You will need your original DS-2019 when you attend your J-1 visa interview and enter the US, so you will need to have the DS-2019 shipped to you abroad. Please note, UMBC does not mail DS-2019’s internationally through regular mail. Your UMBC departmental sponsor may ship your DS-2019 to you, or they may request that you cover shipment costs. These self-funded international shipments must go through the eShip Global shipping service.
eShip Global Shipping Service
All International shipping from the IES office is handled through our shipping partner, eShip Global’s University Express Mail Services, or UEMS. This service allows you to pay for and receive your documents through DHL or FedEx. Documents typically arrive 3-5 days after you place your shipping order.
Create Your eShip Account.
Please do NOT create an account until you have received an email from the IES office confirming that your DS-2019 is ready. We will send a draft of your DS-2019 for your review via email – please make sure the information is correct before you place your shipping order.
To request the shipment of your documents, please visit eShip Global’s website, https://study.eshipglobal.com, to create an account (works best with Internet Explorer & Mozilla Firefox browsers).
You must use the Web site provided above – please do not go through DHL or FedEx directly, as this will delay the shipment and cost more. eShip Global provides discounted shipping and allows you to enter your own shipment information, to ensure the address and other details are accurate and will reach you without a problem. Once you order the shipment, our office will receive notification and will arrange for the pick-up of your package by DHL or FedEx. You can then track the progress of the package through your eShip Global account.
To set up an account and place your shipment order, you will be required to create your own user name and password in order to create an account. To request shipment, you will need your UMBC Student ID number (also called your campus ID), mailing address, e-mail address, phone number and payment information. Please pay close attention to the information submitted, as errors in the payment information or submitting incorrect or incomplete address information will result in a delay in the mailing of your documents. If you experience any difficulty in registering and processing the shipment, please use the eShipGlobal/UEMS “Help” link for step by step instructions. If you have additional questions about how to use this service, please e-mail student.support@eshipglobal.com.
Please note, international shipping is at your expense and your credit/debit card (Visa, Mastercard or Discover credit cards only) will be charged upon requesting the service. This service also allows wire transfer or bank teller deposit for those who are unable to use a credit/debit card. Prices for shipments vary depending on destination, but are typically around USD 50.00
Shipments to Iran
UMBC has worked with eShip Global and we are approved to mail packages to Iran through DHL courier service, though please note these often take longer than the typical 3-5 day delivery time.
Why eShip?
UMBC only offers international shipments through eShip Global for many reasons. First, regular mail to many other countries is extremely slow and unreliable, and sensitive immigration documents such as an DS-2019 can be lost, stolen or delayed. eShip offers tracking, so students can plan appropriately for their visa appointments and all the other next steps that depend on the receipt of the DS-2019. UMBC also does NOT charge international students an additional international fee, which many schools do charge to cover the extra costs required to best serve international students, such as the cost of international shipping. In an effort to keep student fees as low as possible rather than require an additional fee of all students, UMBC instead asks students to cover the cost of their international shipment.
Shipping Within the US
Documents that need to be mailed within the US will be mailed via regular mail at UMBC’s expense. Expedited domestic shipping can also be ordered through eShip.
If you are currently abroad and have a contact in the US that you would like your documents mailed to, please email our office at ies@umbc.edu and we will be happy to mail your documents accordingly.