Tag Archives: AmCits

Overseas Americans May Use Their Expired Passports to Return to the U.S. Until 12/31/21

May 25, 2021 By in Americans Abroad, Consular Work, Federal Agencies, Functional Bureaus, State Department Tags: , , ,
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On May 24, the State Department announced that overseas Americans may be able to return to the United States on their expired passports until December 31, 2021 under certain circumstances:

If you are overseas and your passport expired on or after January 1, 2020, you may be able to use your expired passport to return directly to the United States until December 31, 2021.

You qualify for this exception if all the following are true:

    • You are a U.S. citizen.
    • You are currently abroad seeking direct return to the United States.
    • You are flying directly to the United States, a United States territory, or have only short-term transit (“connecting flights”) through a foreign country on your direct return to the United States or to a United States Territory.
    • Your expired passport was originally valid for 10 years. Or, if you were 15 years of age or younger when the passport was issued, your expired passport was valid for 5 years.
    • Your expired passport is undamaged.
    • Your expired passport is unaltered.
    • Your expired passport is in your possession.

You do not qualify for this exception if:

    • You wish to depart from the United States to an international destination.
    • You are currently abroad seeking to travel to a foreign country for any length of stay longer than an airport connection en route to the United States or to a United States territory.
    • Your expired passport was limited in validity.
    • Your expired passport is a special issuance passport (such as a diplomatic, official, service, or no-fee regular passport).
    • Your expired passport is damaged.
    • Your expired passport is altered.
    • Your expired passport is not in your possession.

All other passport rules and regulations remain in effect. The Department of Homeland Security maintains discretion to reject any bearer in accordance with 22 CFR 53.2(b)(7) and 8 CFR 235.1(b).

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After Leaked Diplomatic Letters Over A$AP Rocky’s Detention in Sweden, Where Should @StateSPEHA Go Next?

August 5, 2019 By in Americans Abroad, Celebrity, Consular Work, Controversies, EUR|Europe, Govt Documents, Hostages, Realities of the FS, Regulations, Special Envoys and Reps, Spectacular, State Department, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

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Trump’s Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Robert O’Brien who was in Sweden for A$AP Rocky’s assault trial apparently told USAToday reporter Kim Hjelmgaard that it is “entirely appropriate” for him to be in Sweden even though this was a criminal case. “When foreign govts. hold American citizens it’s always appropriate”.
The things we learn these days!
As of December 2018, the Bureau of Consular Affairs has conducted 10,399 visits to U.S. citizens in prison overseas. Note – prison visits not hostage visits. Only a few of those U.S. citizens make the news (see CA Fact Sheet).
The Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs also said publicly, while tagging his ultimate boss on Twitter, that the president “has made bringing our fellow citizens home a center piece of his foreign policy”.
Consular work just got so utterly fascinating. Now, which ones of the over 10,000 prison visits by consular officers to U.S. citizens incarcerated overseas will now be done by the special envoy? Which fellow citizens jailed overseas will be brought home next?

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