The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is a bureau of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

reporting to the

under secretary of state for management The Under Secretary of State for Management is a position within the United States Department of State that serves as principal adviser to the Secretary of State and Deputy Secretary of State on matters relating to the allocation and use of Depar ...

. The mission of the Bureau is to administer laws, formulate regulations and implement policies relating to the broad range of

consular services Consular assistance is help and advice provided by the diplomatic agents of a country to citizens of that country who are living or traveling overseas. The diplomats may be honorary consuls, or members of the country's diplomatic service. Such a ...

and

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

. , the bureau is headed by the

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Consular Affairs within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs reports to the Under Secretary of State for ...

Rena Bitter Rena Bitter is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Laos from 2016 to 2020 and is currently serving as Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs. Early life and education Bitter grew up in Dallas, Texas, on ...

History

The precursor to the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs was created in 1952 upon passage of the

Immigration and Nationality Act The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act may refer to one of several acts including: * Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 * Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 * Immigration Act of 1990 See also * List of United States immigration legisla ...

. The Bureau was charged with issuing visas and passports, and extending visas for non-immigrants in the United States. For a temporary period of time in 1954, the Bureau was known as the Bureau of Inspection, Security, and Consular Affairs. In 1979, the security functions were moved to an Office of Security, which later became the

Bureau of Diplomatic Security The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, commonly known as Diplomatic Security (DS), is the security branch of the United States Department of State. It conducts international investigations, threat analysis, cyber security, counterterrorism, and pr ...

, and the Bureau of Consular Affairs was formed.

Offices

The Bureau of Consular Affairs manages eight offices: the Offices of the Comptroller, Consular Systems & Technology, Executive Director, Fraud Prevention, Overseas Citizen Services, Policy Coordination & Public Affairs, Passport Services, and Visa Services.

Office of Comptroller

The principal strategic and resource management office for the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

Office of Consular Systems & Technology

Develops, installs, and provides training for the Bureau's automated information processing systems.

Office of Executive Director

Provides a full range of management support for the Bureau, including management of the Bureau's IT systems and infrastructure, human resources, and controlled consular supplies.

Office of Fraud Prevention

Dedicated to providing resources, tools, and information that enhances consular officers' ability to detect and deter passport and visa fraud.

Office of Overseas Citizen Services

Advises and supports U.S. citizens and U.S. embassies and consulates around the world in such matters as: *Deaths *

Arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

s *

Robberies Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

Citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

and nationality (including both acquisition of citizenship through

naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

and the

Child Citizenship Act of 2000 The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA) is a United States federal law that amended the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 regarding acquisition of citizenship by children of US citizens and added protections for individuals who have voted i ...

and

renunciation of citizenship Renunciation (or renouncing) is the act of rejecting something, especially if it is something that the renunciant has previously enjoyed or endorsed. In religion, renunciation often indicates an abandonment of pursuit of material comforts, in t ...

) *

Federal benefits In the United States, federal assistance, also known as federal aid, federal benefits, or federal funds, is defined as any federal program, project, service, or activity provided by the federal government that directly assists domestic governmen ...

(including

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

) * Notarization of

document A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', which denotes a "teaching" or ...

s *

International child abduction The term international child abduction is generally synonymous with international ''parental kidnapping,'' ''child snatching'', and ''child stealing.'' However, the more precise legal usage of ''international child abduction'' originates in ...

International adoption International adoption (also referred to as intercountry adoption or transnational adoption) is a type of adoption in which an individual or couple residing in one country becomes the legal and permanent parent(s) of a child who is a national of ...

s To assist the traveling public, the bureau issues country specific information, travel warnings, and travel alerts concerning conditions in countries where Americans may be planning to visit or reside. The Bureau also maintains the volunteer Warden Program, designed to help protect and inform US citizens in host nations.

Office of Policy Coordination & Public Affairs

Articulates the Bureau's policy through media relations, public outreach, Congressional liaison, and strategic planning.

Office of Passport Services

Issues

U.S. Passport United States passports are passports issued to citizens and nationals of the United States of America. They are issued exclusively by the U.S. Department of State. Besides passports (in booklet form), limited-use passport cards are issued b ...

s to American citizens. Over 119 million valid U.S. passports are currently in circulation. 13.5 million passports and passport cards were issued in fiscal year 2013. Since June 1, 2009, all American travelers entering the United States, including at land borders or air/sea ports of entry, are required to show proof of citizenship, which can include the passport book or

passport card The United States passport card is an optional national identity card and a travel document issued by the U.S. federal government in the size of a credit card. Like a U.S. passport book, the passport card is only issued to U.S. nationals exclu ...

. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services is Rachel Arndt. Passports may be issued domestically in the US as well as by US embassies or consulates abroad. In 2006, the Bureau began the widespread issuance of Electronic Passports or "e-passports."

Visas Services Office

Following regulations established by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

in the

(INA), consular officers overseas under the guidance of the Bureau's Office of Visa Services are responsible for issuing all non-immigrant and immigrant

visas Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

. (Over 7.75 million non-immigrant visa and approximately 744,000 immigrant visa cases were processed in fiscal year 2006.) The Bureau of Consular Affairs also administers the provisions of the INA as they relate to the Department of State in coordination with

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that administers the country's naturalization and immigration system. It is a successor to the Immigration and Naturalizati ...

and

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...

within the

United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the I ...

International child abduction and adoption

The Office of Children's Issues creates, develops and coordinates policies and programs on

international child abduction The term international child abduction is generally synonymous with international ''parental kidnapping,'' ''child snatching'', and ''child stealing.'' However, the more precise legal usage of ''international child abduction'' originates in ...

and international adoption issues. In this respect, it is the US

Central Authority A Central Authority is an agency or organization that is designated to play a key facilitating role in the implementation and operation of an international treaty in public and private international law. Prior to the Hague Evidence Convention a ...

under the terms of the

Hague Abduction Convention The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction or Hague Abduction Convention is a multilateral treaty that provides an expeditious method to return a child internationally abducted by a parent from one member countr ...

and the

Hague Adoption Convention The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (or Hague Adoption Convention) is an international convention dealing with international adoption, child laundering, and child trafficking in ...

References

External links

Travel.state.gov
the Bureau of Consular Affairs website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bureau Of Consular Affairs CA Visa policy of the United States Immigration to the United States Consular affairs

Consular Affairs A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...