US embassy cable - 05VIENNA3636

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