Four Offices in State Department Provide Range of Services to Foreign Diplomats by Alan B. Nichols The mission of the U.S. Department of State, through its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and its 260 diplomatic and consular missions around the world, is to help shape, articulate and execute official U.S. foreign policy. Both through informal arrangements and formal bilateral or multilateral agreements, the State Department works closely with some 180 nations around the globe on a host of issuesófrom terrorism and worldwide hunger to international tradeóall aimed at promoting peace and prosperity at home and abroad, and all of which are still done by a relatively small workforce. The State Department actually employs fewer people than most local city governments. The State Departmentís responsibilities have broadened tremendously over the years to include combating threats such as terrorism, international crime and narcotics trafficking. But as part of the State Departmentís day-to-day functions, the agency con tinues to perform a multitude of services for the nearly 170 embassies in the nationís capital and the tens of thousands of consular and support staff they employ. These services include accreditation, issuing visas, tax cards, drivers licenses and other such credentials, and offering support services in the area of diplomatic security. The four offices within the State Department that have the most visible roles with respect to foreign missions are the offices of protocol, foreign missions, diplomatic security and visas. In accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations established in 1961, all employees of foreign missions in the United States must be accredited. This means that all foreign mission staff, from the ambassador to the attachÈs, is required to ìbe notified toî the State Department, and this process is a primary function of the Office of Protocol. Once an application is submitted and accreditation is approved, the foreign mission staff is issued diplomatic identification cards. These cards grant diplomatic immunity from prosecution under the U.S. civil and criminal laws, and they confer eligibility for certain benefits, such as driverís licenses, work permits and tax exemptions. More specifically, these benefits are granted through designated documents (cards, licenses, permits and so forth) issued by the Office of Foreign Missions. It should be noted that privileges and benefits extended to foreign diplomats in the United States are largely based on reciprocity. Therefore, they vary according to agreements between the United States and each particular country, which is a fundamental premise behind many of the State Departmentís services. In the case of working in the United States, the Office of Protocol receives all work applications, and if an application is approved, it then gets sent to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which, if everything is in order, issues an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Bearers of this credential are eligible to work in both the private and public sectorsóprovided they meet all other requirements for the specific position. All services of the Visa Office are free to foreign missions and are housed in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which in turn provides a broad array of additional services for both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, ranging from travel warnings and information on international adoption to legal and medical contacts abroad, and much more. The first job of the Visa Office is to issue diplomatic visas to members of foreign missions. There are three categories of diplomatic visas: A-1 visas are issued to Foreign Service officers, career diplomats, and to ambassadors and other high-ranking diplomats, such as consuls and vice consuls. The A-2 visa is for administrative and technical staff in the mission, and an A-3 visa is for personal employeesómaids, nannies and other domestics employed privately by a diplomatís family. Again, reciprocity governs each category. Visa privileges and immunities must match those offered to American diplomats in the particular foreign country. One small but important benefit of holding a diplomatic visa for busy diplomats is that they donít have to wait in long security lines at airports. Instead, they can go directly through the diplomatic line. The Visa Office also expedites specific visa-related requests, such as a request to change from one diplomatic visa status to another, or from diplomatic to nondiplomatic status and vice versa. Another benefit is that the Visa Office, upon request, issues travel visas to family members of foreign diplomats stationed overseas, such as, for example, an Argentine Foreign Service officer serving in Brazil who wants to bring his family to the United States for a vacation. The diplomat would apply for and receive the appropriate visas at the U.S. Embassy in either Brazil or Argentina, and the service is free of charge. The State Department Visa Office also mediates and adjudicates most visa-related disputes that may arise. This service is often conducted in conjunction with the INS, with one INS officer assigned to work full time in the Visa Office. With respect to the 1,700 foreign government missions to the United States and their estimated 55,000 employees, the Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) manages five major programs: diplomatic motor vehicles, travel, real estate, customs and tax. Again, the exact privileges extended to the U.S.-based foreign diplomats of a particular country will depend on the level of benefits available to American diplomats in that country. For instance, if a certain country does not grant tax exemption to its U.S. diplomats, such privilege will not be extended to that nationís diplomats serving in the United States. Some countries enjoy carte blanche tax exemption, while others are granted exemption for purchases, say, from $400 and up. The same reciprocal dynamic holds for the OFMís other programs and services. In addition to the identification cards provided by the Office of Protocol, OFM gives out tax exemption cards and State Department-issued license plates. It is a mammoth undertaking to secure diplomatic privileges in these various domains and the OFM works closely with a host of federal, state and local agencies to coordinate this effort. Foreign missions must obtain prior authorization from the OFM before they can lease or purchase any office or residential property in the United States for their embassies or consulates. The Property Section of the OFM coordinates this review, which takes into account both reciprocity and security issues, as well as related issues such as property tax, zoning and land use matters. Reciprocity and national security issues also influence decisions on diplomatic travel controls, which are within the domain of the OFM as well. If a foreign country breaks diplomatic relations with the U.S. government, the OFM may take over that nationís diplomatic and consular properties in the United States. In the past, the OFM has held custody of the properties of Vietnam, Cambodia and Yugoslavia, and continues to have custody of the Iranian properties. Another vital function of the State Department is protecting foreign dignitaries, which falls under the realm of the Office of Diplomatic Security (DS). In fact, DS agents protect more foreign diplomats and dignitaries than any other U.S. government agency. In addition to safeguarding all U.S. personnel working overseas, many people may not be aware that such protection is also available to foreign dignitariesóother than heads of state, such as ambassadors, chief consuls, and others who visit the United States. Such services are based on the perceived level of threat to a particular person and that countryís willingness to provide an equal level of protection to U.S. diplomats. DS protection extends to many special events, such as the Israeli-Syrian peace talks held in Shepherdstown, W.Va., in 1999. Agents also protected foreign dignitaries at the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002, and they are a regular presence at many high-level U.N. meetings. The State Departmentís DS also offers foreign missions in Washington consultative services with respect to their individual security systems and programs. In some cases, foreign missions have requested security training offered by DS, and in special cases, DS agents will provide a security presence at a foreign mission, although this practice is quite limited. Alan B. Nichols is a freelance writer in Bethesda, Md.