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To enter a foreign country, HHS employees on official business and immediate family members authorized to accompany employees on permanent assignment must have the appropriate:

165 2. Visa(s), if required by the country visited;

3. Country clearance(s) from the U.S. Embassy, Consulate, or Mission; 4. Health clearance and immunizations; and

5. Travel security briefings and trainings.

HHS employees should always consult with the OpDiv/StaffDivs international office or OGA to verify when a visa is required. HHS employees should refer to the

OpDiv/StaffDiv’s international office for specific procedures on obtaining an official (maroon) U.S. passport.

HHS employees are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa(s) required for their official international travel. Please note that many countries that do not require visas for U.S.

citizens who travel on tourist (blue) passports often require visas for U.S. Government officials who travel on official (maroon) or diplomatic (black) passports. Consult with the Department of State’s website at www.state.gov for information. Costs associated with obtaining official passports, such as pictures, are considered a reimbursable miscellaneous expense.

Travelers should check the visa requirements for holders of official (maroon) or diplomatic (black) passports for anticipated/potential stopover sites where they might wish to leave the airport.

6.2.4.1 Passports

As discussed below, there are three types of passports: diplomatic, official, and personal/tourist. The colors of U.S. passports vary depending on the type:

Passport Type Color

Official Maroon

Diplomatic Black

Personal/Tourist Blue or Green

Passport applicants must be U.S. citizens.

Official (Maroon) and Diplomatic (Black) Passports

Official (maroon) passports are valid, no-fee passports issued to an employee of the U.S. Government who is traveling abroad for official business.

The categories of personnel eligible for diplomatic (black) passports that are pertinent to HHS include: U.S. Government employees accorded diplomatic titles; those assigned abroad for at least one year who are under the authority of the COM at a U.S. Embassy or Mission, and their authorized accompanying family members

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who are on official travel orders15; and personnel assigned to foreign-service posts where the Department of State has determined diplomatic passports are necessary for reasons of personal security, or because of unusual local conditions that prevent the accomplishment of assigned duties without diplomatic passports.

Eligible HHS employees who are on official international travel must travel under an official (maroon) or diplomatic (black) U.S. Government passport, unless the

Department of State specifically advises OGA otherwise (e.g., because of security concerns).

Please note that a HHS employee on detail to an international organization might have to travel under a United Nations Passport (Laissez Passer) while on official business.

Official and diplomatic passports are for official use only, and employees must never use them for personal travel.

HHS employees who are not U.S. citizens and who are traveling on HHS official business must travel under their own passports; they are not entitled to U.S. passports.

Bearers of official (maroon) or diplomatic (black) passports may receive certain privileges, depending on their assignments and the particular countries and

Embassies involved. While many may perceive a diplomatic passport as a symbol of status and prestige, it does not automatically afford the bearer with diplomatic status or privileges and immunities. Only when granted a diplomatic title by the

Department of State do HHS overseas assignees have full diplomatic status. HHS staff may not simultaneously hold diplomatic (black) and official (maroon) passports. HHS employees may, however, hold a personal/tourist passport (blue) while also holding a diplomatic (black) or official (maroon) passport, and may carry a personal passport with them while on official duty travel, as long as they use their official (maroon) passport for all entry, exit and other formalities with the host Government(s).

HHS employees must return their diplomatic (black) or official (maroon) passports when they expire to the Department of State, through their OpDiv/StaffDiv

international office. HHS employees may request the return of their canceled passports as a souvenir.

Official (maroon) and diplomatic (black) passports are U.S. Government property, and HHS employees must store them under lock and key in HHS facilities. All HHS OpDiv/StaffDiv personnel who have official (maroon) or black (diplomatic)

passports must store them with OGA. Under no circumstances should HHS staff send any passports through interoffice mail. The official passports issued while at

15 Each authorized, accompanying child, including infants, must have his or her own passport. Family members /dependents who are not U.S. citizens must travel under their own passports.

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HHS must be returned to the Passport Holding Office from which it was issued within five (5) working days after the traveler has returned from their TDY. Personal/Tourist (Blue or Green) Passports

HHS employees who are on personal leave must use their personal (blue) passports. Spouses and immediate family who accompany HHS staff on their international TDY travel must use their personal passports.

6.2.4.2 Visas

Each individual Government sets the requirements for visas. The U.S. Department of State website, www.state.gov, details official visa travel requirements for each country. HHS travelers should always check with their OpDiv/StaffDivs international office, or with OGA, to verify when a visa is required.

HHS employees should apply for the required visas as early as possible, but no later than three (3) weeks before travel. If multiple visas are required, travelers must allow time for acquiring each visa.

The traveler’s employing office will assist HHS employees and their family

members in obtaining the visas required for official purposes. OGA can also often be of help in this regard, because of its special relationships with many foreign

Embassies in Washington, DC. As noted above, in some cases visa requirements are different for holders of tourist (blue) and official (maroon) or diplomatic (black) passports. Travelers should check the visa requirements for holders of official (maroon) or diplomatic (black) passports for anticipated/potential stopover sites where they might wish to leave the airport.