8 FAM 1304
Passport Waivers and Travel letters
8 FAM 1304.1
Introduction to Passport Waivers and Travel letters
(CT:CITZ-1; 06-27-2018)
(Office of Origin: CA/PPT/S/A)
8 FAM 1304.1-1 Introduction
(CT:CITZ-1; 06-27-2018)
a. This subchapter addresses the extremely rare
situations when U.S. citizens/non-citizen U.S. nationals have an urgent need to
travel and when the issuance of a passport is not possible:
(1) Enhanced border security requirements have decreased
the use of both passport waivers (issued in the United States for travel abroad
to certain countries) and travel letters (issued by posts abroad);
(2) Nevertheless, crisis situations abroad and
unexpected emergency travel abroad in connection with the death or critical
illness of an immediate relative occasionally require that the Department
invoke these procedures;
(3) The issuance of a passport waiver or travel letter
is an accommodation of last resort. If at all possible, the person should
obtain a U.S. passport; and
(4) Posts may be able to facilitate the repatriation
by air of a U.S. citizen who has a passport card (see 8 FAM 706.1),
but who is unable to obtain a locally-issued emergency photo digitized passport
(EPDP) (see 8
FAM 706.2 regarding EPDPs). A
passport card is proof of U.S. citizenship and identity, but the passport card
is not International Civil Aviation Organization compliant and therefore may
not normally be used for international air travel. Detailed guidance on this
subject is provided in 8 FAM 1304.3.
b. Cards of identity and registration are obsolete and
are no longer issued (see 7 FAM 1120
Appendix H, Miscellaneous Citizenship and Nationality Related Certificates
and Other Documents).
c. Verification of citizenship and identity: The
passport authorizing officer must be satisfied as to the U.S. citizenship and
identity of the person to whom a passport waiver (domestic) or travel letter
(overseas) is issued (see 8 FAM 300
and 8
FAM 400). Also, the applicants name must be cleared in the Consular
Lookout and Support System and facial recognition (see 8 FAM 402.2
and 8
FAM 501).
d. Information establishing the critical emergency may
be obtained from:
(1) Conversations with and/or fax/email from the
applicant, attending physician, clergy, funeral director, etc.;
(2) Conversations with U.S. consular officers or the
Consular Affairs Passport Services (CA/PPT) or Consular Affairs Overseas
Citizens Services (CA/OCS) duty or country officers;
(3) Statements with and/or fax/e-mail submissions from
family members or relatives of the applicant (usually a U.S. resident) in the
United States directly with posts or with the CA/PPT or CA/OCS duty or country
officers about the critical emergency; and
(4) The Department of Defenses Office of Casualty
Affairs.
e. The loss or theft of a passport is not, in and of
itself, a basis for the issuance of passport waiver or travel letter.