[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 127 (Monday, July 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39317-39318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16190]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 7939]
30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection, DS-5520,
Supplemental Questionnaire to Determine Identity for a U.S. Passport,
1405-XXXX
ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and submission to OMB of
proposed collection of information.
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SUMMARY: The Department of State has submitted the following
information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995.
Title of Information Collection: Supplemental
Questionnaire to Determine Identity for a U.S. Passport.
OMB Control Number: None.
Type of Request: Existing Collection in Use Without an OMB
Control Number.
Originating Office: Bureau of Consular Affairs, Passport
Services, Office of Project Management and Operational Support, Program
Coordination (CA/PPT/PMO/PC).
Form Number: DS-5520.
Respondents: Individuals applying for a U.S. passport.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 69,011.
Estimated Number of Responses: 69,011.
Average Hours per Response: 45 Minutes.
Total Estimated Burden: 51,758 hours.
Frequency: On occasion.
Obligation to Respond: Required to Obtain a Benefit.
DATES: Submit comments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
up to 30 days from July 2, 2012.
ADDRESSES: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs,
Passport Services, Office of Program Management and Operational
Support, 2201 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20037.
Direct comments to the Department of State Desk Officer in the
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). You may submit comments by the following
methods:
Email: oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. You must include the
DS form number, information collection title, and OMB control number in
the subject line of your message.
Fax: 202-395-5806. Attention: Desk Officer for Department
of State.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may obtain copies of the proposed
information collection and supporting documents from PPT Forms Officer,
U.S. Department of State, 2100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Room 3031,
Washington, DC 20037, who may be reached on 202-663-2457 or at
PPTFormsOfficer@state.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We are soliciting public comments to permit
the Department to:
Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary to properly perform our functions.
Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used.
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected.
Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond.
Abstract of Proposed Collection
The primary purpose for soliciting this information is to validate
an identity claim for a U.S. Passport Book or Passport Card in the
narrow category of cases in which the evidence presented by an
applicant is insufficient to establish identity. The information may
also be used in adjudicating applications for other travel documents
and services, and in connection with law enforcement, fraud prevention,
border security, counterterrorism, litigation activities, and
administrative purposes.
Methodology
The Supplemental Questionnaire to Determine Identity for a U.S.
Passport is intended to verify the respondent's identity for purposes
of determining eligibility for a U.S. passport. This form is used to
supplement an existing passport application and solicits information
relating to the respondent's employment and residences that is needed
to corroborate an applicant's identity claim prior to passport
issuance.
Additional Information
The DS-5520 is questionnaire is designed to help determine the
identity of passport applicants. The DS-5520 is not designed to replace
the DS-11, Application for a U.S. Passport, but rather to supplement
the application
[[Page 39318]]
when the applicant initially submits evidence that is insufficient to
meet his/her burden of proving identity. The Department estimates that
such supplemental information will only be requested for a small number
of applicants, estimated to be less than 0.5% of applications received
annually. For information on what documentation is required when
submitting a DS-11, please refer to page two of the instructions.
The DS-5520 is largely based on the original Biographical
Questionnaire for a U.S. Passport, posted on the Federal Register for
public comment on February 24, 2011 (page 10421) and closed April 25,
2011.
Comments we received from the original Federal Register posting
were considered, and several suggestions were incorporated into the
current version of the forms. The Department split the form into two
shorter forms: the DS-5520 for identity questions and the DS-5513 for
entitlement. Both revised forms assure applicants that failure to
answer every question will not necessarily preclude passport issuance,
as the responses to the questions in the forms are considered in their
entirety.
In response to comments regarding burden and privacy concerns, the
proposed forms amend many of the questions to more accurately obtain
the information the Department is seeking. For example, the proposed
DS-5520 limits the number of past employment and residences requested.
The Department also removed the question regarding past supervisors and
employers' contact information based on public comment.
After dramatically revising the form, the Department posted a
second Federal Register notice for public comment. For this notice, the
Department received comments remarked that providing information about
one's family members (living and deceased) is irrelevant for
determining their identity. Others expressed concern regarding how it
will be difficult for some applicants (such as applicants who lived
overseas or people who are adopted or elderly) to provide some of the
requested information.
The details surrounding one's family are usually one of the easiest
pieces of information an applicant can provide that can also easily be
verified via records by the Department. That being said, the Department
is also well aware of how complicated family dynamics can be regardless
of whether or not the applicant is adopted (a fact which would be
reflected in the citizenship evidence an applicant submits with the
initial application) which is why the form's instructions stress that
if you are unsure of the information, please provide a response to the
best of your knowledge as Passport Services will consider all the
information derived from this form in its entirety. This form
instruction also applies to the comments regarding children who went to
school overseas as well as elderly applicants who may not remember
where they lived five addresses ago. The Department understands that
when it comes to an applicant's life history, there can be a wide
variety of responses provided and the Department therefore accepts a
wide variety of answers.
Dated: May 9, 2012.
Barry J. Conway,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services, Bureau of
Consular Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2012-16190 Filed 6-29-12; 8:45 am]
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