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