The Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) is a database used by the Bureau of Consular Affairs under the United States Department of State, that has over 290 million passport records, 184 million visa records, and 25 million records of U.S. citizens living overseas, and adding 35,000 visa cases a day. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Year | Estimated number of passport records in CCD | Estimated number of visa cases in CCD | Estimated number of photographs in CCD | Estimated number of records in CCD of U.S. citizens living overseas | EStimated daily rate of growth of visa cases |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 [6] [4] : 6 [7] | No estimate | 100 million+ | 75 million+ | No estimate | 35,000 |
2016 [2] | 290 million | 184 million | No estimate | 25 million | No estimate |
A number of Privacy Impact Assessments have been conducted for CCD. The list below is not necessarily comprehensive.
Year | Month and date | Number of pages | Additional notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 [8] | December 11 | 9 | -- |
2010 [6] | March 22 | 20 | Original document seems unavailable online (except via Wayback Machine); however, it is referenced in a few places. [4] : 6 [7] |
2015 [1] | July 17 | 15 | -- |
Some CCD records date back to the mid-1990s. Since February 2001, CCD has stored photographs of all visa applicants in electronic form. Since 2007, CCD has been storing ten-print scans. [4]
On July 19 or 20, 2014, after a software update, CCD started having significant performance issues. On July 23, CCD was brought back online with limited capacity. The Department of State worked with Microsoft and Oracle to restore the old level of performance. Due to issues with CCD, visa caseload processing was slowed down, disrupting travel experiences of people around the world. [5] [7] [9] The system was processing at normal rates as of August 2, but the problem was declared fully fixed a month later. [9]
A Congressional Research Service report about visa issuances, published November 18, 2015, discussed the CCD at some length. [4]
In April 2016, it was revealed that an internal review by the U.S. Department of State of its cyber-defenses had found that CCD was at risk of being compromised, though no breach had been detected. [2] [3]
The following are the two main databases linked with CCD: [4] : 6 [6]
The Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs additionally uses data from the Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS) to augment the data in CCD when processing visa cases. [4]
The 2015 Privacy Impact Assessment for CCD gives a lengthy list of systems within the Department of State that are connected to CCD. [1] The 2008 PIA lists a number of databases with which there is bi-directional data flow, along with the type of data in each, but the list may be outdated. [8]
The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is a bureau of the United States Department of State reporting to the under secretary of state for management. The mission of the Bureau is to administer laws, formulate regulations and implement policies relating to the broad range of consular services and immigration. As of 2021, the bureau is headed by the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Rena Bitter.
The EINSTEIN System is a network intrusion detection and prevention system that monitors the networks of US federal government departments and agencies. The system is developed and managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Visa requirements for Romanian citizens are the administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other territories affecting citizens of Romania. As of May 2024, Romanian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 179 countries and territories, ranking the Romanian passport 15th in terms of travel freedom, according to the Henley Passport Index.
Visa requirements for Japanese citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Japan.
Visa requirements for Indian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of India.
Visa requirements for Chinese citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of China residing in the Mainland by the authorities of other states.
Visa requirements for French citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of France.
Visa requirements for Italian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Italy.
Visa requirements for Malaysian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Malaysia.
Visa requirements for Mexican citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Mexico
Visa requirements for Argentine citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Argentina.
Visa requirements for Brazilian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Brazil.
Visa requirements for Chilean citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Chile entering with a Chilean passport.
Visa requirements for Moldovan citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of Moldova by the authorities of other states.
Visa requirements for Singapore citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states which are imposed on citizens of Singapore.
Visa requirements for Chinese citizens of Macau are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on Chinese citizens who are permanent residents of Macau.
Visa requirements for British Nationals (Overseas) are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states and territories placed on British National (Overseas) passport holders. Several million people, the vast majority with a Hong Kong connection, hold this passport.
Visa requirements for Dominican Republic citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the Dominican Republic. Along with Cuba and Haiti the Dominican republic passport is considered the weakest passport in Latin America for traveling. Despite several promises by the Government the Dominican Republic still doesn't have the biometric passport.
Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) is a program managed by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a branch of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). SAVE facilitates lookups on the immigration and nationality status of individuals in the United States. It is an intergovernmental initiative designed to help federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies, or by a contractor acting on the agency's behalf, to determine eligibility for benefits, licenses or grants, government credentials, or to conduct background investigations. It is one of two programs that uses the Verification Information System (VIS). The other program is the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program, also known as E-Verify, and is used by employers to verify the immigration status of employees. For additional verification, SAVE relies on the Person Centric Query System (PCQS).
The Consular Lookout and Support System (CLASS) is a system supporting the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs: it assists in decisions for visa and passport issuance and helps establish a person's eligibility for overseas services. It is used by U.S. Department of State passport agencies and consular posts as well as U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other border inspection agencies to perform namechecks on visa and passport applicants to identify individuals who may be ineligible for issuance or require other special action. Potential reasons for ineligibility include past criminal or terrorist activity.