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