State Department begins limited digital visa pilot in Ireland

The State Department announced it is conducting a digital visa authorization pilot program at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin.

Key Points:

• The department is conducting a limited “proof of concept” pilot program issuing digital/foil-less visas for a small number of K-1 (fiancé(e)) visas at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin.
• The K-1 visa was chosen for the pilot because it is a single-entry visa issued only to individuals traveling directly to the United States.
• The State Department said the U.S. Embassy in Dublin is the “ideal location to conduct this initial DVA proof of concept” because of the U.S.’s “historically strong partnership with the Irish government, the ingenuity of the consular section at our embassy there, the presence of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pre-clearance procedures at Dublin Airport, and the participation of airlines flying out of Dublin directly to the United States who are already enrolled in CBP’s Document Validation program.”

‌BAL Analysis: The State Department may expand the DVA program in the future if the pilot proves successful. In the long-term, the State Department expects DVAs to be more secure as well as more efficient to process than printed visas. BAL will follow the implementation of the pilot program and will provide updates as new information becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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