Addressing Significant Vulnerabilities In The Department Of State S Passport Issuance Process

Addressing Significant Vulnerabilities in the Department of State's Passport Issuance Process

A genuine U.S. passport is a vital document, permitting its owner to travel freely into and out of the United States, prove U.S. citizenship, obtain further identification documents, and set up bank accounts, among other things. Since May 2005, there have been several reports identifying significant fraud vulnerabilities in the passport issuance process. This report: (1) describes recent work on passport fraud; and (2) summarizes actions the Department of State has indicated it is taking to address the fraud vulnerabilities that have been identified.

The Passport Issuance Process

Border Security

In July 2008, the Dept. of State (State) began issuing passport cards as a lower-cost alternative to passports for U.S. citizens to meet Western Hemisphere Travel requirements. In Oct. 2008, State began issuing the second generation border crossing card (BCC) based on the architecture of the passport card. This report examined the effectiveness of the physical and electronic security features of the passport card and the BCC. The report addresses: (1) How effectively State¿s development process ¿ incl. testing and evaluation ¿ for the passport card and second generation BCC mitigates the risk of fraudulent use? (2) How are U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers using the cards¿ security features to prevent fraudulent use at land ports of entry? Illus.