[All] ASIA-AQ Passport Reminder

[Zavaleta, Jhony R. (ARC-SGP)]

Hello all,

We are about 9 months out from the deployment for ASIA-AQ (Feb. 1, 2024) and although we haven’t selected any ESPO personnel to support that project, many -if not most of us- will be involved. I will inform the team as the deployment and staffing plan solidifies. In the meantime, please have in mind the following:

Civil Servants:

  *   Your official passports can be renewed within six months of its expiration date, check to see if you are within that time window or if the time window will happen between now and the start of the deployment. Track that closely since it could take a month to obtain a new passport.
  *   Your passport must be valid for at least six months for consulates to issue a visa on such passport.
  *   Some of the candidate countries require visas: Thailand, the Philippines, Korea, these visas take a month to process. Some of you might need to get several visas. Always remember to request multiple entry visas.
  *   If you will need both, a passport, and a visa(s) you will need several months to be ready.
  *   If your personal passport is close to expiring, you could also request one at the same time as a request is made for your official passport.

Contractors:

  *   No visas are needed, but entry registrations/on-site visas could be required. Similarly, your passport must be valid for at least six months when the requests are made or the entry is planned.

Global Entry / TSA-Pre:

  *   This $100 reimbursable expense (some credit cards automatically reimburse you for this) will make a lot of difference when traveling you get to keep your shoes on, keep your computer in your bags, shorter lines, etc. Also, you automatically get TSA-Pre (fast lane for domestic travel) if you request Global Entry at no additional cost.
  *   It is good for 5 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.
  *   You can have the same Trusted Traveler Number for more than one passport (your official and personal passport for example).
  *   Currently, the interview appointment slots are months away, even at other airports from SFO to SLC. You could do a walk-in interview upon returning from an international trip, which is what I did. You do this before going through passport control on the return trip from an international trip. The extra half hour or so to get this done is totally worth it.
Cheers,
Jhony Z.

JHONY R. ZAVALETA
Project Manager - NASA Earth Science Project Office
Office: +1 (650) 604-0125 / Cellphone: +1(650) 224-4825
MS 232-22, Bldg. N232, Room N232-242
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field CA 94035
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://espo.nasa.gov/pipermail/all/attachments/20230503/f5261ba9/attachment.htm>