Law Offices of Mitch Berenson

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bureau of Consular Affairs

[Public Notice 4173]

Extension of Certain Foreign Passports Validity

In accordance with section 212(a)(7)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(7)(B)), a nonimmigrant alien who makes an application for a visa or for admission into the United States is required to possess a passport that:

Is valid for a minimum of six months beyond the date of the expiration of the initial period of the alien's admission into the United States or contemplated initial period of stay and,
Authorizes the alien to return to the country from which he or she came, or to proceed to and enter some other country during such period. Because of the foregoing requirement, the governments of certain countries (and other competent authorities) have agreed that their passports will be recognized as valid for the return of the bearer for a period of six months beyond the expiration date specified in the passport, thereby effectively extending the validity period of the foreign passport an additional six months beyond its expiration date, see 22 CFR 41.104(b).

This public notice adds Romania to the list of competent authorities that have provided the necessary assurances to the Government of the United States. This notice also adds Bosnia- Herzegovina, Croatia, Guatemala and Guyana to the list. These countries have had agreements in place for some time, but were inadvertently dropped from the list in previous notices. The updated list of competent authorities that have made the necessary assurances is shown below:

Table of Foreign Passports Recognized for Extended Validity

Public Notice 4075 of August 6, 2002 published at 67 FR 50973 hereby superseded.

Dated: October 20, 2002.
George C. Lannon,

Wilshire Pacific Plaza, 12301 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 510, Los Angeles, California 90025