I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3253 
To protect children from sexual exploitation by mandating reporting require-
ments for convicted sex traffickers and other registered sex offenders 
against minors intending to engage in international travel, providing 
advance notice of intended travel by high interest registered sex offenders 
outside the United States to the government of the country of destina-
tion, requesting foreign governments to notify the United States when 
a known child sex offender is seeking to enter the United States, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 24, 2011 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee 
on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To protect children from sexual exploitation by mandating 
reporting requirements for convicted sex traffickers and 
other registered sex offenders against minors intending 
to engage in international travel, providing advance no-
tice of intended travel by high interest registered sex 
offenders outside the United States to the government 
of the country of destination, requesting foreign govern-
ments to notify the United States when a known child 
sex offender is seeking to enter the United States, and 
for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘International Megan’s Law of 2011’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings and declaration of purposes. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Sex offender travel reporting requirement. 
Sec. 5. Foreign registration requirement for sex offenders. 
Sec. 6. International Sex Offender Travel Center. 
Sec. 7. Center sex offender travel guidelines. 
Sec. 8. Authority to restrict passports. 
Sec. 9. Immunity for good faith conduct. 
Sec. 10. Sense of Congress provisions. 
Sec. 11. Enhancing the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. 
Sec. 12. Special report on international mechanisms related to traveling child 
sex offenders. 
Sec. 13. Assistance to foreign countries to meet minimum standards for the 
elimination of trafficking. 
Sec. 14. Congressional reports. 
Sec. 15. Authorization of appropriations. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Megan Nicole Kanka, who was 7 years old, 
was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in 
1994, in the State of New Jersey by a violent pred-
ator living across the street from her home. Unbe-
knownst to Megan Kanka and her family, he had 
been convicted previously of a sex offense against a 
child. 
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(2) In 1996, Congress adopted Megan’s Law 
(Public Law 104–145) as a means to encourage 
States to protect children by identifying the where-
abouts of sex offenders and providing the means to 
monitor their activities. 
(3) The sexual exploitation of minors is a global 
phenomenon. The International Labour Organiza-
tion estimates that 1.8 million children worldwide 
are exploited each year through prostitution and 
pornography. 
(4) According to End Child Prostitution, Child 
Pornography and Trafficking in Children for Sexual 
Purposes (ECPAT International), all children are 
adversely affected by being commercially sexually ex-
ploited. Commercial sexual exploitation can result in 
serious, lifelong, even life-threatening consequences 
for the physical, psychological, spiritual, emotional 
and social development and well-being of a child. 
(5) ECPAT International reports that children 
who are commercially sexually exploited are at great 
risk of contracting HIV or AIDS and are unlikely to 
receive adequate medical care. These children are 
also at great risk of further physical violence—those 
who make an attempt to escape or counter their 
abuse may be severely injured or killed. The psycho-
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logical effects of child sexual exploitation and threats 
usually plague the victims for the rest of their lives. 
(6) ECPAT International further reports that 
children who have been exploited typically report 
feelings of shame, guilt, and low self-esteem. Some 
children do not believe they are worthy of rescue; 
some suffer from stigmatization or the knowledge 
that they were betrayed by someone whom they had 
trusted; others suffer from nightmares, sleepless-
ness, hopelessness, and depression—reactions similar 
to those exhibited in victims of torture. To cope, 
some children attempt suicide or turn to substance 
abuse. Many find it difficult to reintegrate success-
fully into society once they become adults. 
(7) According to ECPAT International, child 
sex tourism is a specific form of child prostitution 
and is a developing phenomenon. Child sex tourism 
is defined as the commercial sexual exploitation of 
children by people who travel from one place to an-
other and there engage in sexual acts with minors. 
This type of exploitation can occur anywhere in the 
world and no country or tourism destination is im-
mune. 
(8) According to research conducted by The 
Protection Project of The Johns Hopkins University 
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Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International 
Studies, sex tourists from the United States who 
target children form a significant percentage of child 
sex tourists in some of the most significant destina-
tion countries for child sex tourism. 
(9) According to the National Center for Miss-
ing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), most victims 
of sex offenders are minors. 
(10) Media reports indicate that known sex of-
fenders who have committed crimes against children 
are traveling internationally, and that the criminal 
background of such individuals may not be known to 
local law enforcement prior to their arrival. For ex-
ample, in April 2008, a United States registered sex 
offender received a prison sentence for engaging in 
illicit sexual activity with a 15-year-old United 
States citizen girl in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, 
Mexico in exchange for money and crack cocaine. 
(11) United States Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement (ICE) has taken a leading role in the 
fight against the sexual exploitation of minors 
abroad, in cooperation with other United States 
agencies, law enforcement from other countries, 
INTERPOL, and nongovernmental organizations. In 
addition to discovering evidence of and investigating 
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child sex crimes, ICE has provided training to for-
eign law enforcement and NGOs, as appropriate, for 
the prevention, detection, and investigation of cases 
of child sexual exploitation. 
(12) Between 2003 and 2009, ICE obtained 73 
convictions of individuals from the United States 
charged with committing sexual crimes against mi-
nors in other countries. 
(13) While necessary to protect children and 
rescue victims, the detection and investigation of 
child sex predators overseas is costly. Such an un-
dercover operation can cost approximately $250,000. 
A system that would aid in the prevention of such 
crimes is needed to safeguard vulnerable populations 
and to reduce the cost burden of addressing crimes 
after they are committed. 
(14) Sex offenders are also attempting to enter 
the United States. In April 2008, a lifetime reg-
istered sex offender from the United Kingdom at-
tempted to enter the United States with the inten-
tion of living with a woman who he had met on the 
Internet and her young daughters. Interpol London 
notified Interpol United States National Central Bu-
reau (USNCB) about the sex offender’s status. 
Interpol USNCB notified the United States Customs 
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and Border Protection officers, who refused to allow 
the sex offender to enter the country. 
(15) Foreign governments need to be encour-
aged to notify the United States as well as other 
countries when a known sex offender is entering our 
borders. For example, Canada has a national sex of-
fender registry, but Canadian officials do not notify 
United States law enforcement when a known sex of-
fender is entering the United States unless the sex 
offender is under investigation. 
(16) Child sex tourists may travel overseas to 
commit sexual offenses against minors for the fol-
lowing reasons: perceived anonymity; law enforce-
ment in certain countries is perceived as scarce, cor-
rupt, or unsophisticated; perceived immunity from 
retaliation because the child sex tourist is a United 
States citizen; the child sex tourist has the financial 
ability to impress and influence the local population; 
the child sex tourist can ‘‘disappear’’ after a brief 
stay; the child sex tourist can target children meet-
ing their desired preference; and, there is no need to 
expend time and effort ‘‘grooming’’ the victim. 
(17) Individuals who have been arrested in and 
deported from a foreign country for sexually exploit-
ing children have used long-term passports to evade 
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return to their country of citizenship where they 
faced possible charges and instead have moved to a 
third country where they have continued to exploit 
and abuse children. 
(18) In order to protect children, it is essential 
that United States law enforcement be able to iden-
tify high risk child sex offenders in the United 
States who are traveling abroad and child sex of-
fenders from other countries entering the United 
States. Such identification requires cooperative ef-
forts between the United States and foreign govern-
ments. In exchange for providing notice of sex of-
fenders traveling to the United States, foreign au-
thorities will expect United States authorities to pro-
vide reciprocal notice of sex offenders traveling to 
their countries. 
(19) ICE and other Federal law enforcement 
agencies currently are sharing information about sex 
offenders traveling internationally with law enforce-
ment entities in some other countries on an ad hoc 
basis through INTERPOL and other means. The 
technology to detect and notify foreign governments 
about travel by child sex offenders is available, but 
a legal structure and additional resources are needed 
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to systematize and coordinate these detection and 
notice efforts. 
(20) Officials from the United Kingdom, Aus-
tralia, Spain, and other countries have expressed in-
terest in working with the United States Govern-
ment for increased international cooperation to pro-
tect children from sexual exploitation, and are call-
ing for formal arrangements to ensure that the risk 
posed by traveling sex offenders is combated most 
effectively. 
(21) The United States, with its international 
law enforcement relations, technological and commu-
nications capability, and established sex offender 
registry system, should now take the opportunity to 
lead the global community in the effort to save thou-
sands of potential child victims by notifying other 
countries of travel by sex offenders who pose a high 
risk of exploiting children, maintaining information 
about sex offenders from the United States who re-
side overseas, and strongly encouraging other coun-
tries to undertake the same measures to protect chil-
dren around the world. 
(b) DECLARATION OF PURPOSES.—The purpose of 
this Act and the amendments made by this Act is to pro-
tect children from sexual exploitation by preventing or 
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monitoring the international travel of sex traffickers and 
other sex offenders who pose a risk of committing a sex 
offense against a minor while traveling by— 
(1) establishing a system in the United States 
to notify the appropriate officials of other countries 
when a sex offender who is identified as a high in-
terest registered sex offender intends to travel to 
their country; 
(2) strongly encouraging and assisting foreign 
governments to establish a sex offender travel notifi-
cation system and to inform United States authori-
ties when a sex offender intends to travel or has de-
parted on travel to the United States; 
(3) establishing and maintaining non-public sex 
offender registries in United States diplomatic and 
consular missions in order to maintain critical data 
on United States citizen and lawful permanent resi-
dent sex offenders who are residing abroad; 
(4) providing the Secretary of State with the 
discretion to revoke the passport or passport card of 
an individual who has been convicted overseas for a 
sex offense against a minor, or limit the period of 
validity of a passport issued to an individual des-
ignated as a high interest registered sex offender; 
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(5) including whether a country is investigating 
and prosecuting its nationals suspected of engaging 
in severe forms of trafficking in persons abroad in 
the minimum standards for the elimination of 
human trafficking under section 108 of the Traf-
ficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
7101 et seq.); 
(6) mandating a report from the Secretary of 
State, in consultation with the Attorney General, 
about the status of international notifications be-
tween governments about child sex offender travel; 
and 
(7) providing assistance to foreign countries 
under section 134 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152d) to establish systems to 
identify sex offenders and provide and receive notifi-
cation of child sex offender international travel. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—Except as otherwise provided, the term ‘‘ap-
propriate congressional committees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
Representatives; and 
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(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Sen-
ate. 
(2) CENTER.—The term ‘‘Center’’ means the 
International Sex Offender Travel Center established 
pursuant to section 6(a). 
(3) CONVICTED AS EXCLUDING CERTAIN JUVE-
NILE ADJUDICATIONS.—The term ‘‘convicted’’ or a 
variant thereof, used with respect to a sex offense of 
a minor, does not include— 
(A) adjudicated delinquent as a juvenile 
for that offense; or 
(B) convicted as an adult for that offense, 
unless the offense took place after the offender 
had attained the age of 14 years and the con-
duct upon which the conviction took place was 
comparable to or more severe than aggravated 
sexual abuse (as described in section 2241 of 
title 18, United States Code), or was an at-
tempt or conspiracy to commit such an offense. 
(4) HIGH
INTEREST
REGISTERED
SEX
OF-
FENDER.—The term ‘‘high interest registered sex of-
fender’’ means a sex offender as defined under para-
graph (8) who the Center, pursuant to section 7 and 
based on the totality of the circumstances, has a 
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reasonable belief presents a high risk of committing 
a sex offense against a minor in a country to which 
the sex offender intends to travel. 
(5) JURISDICTION.—The term ‘‘jurisdiction’’ 
means any of the following: 
(A) A State. 
(B) The District of Columbia. 
(C) The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
(D) Guam. 
(E) American Samoa. 
(F) The Northern Mariana Islands. 
(G) The United States Virgin Islands. 
(H) A federally recognized Indian tribe 
that maintains a sex offender registry, or an-
other jurisdiction to which an Indian tribe has 
delegated the function of maintaining a sex of-
fender registry on its behalf. 
(I) A United States diplomatic or consular 
mission that maintains a sex offender registry 
pursuant to section 5 of this Act. 
(6) MINOR.—The term ‘‘minor’’ means an indi-
vidual who has not attained the age of 18 years. 
(7) PASSPORT
CARD.—The term ‘‘passport 
card’’ means a document issued by the Department 
of State pursuant to section 7209 of the Intelligence 
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Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 
(Public Law 108–458; 8 U.S.C. 1185 note). 
(8) SEX
OFFENDER.—Except as provided in 
sections 12 and 13, the term ‘‘sex offender’’ means 
a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident 
who is convicted of a sex offense as defined in this 
Act, including a conviction by a foreign court, and 
who, independently of this Act, is legally required to 
register in the United States with a jurisdiction, or 
who is legally required to register outside the United 
States with a jurisdiction in accordance with section 
5. 
(9) SEX OFFENSE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘sex offense’’ 
means a criminal offense against a minor, in-
cluding any Federal offense, that is punishable 
by statute by more than one year of imprison-
ment and involves any of the following: 
(i) Solicitation to engage in sexual 
conduct. 
(ii) Use in a sexual performance. 
(iii) Solicitation to practice prostitu-
tion (whether for financial or other forms 
of remuneration). 
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(iv) Video voyeurism as described in 
section 1801 of title 18, United States 
Code. 
(v) Possession, production, or dis-
tribution of child pornography. 
(vi) Criminal sexual conduct involving 
a minor, or the use of the Internet to fa-
cilitate or attempt such conduct. 
(vii) Conduct that would violate sec-
tion 1591 (relating to sex trafficking of 
children or by force, fraud, or coercion) of 
title 18, United States Code, if the conduct 
had involved interstate or foreign com-
merce and where the person recruited, en-
ticed, harbored, transported, provided, or 
obtained had not attained the age of 18 
years at the time of the conduct. 
(viii) Any other conduct that by its 
nature is a sex offense against a minor. 
(B) EXCEPTIONS.—The term ‘‘sex of-
fense’’ does not include— 
(i) a foreign conviction, unless the 
conviction was obtained with sufficient 
safeguards for fundamental fairness and 
due process for the accused; or 
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(ii) an offense involving consensual 
sexual conduct if the victim was at least 13 
years old and the offender was not more 
than 4 years older than the victim. 
(C) SPECIAL
RULE
FOR
DETERMINING 
WHETHER SUFFICIENT SAFEGUARDS EXIST.— 
For the purposes of subparagraph (B)(i), com-
pliance with the guidelines or regulations estab-
lished under section 112 of the Sex Offender 
Registration and Notification Act (42 U.S.C. 
16911) creates a rebuttable presumption that 
the conviction was obtained with sufficient safe-
guards for fundamental fairness and due proc-
ess for the accused. 
SEC. 4. SEX OFFENDER TRAVEL REPORTING REQUIRE-
MENT. 
(a) DUTY TO REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A sex offender who is a 
United States citizen or alien lawfully admitted to 
the United States for permanent residence shall no-
tify a jurisdiction where he or she is registered as 
a sex offender of his or her intention to travel either 
from the United States to another country or from 
another country to the United States, subject to sub-
section (f) and in accordance with the rules issued 
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under subsection (b). The sex offender shall provide 
notice— 
(A) not later than 30 days before depar-
ture from or arrival in the United States; or 
(B) in individual cases in which the Center 
determines that a personal or humanitarian 
emergency, business exigency, or other situation 
renders the deadline in subparagraph (A) to be 
impracticable or inappropriate, as early as pos-
sible. 
(2) TRANSMISSION OF NOTICE FROM THE JU-
RISDICTION TO THE CENTER.—A jurisdiction so no-
tified pursuant to paragraph (1) shall transmit such 
notice to the Center within 24 hours or the next 
business day, whichever is later, of receiving such 
notice. 
(3) PERIOD OF REPORTING REQUIREMENT.— 
The duty of the sex offender to report required 
under paragraph (1) shall take effect on the date 
that is 425 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act or after a sex offender has been duly noti-
fied of the duty to report pursuant to subsection (d), 
whichever is later, and terminate at such time as the 
sex offender is no longer required to register in any 
jurisdiction for a sex offense. 
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(4) NOTICE TO JURISDICTIONS.—Not later than 
395 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Center shall provide notice to all jurisdictions of 
the requirement to receive notifications regarding 
travel from sex offenders and the means for inform-
ing the Center about such travel notifications pursu-
ant to paragraph (1). 
(b) RULES FOR REPORTING.—Not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the At-
torney General and the Secretary of State, shall issue 
rules to carry out subsection (a) in accordance with the 
purposes of this Act. Such rules— 
(1) shall establish procedures for reporting by 
the sex offender under subsection (a), including the 
method of payment and transmission of any fee to 
United States Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment (ICE) pursuant to subsection (c); 
(2) shall set forth the information required to 
be reported by the sex offender, including— 
(A) complete name(s); 
(B) address of residence and home and cel-
lular numbers; 
(C) all e-mail addresses; 
(D) date of birth; 
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(E) social security number; 
(F) citizenship; 
(G) passport or passport card number, 
date and place of issuance, and date of expira-
tion; 
(H) alien registration number, where appli-
cable; 
(I) information as to the nature of the sex 
offense conviction; 
(J) jurisdiction of conviction; 
(K) travel itinerary, including the antici-
pated length of stay at each destination, and 
purpose of the trip; 
(L) if a plane ticket or other means of 
transportation has been purchased, prior to the 
submission of this information, the date of such 
purchase; 
(M) whether the sex offender is traveling 
alone or as part of a group; and 
(N) contact information prior to departure 
and during travel; and 
(3) in consultation with the jurisdictions, shall 
provide appropriate transitional provisions in order 
to make the phase-in of the requirements of this Act 
practicable. 
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(c) FEE CHARGE.—ICE is authorized to charge a sex 
offender a fee for the processing of a notice of intent to 
travel submitted pursuant to subsection (a)(1). Such fee— 
(1) shall initially not exceed the amount of $25; 
(2) may be increased thereafter not earlier than 
30 days after consultation with the appropriate con-
gressional committees; 
(3) shall be collected by the jurisdiction at the 
time that the sex offender provides the notice of in-
tent to travel; 
(4) shall be waived if the sex offender dem-
onstrates to the satisfaction of ICE, pursuant to a 
fee waiver process established by ICE, that the pay-
ment of such fee would impose an undue financial 
hardship on the sex offender; 
(5) shall be used only for the activities specified 
in sections 4, 6, and 7; and 
(6) shall be shared equitably with the jurisdic-
tion that processes the notice of intent to travel. 
(d) CRIMINAL PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO REGISTER 
OR REPORT.— 
(1) NEW OFFENSE.—Section 2250 of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
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‘‘(d) Whoever knowingly fails to register with United 
States officials in a foreign country or to report his or 
her travel to or from a foreign country, as required by 
the International Megan’s Law of 2011, after being duly 
notified of the requirements shall be fined under this title 
or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.’’. 
(2) AMENDMENT TO HEADING OF SECTION.— 
The heading for section 2250 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘or report 
international travel’’ after ‘‘register’’. 
(3) CONFORMING
AMENDMENT
TO
AFFIRMA-
TIVE DEFENSE.—Section 2250(b) of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘or (d)’’ after 
‘‘(a)’’. 
(4) CONFORMING
AMENDMENT
TO
FEDERAL 
PENALTIES FOR VIOLENT CRIMES.—Section 2250(c) 
of title 18, United States Code, is amended by in-
serting ‘‘or (d)’’ after ‘‘(a)’’ each place it appears. 
(5) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The item relating 
to section 2250 in the table of sections at the begin-
ning of chapter 109B of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘or report inter-
national travel’’ after ‘‘register’’. 
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(e) DUTY TO NOTIFY SEX OFFENDERS OF REPORT-
ING
AND
INTERNATIONAL
REGISTRATION
REQUIRE-
MENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—When an official is required 
under the law of a jurisdiction or under the rules es-
tablished pursuant to subsection (b) to notify a sex 
offender (as defined in section 3(8)) of a duty to 
register as a sex offender under the law of such ju-
risdiction, the official shall also, at the same time— 
(A) notify the offender of such offender’s 
duties to report international travel under this 
section and to register as a sex offender under 
section 5, and the procedure for fulfilling such 
duties; and 
(B) require such offender to read and sign 
a form stating that such duties to report and 
register, and the procedure for fulfilling such 
duties, have been explained and that such of-
fender understands such duties and such proce-
dure. 
(2) SEX OFFENDERS CONVICTED IN FOREIGN 
COUNTRIES.—When a United States citizen or law-
ful permanent resident is convicted in a foreign 
country of a sex offense and the United States diplo-
matic or consular mission in such country is in-
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formed of such conviction and is informed of, or is 
otherwise aware of, the location of the sex offender, 
such diplomatic or consular mission shall— 
(A) notify such sex offender of such of-
fender’s duties to report travel to the United 
States and to register as a sex offender under 
this Act and the procedure for fulfilling such 
duties; and 
(B) obtain from such offender a signed 
form stating that such duties to report and reg-
ister, and the procedure for fulfilling such du-
ties, have been explained and that such offender 
understands such duties and such procedure. 
(3) REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO FORM.—The 
form required by paragraphs (1)(B) and (2)(B) shall 
be maintained by the entity that maintains the sex 
offender registry in the jurisdiction in which the sex 
offender was convicted. 
(f) PROCEDURES WITH RESPECT TO SEX OFFEND-
ERS WHO REGULARLY TRANSIT ACROSS THE UNITED 
STATES BORDERS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Homeland Security shall establish a system 
for identifying and monitoring, as appropriate and 
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in accordance with the purposes of this Act, sex of-
fenders who, for legitimate business, personal, or 
other reasons regularly transit across the border be-
tween the United States and Mexico or the border 
between the United States and Canada. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than the date of the 
establishment of the border system pursuant to 
paragraph (1), the Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall transmit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a report on the implementation of such sys-
tem. 
SEC. 5. FOREIGN REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT FOR SEX 
OFFENDERS. 
(a) FOREIGN REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 395 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, a des-
ignated United States diplomatic or consular mission 
in each foreign country shall establish and maintain 
a countrywide nonpublic sex offender registry for sex 
offenders (as defined in section 3(8)) who are 
United States citizens or aliens lawfully admitted to 
the United States for permanent residence who re-
main in such country for the time period specified 
in subsection (b). Such registry shall include the in-
formation specified in subsection (d). 
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(2) REGIONAL REGISTRIES.—If there are fewer 
than ten sex offenders residing in a country, the 
Secretary of State, in the Secretary’s sole discretion, 
may designate a United States diplomatic or con-
sular mission in the same region as such country to 
maintain the sex offender registry for sex offenders 
in such country. 
(b) INTERNATIONAL REGISTRY REQUIREMENT FOR 
SEX OFFENDERS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A sex offender who is a 
United States citizen or alien lawfully admitted to 
the United States for permanent residence— 
(A) who remains in a foreign country for 
more than 30 consecutive days; or 
(B) who remains in a foreign country for 
more than 30 days within a six-month period, 
shall register, and keep such registration current, at 
the designated United States diplomatic or consular 
mission for such country. 
(2) 
PERIOD
OF
REGISTRATION
REQUIRE-
MENT.—The registration requirement specified in 
paragraph (1) shall— 
(A) begin when the sex offender registry 
has been established at the designated diplo-
matic or consular mission in the country in 
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which a sex offender is staying and such sex of-
fender has received notice of the requirement to 
register pursuant to this section; and 
(B) end on the sooner of— 
(i) such time as the sex offender de-
parts such country and has provided notice 
of all changes of information in the sex of-
fender registry as required under para-
graph (3); 
(ii) in the case of a conviction in the 
United States, such time has elapsed as 
the sex offender would have otherwise been 
required to register in the jurisdiction of 
conviction for the applicable sex offense; or 
(iii) in the case of a foreign convic-
tion, such time as the sex offender would 
have otherwise been required to register 
under section 115 of the Sex Offender 
Registration and Notification Act (42 
U.S.C. 16915) for the applicable sex of-
fense. 
(3) KEEPING THE REGISTRATION CURRENT.— 
Subject to the period of registration requirement 
under paragraph (2), not later than five business 
days after each change of name, residence, or em-
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ployment or student status, or any change in any of 
the other information specified in subsection (d)(1), 
a sex offender residing in a foreign country shall no-
tify a United States diplomatic or consular mission 
in such country for the purpose of providing infor-
mation relating to such change for inclusion in the 
sex offender registry maintained by the designated 
diplomatic or consular mission in such country 
under subsection (a). If the diplomatic or consular 
mission is not the mission that maintains the reg-
istry for that country, the mission shall forward the 
changed information to the appropriate diplomatic 
or consular mission. 
(4) REGISTRATION AND NOTIFICATION PROCE-
DURE.—Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
consultation with the Attorney General and the Sec-
retary of Homeland Security, shall issue regulations 
for the establishment and maintenance of the reg-
istries described in subsection (a), including— 
(A) the manner in which sex offenders who 
are convicted in a foreign country of a sex of-
fense, whose conviction and location in the for-
eign country are known by the United States 
Government, and who are required to register 
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pursuant to United States law, including this 
Act, will be notified of such requirement; 
(B) the manner for registering and chang-
ing information as specified in paragraphs (1) 
and (3); 
(C) the manner for disclosing information 
to eligible entities as specified in subsection 
(h)(2); and 
(D) a mechanism by which individuals list-
ed on the sex offender registry can notify the 
diplomatic or consular mission of any errors 
with respect to such listing and by which the 
Department of State shall correct such errors. 
(c) CROSS REFERENCE FOR CRIMINAL PENALTIES 
FOR NONREGISTRATION.—Criminal penalties for nonreg-
istration are provided in section 2250(d) of title 18, 
United States Code, which was added by section 4(d)(1) 
of this Act. 
(d) INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION.— 
(1) PROVIDED BY THE SEX OFFENDER.—A sex 
offender described in subsection (b) shall provide the 
following information: 
(A) Complete name (including any alias), 
date of birth, and current photograph. 
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(B) Passport or passport card number, 
date and place of issuance, date of expiration, 
and visa type and number, if applicable. 
(C) Alien registration number, where appli-
cable. 
(D) Social Security number of the sex of-
fender. 
(E) Address of each residence at which the 
sex offender resides or will reside in that coun-
try, the address of any residence maintained in 
the United States, and home and cellular phone 
numbers. 
(F) Purpose for the sex offender’s resi-
dence in the country. 
(G) Name and address of any place where 
the sex offender is an employee or will be or has 
applied to be an employee and will have regular 
contact with minors. 
(H) Name and address of any place where 
the sex offender is a student or will be or has 
applied to be a student and will have regular 
contact with minors. 
(I) All e-mail addresses. 
(J) Most recent address in the United 
States and State of legal residence. 
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(K) The jurisdiction in which the sex of-
fender was convicted and the jurisdiction or ju-
risdictions in which the sex offender was most 
recently legally required to register. 
(L) The license plate number and a de-
scription of any vehicle owned or operated by 
the sex offender in the country in which the sex 
offender is staying. 
(M) The date or approximate date when 
the sex offender plans to leave the country. 
(N) Any other information required by the 
Secretary of State. 
(2) PROVIDED
BY
THE
ATTORNEY
GENERAL 
AND THE JURISDICTION OF CONVICTION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The United States dip-
lomatic or consular mission shall notify the At-
torney General that a sex offender is registering 
with such mission pursuant to subsection (b). 
Upon receipt of such notice, the Attorney Gen-
eral shall obtain the information specified in 
subparagraph (C) and transmit it to the mis-
sion within 15 business days. 
(B) INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE JU-
RISDICTION OF CONVICTION.—If the only avail-
able source for any of the information specified 
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in subparagraph (C) is the jurisdiction in which 
the conviction of the sex offender occurred, the 
Attorney General shall request such information 
from the jurisdiction of conviction. The jurisdic-
tion shall provide the information to the Attor-
ney General within 15 business days of receipt 
of the request. 
(C) INFORMATION.—The information spec-
ified in this subparagraph is the following: 
(i) The sex offense history of the sex 
offender, including— 
(I) the text of the provision of 
law defining the sex offense; 
(II) the dates of all arrests and 
convictions related to sex offenses; 
and 
(III) the status of parole, proba-
tion, or supervised release. 
(ii) The most recent available photo-
graph of the sex offender. 
(iii) The time period for which the sex 
offender is required to register pursuant to 
the law of the jurisdiction of conviction. 
(3) PROVIDED BY THE DIPLOMATIC OR CON-
SULAR MISSION.—The United States diplomatic or 
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consular mission at which a sex offender registers 
shall collect and include the following information in 
the registry maintained by such mission: 
(A) Information provided by the sex of-
fender and Attorney General pursuant to para-
graphs (1) and (2). 
(B) A physical description of the sex of-
fender. 
(C) Any other information required by the 
Secretary of State. 
(e) PERIODIC IN PERSON VERIFICATION.—Not less 
often than every six months, a sex offender who is reg-
istered under subsection (b) shall appear in person at a 
United States diplomatic or consular mission in the coun-
try where the sex offender is staying to verify the informa-
tion in the sex offender registry maintained by the des-
ignated diplomatic or consular mission for such country 
under subsection (a) to allow such mission to take a cur-
rent photograph of the sex offender if the photograph on 
file no longer accurately depicts the sex offender. If such 
diplomatic or consular mission is not the mission that 
maintains the registry for such country, such mission shall 
forward to the appropriate mission any new or changed 
information and any new photograph. 
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(f) TRANSMISSION OF REGISTRY INFORMATION TO 
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.—For the purposes of updating 
the National Sex Offender Registry and keeping domestic 
law enforcement informed as to the status of a sex of-
fender required to register under this section, when a 
United States diplomatic or consular mission receives new 
or changed information about a sex offender pursuant to 
paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (b) for the sex of-
fender registry maintained by such mission under sub-
section (a), such mission shall, not later than 24 hours 
or the next business day, whichever is later, after receipt 
of such new or changed information, transmit to the At-
torney General such new or changed information. Not 
later than 24 hours or the next business day, whichever 
is later, after the receipt of such new or changed informa-
tion, the Attorney General shall transmit such new or 
changed information to the State of legal residence or the 
State of last known address, as appropriate, of such sex 
offender. 
(g) ACCESS TO REGISTRY INFORMATION BY UNITED 
STATES LAW ENFORCEMENT.—Federal, State, local, trib-
al, and territorial law enforcement shall be afforded access 
for official purposes to all information on a sex offender 
registry maintained by a United States diplomatic or con-
sular mission pursuant to subsection (a). 
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(h) OTHER ACCESS TO REGISTRY INFORMATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Information on a registry es-
tablished pursuant to subsection (a) shall not be 
made available to the general public except as pro-
vided in paragraph (2). 
(2) EXCEPTION FOR ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity de-
scribed in subparagraph (B) may request cer-
tain information on the sex offender registry 
maintained by the United States diplomatic or 
consular mission for the country where the eli-
gible entity is located, in accordance with this 
paragraph. 
(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES DESCRIBED.—An 
eligible entity referred to in subparagraph (A) 
is— 
(i) an entity that provides direct serv-
ices to minors; 
(ii) an official law enforcement entity; 
or 
(iii) an investigative entity that is af-
filiated with an official law enforcement 
entity for the purpose of investigating a 
possible sex offense. 
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(C) INFORMATION
REQUEST
PROCESS.— 
An eligible entity may request information on 
the sex offender registry from the United States 
Government official designated for this purpose 
by the head of the diplomatic or consular mis-
sion in which the sex offender registry is main-
tained. The official, in consultation with the 
head of such diplomatic or consular mission, 
shall have the sole discretion whether and to 
what extent to provide information about a par-
ticular registered sex offender on the sex of-
fender registry as designated in subparagraph 
(D). Before providing an eligible entity with 
such information, the official shall first obtain 
from the eligible entity a written certification 
that— 
(i) the eligible entity shall provide ac-
cess to the information only to the persons 
as designated in the certificate who require 
access to such information for the purpose 
for which the information is provided; 
(ii) the information shall be main-
tained and used by the eligible entity in a 
confidential manner for employment or vol-
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unteer screening or law enforcement pur-
poses only, as applicable; 
(iii) the information may not other-
wise be disclosed to the public either by the 
eligible entity or by the employees of the 
eligible entity who are provided access; and 
(iv) the eligible entity shall destroy 
the information or extract it from any doc-
umentation in which it is contained as soon 
as the information is no longer needed for 
the use for which it was obtained. 
(D) INFORMATION TO BE DISCLOSED.— 
(i) TO SERVICE PROVIDERS.—An eli-
gible entity described in paragraph (2)(B) 
may request necessary and appropriate in-
formation on the registry with respect to 
an individual who is listed on the registry 
and is applying for or holds a position 
within the entity that involves contact with 
children. 
(ii) TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND IN-
VESTIGATIVE ENTITIES.—An eligible entity 
described in paragraph (2)(B) may request 
necessary and appropriate information on 
the registry that may assist in the inves-
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