Many of you are aware of the visa situation that has arisen as a result of the Government of France’s inability to meet new U.S passport requirements. To render the U.S. more secure after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress mandated that all visitors to the U.S. from countries, including France, that enjoy visa-free travel to the U.S., must carry a machine readable passport if the passport was issued before October 26, 2004 or a passport with a photograph digitally imprinted into it if the passport was issued after October 26, 2004. At the request of industry and foreign governments, Congress delayed implementation for a year, until October 26, 2005, but declined to grant further extensions. All affected countries except France meet the new requirements.

The lack of a compliant French passport means that French citizens with passports issued after October 26, 2005 must obtain visas to enter the U.S. The U.S. Consular Section in Paris is staffed and structured physically for the requirements of a visa waiver country. The lack of visa waiver means processing 4-5 times as many visas monthly as in previous peak issuance months. It has been working to issue as many visas as quickly as possible. Visa issuance is higher than ever in absolute terms and in the number of visas issued per consular officer. This has not been enough. The Consulate’s physical structure precludes expansion, even if more Consular officers were available. We cannot meet the current demand for visas, and cannot put in place the means to do so in any practical timeframe.

We deeply regret to have to inform you that you will likely experience considerable delays in arranging the visa interviews that legislation requires before we can issue a visa. This may mean that some of you will not be able to travel as planned. We cannot accommodate all those wishing earlier interviews than we have been able to grant. We suggest that those who require visas contact the Consulate by the normal appointment telephone number (0-810-2646-26) as soon as you can to arrange appointments, even if your travel is not imminent. All travel plans should be kept open until you know the date of your visa interview. Once issued, the visas normally are valid for ten years.

We know that business has a special mission and needs to travel to the U.S., and we want to accommodate. We also know that many businesses, like airlines, travel agents, and representatives of American destinations, exist to help passengers travel to the U.S., and that some depend on this for their livelihood. It is hard for us to tell businessmen, students, and tourists that they must wait until we can grant an appointment.

We apologize for the inconvenience you may incur from this situation. The intent of the U.S. Congress is to ensure the security of American citizens and travelers to the U.S. in this new age of indiscriminate terrorism. The Government of France has assured us it is moving quickly to implement new biometric passports.

Thank you very much for your understanding.

Craig Stapleton
Ambassador