COUNTRY CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR TRAVEL TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 112461 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MGMT ASEC AFIN APER SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR TRAVEL TO AFGHANISTAN Ref: A. EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT MEMORANDUM 200919301 ¶B. STATE 1015191 STATE 00112461 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Summary. All USG travelers to Afghanistan who will serve under Chief of Mission authority must have approved Electronic Country Clearance (eCC) before their arrival at post. The eCC Request must be made at least ten days before arrival, and must confirm that required training has been completed. These rules apply to travelers from all Federal agencies, whether on permanent change of station (PCS) or TDY assignments. Visitors without approved Country Clearance must leave on the next available transport. The State Department's Orientation and In-Processing Center (OIP) will assist travelers from all Federal agencies with their eCC requests. End Summary. ¶2. Working and living accommodations at Embassy Kabul remain at capacity levels. There are literally no spare beds or desks available. In order to manage the high volume of arrivals, it is essential that all travelers request and receive advance Electronic Country Clearance (eCC). The eCC request enables the Mission to focus immediately on the purpose and timing of the visit, and to determine if appropriate accommodations are available. ¶3. The State Department Orientation & In-Processing Center (OIP) serves as the unique point of contact for all Afghanistan eCC requests from travelers of all agencies. Country clearance requests may be submitted through OIP as follows: - Those with access to State OpenNet may go to ecc.state.gov and complete a Country Clearance form for Afghanistan, which will be automatically transmitted to OIP. - Those without access to State OpenNet may request a paper copy of the Afghanistan Country Clearance form from OIPAfghanistanOrientation@state.gov. It should be completed and submitted to OIP per the instructions on the form. ¶4. The country clearance request must include the following information: - Point of Contact for TDY visitors: A control officer at post must confirm that the TDY travel is essential. - Mandatory Training: a. Employees assigned to, or visiting, Embassy Kabul for more than 29 cumulative days in any 365 day period must include the dates they completed the required security and orientation training (RS415 and OT610) at the Foreign Service Institute. b. Those assigned to field positions, including Provincial Reconstruction Teams, must state completion dates for required field training (AR421 and RS510) in addition to(a)above. c. If waivers for mandatory training have been received in accordance with ref B guidelines, the required authority must be cited. - Meetings: Visitors must list any requested meetings, with either host government or Mission officers. ¶5. If the control officer confirms that a travel request is valid, the Assistant Chief of Mission will adjudicate country clearance requests that include high level meetings; the Management Counselor or designee will adjudicate all other requests. After conditional approval is given, the Housing Office must confirm that a bed is available. Assigned personnel receive the highest priority for beds. If no suitable accommodations are available, the visit must be cancelled or re-scheduled. ¶6. Post normally will deny any TDY eCC request received less than 10 days before the planned arrival. TDY travelers who arrive without an approved eCC must depart by the next available flight. STATE 00112461 002.2 OF 002 ¶7. Please contact OIP at OIPAfghanistanOrientation@state.gov with any questions. ¶8. Minimize Considered CLINTON