Current and Previous Issues

Published By
U.S. Embassy Warsaw,
Consular Section

A Welcome to our Readers

Dear Readers:

We have number of new Americans officers who arrived to take up assignments at Embassy Warsaw and Consulate General Krakow since the last edition of the Consular Chronicles. Many of you have already no doubt met Ambassador Victor Ashe and Mrs. Ashe, who arrived in July. Ambassador Ashe has a long history of public service and served for 16 years as Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. Mark Strege arrived in August to replace Maria Rudensky- Silver as Deputy Consul General and Chief of the Immigrant Visa Unit in Warsaw. Mark has previously served in India, Nigeria, and Ghana as well as our home base at the Department of State. And I replaced Michael Kirby as Consul General in late August. I have worked in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, the Philippines and Azerbaijan, as well as a number of assignments in Washington DC at the Department of State. I was very pleased to be assigned here—Warsaw was my first choice—and I am enjoying the beautiful golden Polish autumn that I have heard so much about.

We are pleased to report that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service has established a pre-inspection facility at Warsaw Okecie Airport. This facility was established as a result of talks between Presidents Bush and Kwasniewski last January, and President Bush and Prime Minister Belka in August. The goal is to reduce the number of Polish travelers who are refused entry to the U.S. because of expired or invalid visas. Although such "turnarounds" constitute a very small number of total Polish travelers to the United States—last year there were 518 turnarounds out of more than 170,000 visitors—the issue is an important one for our Polish friends. The program currently is operating on a 90 day trial basis, after which it will be evaluated. Polish authorities at the airport, at LOT Polish Airlines, at Customs, and the Border Guards have been very supportive and have done everything possible to ensure the U.S. Customs and Border Protection team can operate.

U.S. elections are now five weeks away. By this time, I hope you will have requested absentee ballots so that you will have the opportunity to vote. If you have not yet registered to vote, I encourage you to contact the American Citizens Services Section of our Embassy and register right away (see articles, “Voting in 2004” and “Special Information For Voters Whose Absentee Ballots Arrive Late”).

I look forward to meeting you during my assignment in Warsaw.

Sincerely,

Lisa A. Piascik
Consul General

IN THIS ISSUE:

WELCOME TO OUR READERS || CHILD ABDUCTION, THE U.S., AND POLAND || VOTING IN 2004 || SPECIAL INFORMATION FOR VOTERS WHOSE ABSENTEE BALLOTS ARRIVE LATE || CHANGES TO CHECKING || GLOBAL REFUND TAX RETURN || PLANNING ON STUDYING IN POLAND? || WWW.TRAVEL.STATE.GOV || HOW CAN I GET ANSWERS TO MY CONSULAR QUESTIONS?