hope I can make my flight. Otherwise, my husband is going to Europe alone.

Dear Lina, You don't say what country your husband is a citizen of? Is there anyway you can get a passport from the country you are a citizen of? When we applied for our passport I too waited to long but was SAVED because in USA for an extra $20 (or so) you can EXPEDITE your passport to come in only about a week. This worked great. They were here in plenty of time. I am a good detective. If I can help E mail me direct. I think your best bet is to apply for a passport from the country you are a citizen of.

My husband is a U.S. citizen. Believe it or not, I am a citizen of nowhere! I was born in the former U.S.S.R. and had to renounce my citizenship to move to the U.S.(Cold War!) I have applied for citizenship here, however it takes 1-2 years to process the application. My only option is to wait for this "Refugee Travel Document" from INS. Thanks for your help, though!

Getting the visas won't take long for most european countries. In fact, depending on where you are going, you may not need visas at all, or one visa will work for several countries. For example, a visa for France will also get you into Spain.

Good luck with the main travel document.

Actually, there is one visa for quite a few different countries. It's called the Schengen visa and will allow entry to the Netherlands, Belguim, France, Spain, and quite a few other countries. I will definately be getting this visa. Anyone out there have any experience with INS, in terms of traveling outside the U.S.?