Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-02
RED TAPE CUT FOR VISAS
OF AMERICANS ABROAD
State Department Concludes Recip-
rocal Agreements With
3S Countries.

ton for the immigration work of our
foreign representatives Is about $500, 900.
If the cost of passport Is meant to
reimburse the Government for It's
courtesy in giving its citizens an iden-
cessive in the extreme. If the passport
charge is revenue meaSure-and such
a purpose Is universally condemned by
the best international opinion-the de-
vice Is a burden imposed largely upon
persons in modest circumstances.
No good reason has ever been adj
vanced in support of policy that COM
lege students to pay about half of the
expense of the American foreign service.
A British citizen pays $3.50 for a
passport valid for five years at yearly
charge Of "a cents. A Canadian pass
port costs S., but 1t is good for flve
years and can be renewed for flve more
years at cost of 50. A French pass
port costs $1.40 and an Italian 50.
If the American passport charge
were reduced to 50 and the passport
made valid for five years, every legiti-
tons would be subserved and the Gov
eminent amply compensated for its
necessary outlay in providing these use
full certificates of identification.
The League of Nations, in 1920 in
Paris and in 1926 and 1927 in Geneva,
has held significant conferences dealing
chiefly with passport and visa problems.
The League conferences have been In
fiuential in obtaining the simplication
of passport regulations throughout Eu-
rope and the practical abolition Of the
compulsory visa system.
The conference of 1927 repeated the
1926 recommendations for the adoption
of an internationally recognized docu-
ment for persons of no nationality. A
considerable number of countries (not
including the United States) have
agreed to issue to such persons the
type Of document recommended by the
League conference.
Status Of Married Women.
No nation is under greater OBLIGATION
than the United States to assist IN de-
veloping an appropriate travel docu-
ment Tor persons Of no nationality, for
no nation has contributed more to the
creation OF such persons. Under the
law OF most nations a woman ACQUIRES
the nationality of her husband. This
rule, essentially one of international
law, was changed independently by the
United States in 1922.
II an alien woman marrieS an Amer.
1900 0NAOaA oAAC tlO lOklkCI has any real
difficulty in entering the United States
but, no matter where she marries him
she does not gain the status of an
American citizen. Nevertheless. she
usually loses her prior citizenship. ire
Spectlve or her own wishes or actual
loyalties.
Another class of persons who often
cannot obtain passports Is that of those
VINO have declared their intention to
become american citizens. They are
not entitled to an American passport
A State Department circular surrests
that an alien In this category consult
the consul representing the government
TO which he owes allegiance"
Sucn consul Is likely to be skeptical
as 70 the reality Of such allegiance and
re1use the passport. The declarant
IKE the alien wife, needs some sore OF
travel document that will identity him
ana YET not mlSrepresent his status.
Uniform Agreement Needed.
It Is now possible. even n ,Innacss.
Sartly complicated and expensive. for
the person OF no nationality TO obtain
papers which win enable him to travel
70 most countIAes. The real difacl1lkv
Is tnat there Is no general agreement
as 10 what such papers must express.
II the alien Is resident Of the United
states the first thing to do Is to OBJ
tain Labor Department permit to re.
turn. This costs So and Is valid for q
year.
The permit seems to contain all the
relevant facts about the traveller, but
no consul Is likely to grant q visa on It.
Ine alien must also execute an affidavit
OF identity and nationality with his
photograph. The form In detail must
please the consul who Is to visa It, One
consul may approve it; another may
require some trifling amendment that
makes a new paper obligatory.
Perhaps the consul or one Of his
stan will recommend the notary who. Is
to draft and witness the document.
The applicant not infrequently has the
greatest difficulty with the consul of
his own country. The notarys charge
for witnessing q document Is fixed By
law, but II he performs any simple task
OF craftsmanship his charge may be
what he thinks the victim will stand.
The visa fee seems always to be based
on the assumption that the afiant is
an American.
Nationality Aiadavit.
The State Department offers the fol-
lowing suggestions as to the form of
the intentionally affldavit:
Affidavit Of Identity and Nationality.
(a) Name Gin fulD and address,
giving street and number, city and
state.
OBJ Date and place Of birth. II af-
fidavit Is drawn by married woman
add date and place of husbans birth.
Co Date and place Of marriage (k
woman).
Cd If a declarant, give date Of
declaration of intention.
(e) If husband is naturalized give
place and date of his naturalization In
the United States.
81 A paragraph explaining why
passport cannot be obtained from the
United States Government.
(g) A paragraph explaining on what
grounds the consul representing coun-
try of allegiance refused TO issue the
passport or other travel document.
(h) A paragraph enumerating the
countries to be visited and for what
purpose the visit to each country Is
intended.
"The information pertinent to the
case should be selected from the fore
going paragraphs and Incorporated In
the affidavit. Afiixed to the affldavit
should be q photograph of the person
or persons included in the afndavit.
The photograph should be signed by
the principal. opposite the photograph,
and at the bottom Of the afndavit,
should appear description Of the
principal substantially the same as
that which appears on q passport.
when the affldavit Of identity and
nationality has been properly prepared
1t should be sworn to before q notary,
who should place thereon his impress
sion seal. The impression seal should
also be afixed to the photograph"
Certificates of Nationality.
One should not overlook the fact
that visa is required on q certificate