AUSTRIAN RESPONSE TO VISA WAIVER PROGRAM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 003636 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR CA/VO/F/P - DLOPES DA ROSA; CA/FPP - KOVERSTROM; EUR/AGS - VVIKMANIS KELLER; DHS FOR MHARDIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CVIS CMGT PREL AU SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN RESPONSE TO VISA WAIVER PROGRAM REVIEW AND INFORMATION ON NEW FOIL ISSUANCE REF: A) STATE 203819, B) STATE 199055 and previous ¶1. Summary: ConGen and Consular Legal Assistant called on Austrian Ministry of Interior contacts on Nov. 14 to present results of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) review (ref A). ConGen took the opportunity to obtain samples of the new foil being inserted in Austrian passports for travel to the U.S. to make them VWP compliant, and will forward them to CA/FPP. ConGen was also able to observe the foil printing and learn more about the passport confirmation process. End Summary. ¶2. The Past and Future Reviews: The MOI was pleased that the 2004 VWP Review had yielded favorable results. They expressed hope that the next review in 2006 will take place after they have begun issuing their new e-passport. More importantly, they are concerned that if they are requested to compile statistics and related documents for the review during Austria's EU presidency (January-June 2006), their response time would be slow, owing to the burden of the Ministry's additional EU-related obligations. They would therefore prefer any review to take place after June 2006. ¶3. The Foil Process: The MOI then provided copies of the new foil ("vignette") being inserted in the passports of U.S. bound travelers (post will forward them to CA/FPP). The MOI began issuing the foils on October 31, 2005, (see Ref B) and has hired three additional employees to handle the workload. The obligation is on the traveler to ask for the foil, but some passport offices are handing out an information sheet to all passport applicants advising them that the foils are required for visa-free travel to the U.S. The MOI will only issue the foil after the applicant has applied for and been issued a new passport, or has applied for an old MRP to be extended. This is because as part of the internal security process the MOI confirms that the applicant has a valid passport on record in the Austrian central document database. ¶4. The applicant's photo is already scanned into a software system as part of the passport issuance process. The photo and the applicant's biodata are forwarded to the MOI by any passport office for production of the foil. The foils are placed on the "reserved" pages of Austrian machine-readable passports (MRPs) that have either been extended or that are new- issuances. The extended passports are limited to no more than 12 months' validity, or to December 31, 2006, whichever comes first. The foils themselves expire on October 25, 2006, regardless of when they are issued or when the passport itself expires. Both these policies are meant to encourage Austrian citizens to replace their passports with the new e-passports as soon as they are available. ¶5. The MOI can issue the foils fairly quickly in an emergency. There have already been cases of applicants residing in Vienna who have obtained a passport in the morning and come by the MOI to get the foil inserted in the passport in the afternoon. However, the MOI has found that, just like some of post's visa applicants, foil applicants often overstate their need for prompt service, and the MOI now generally tells applicants that the foil will take five days to process, regular workdays only. Austrians residing abroad can obtain the same foil when they renew their passports, some of which are issued in Austria, but must reckon with a total processing time of up to six weeks, as passports are shipped only through the diplomatic pouch. ¶6. ConGen asked how the MOI was able to implement foil issuance so quickly, having only conceived the idea in mid-October. Our interlocutor informed us he simply used the foil paper, foil carrier, and foil printer already used to print the Austrian Schengen visa and residence permit. The MOI then modified the software used for printing MRPs to print the applicant's photo, biodata and a machine-readable zone (MRZ) onto the secure foil paper. The Epson printer used for the visas and permits is already outdated and off the market, so since the foil is a temporary measure anyway, the MOI simply took one printer plus a back up from a permit-issuing office in Vienna. ¶7. Fortuitous Outcome: The MOI has found unanticipated benefits from the foil program. It is already preparing Austrian passport applicants for centralized passport production in Vienna, as well as leading them to expect somewhat longer waits for passport issuance than the same-day service currently possible. It has also allowed the MOI to test its procedures for obtaining biodata from the passport offices electronically and returning processed passports to the offices. Van Voorst