COLINGs have always striven to be highly inclusive conferences and we will do our best to ensure that COLING 2018 remains faithful to that tradition. In our main call for papers, we invite a large array of types of contributions, hoping that our scientific program will cover the largest possible spectrum of current methodological approaches, application areas, resources and individual languages.
Needless to say, this means that we welcome participants from all over the world. We are well aware that, in some cases, visa issues may arise. We will do our best to help potential participants obtain the required visas by providing personalized invitation letters to all those who may need them. If you need an invitation letter, please follow the directions given on our Requesting an invitation letter page.
Then, make sure to apply for your visas at least six months ahead of time (exit visa from your country or entry visa to the U.S.A or both). If you get a paper accepted for COLING 2018 but fail to obtain the required visas after having done due diligence in requesting them, we will strive to provide you with the means to present your paper remotely. Note however that papers that are not presented — whether in person or, exceptionally, remotely — will not be included in the proceedings of the conference.
Information about entry visas to the U.S.A. can be found here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html
For information about the visa waiver program see: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html