Application for DOD Personnel Country Clearance Request for Italy

APPLICATION FOR DOD PERSONNEL COUNTRY CLEARANCE REQUEST FOR ITALY

SECTION III: PERSONNEL ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR OFFICIAL TRAVEL

A. CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

1. Country Clearance.
a. While travelers to Italy will require Theater Clearance approval, certain types of visits do not require Country Clearance approval. Regardless, all APACS requests involving travel to Italy will receive a response, as better outlined below.

(1) Submit all clearance requests (classified and unclassified) via the Aircraft and Personnel Automated Clearance System (APACS). See III.C.1, below, for APACS information.

(a) Effective 01 May 2008, the APACS (Automated Personnel and Aircraft Clearance System) is mandatory for all DoD Personnel Clearances without exception. To submit an unclassified Country Clearance request, log onto the website at https://apacs.dtic.mil, create an account, and then submit a request. To submit a classified Country Clearance request, log onto the website at https://apacs.dtic.smil.mil , create an account, and then submit a request. Training materials, documentation, and contact information are available on the above mentioned websites. Requests received by any other means than APACS are no longer accepted.

(b) APACS requests are routed to the appropriate DoD approving official assigned to the US Embassy or other designated US organizations located in the foreign country. The approver's organization receiving the APACS request appears at the bottom of the APACS request when it is submitted.

(c) If the clearance requestor needs to send a copy of the original APACS request to additional organizations outside the required APACS approvers, they may do so by exporting the request to a file and saving it as plain text, html, or xml format. The request may then be sent to additional organizations not listed in the DoD Foreign Clearance Guide. Please note that the APACS request may contain Privacy Act information and should be handled accordingly.

(2) When traveling to Italy on official business it is VERY IMPORTANT that requestors specify which of the following three (3) cases applies to the nature of their travel to Italy. Requestors must include this information inside the “NOTES” field for each location of their travel to Italy:

(a) By Italian Invitation

(i) In this instance, and ONLY when the purpose of the visit is “unclassified”, the Host Nation facilitates the approval process. If requestors state they have been invited, they MUST also include the following information inside the Organization field related to each location: The Industry and/or Department/Section/Office and exact address of the facility to be visited, as well as the rank/full name/phone number of the Italian POC who extended the invitation.

(b) US DoD Initiative

(i) In this instance the Host Nation approval process is more complex. Requestors MUST include the following information inside the Organization field related for each location to be visited: The Industry and/or Department/Section/Office and exact address of the facilities to be visited, as well as rank/full name/phone number of the Italian POC of the visit.

(c) NATO Official Business

(i) In this instance requestors need to include the following information inside the NOTES field related for each location to be visited: NATO OFFICIAL BUSINESS.

(3) The following types of visits require Country Clearance approval:

(a) Visits to Ghedi Air Base.

(i) Regardless whether the scope of the visit is classified or unclassified, this site is considered “classified “ by Host Nation and therefore the 30-calendar-day lead-time requirement applies to these visits as outlined in paragraph “B.” below. In order to avoid confusion, requestors should state “Ghedi Air Base” as the location rather than “Aviano AB, Italy 704 MUNSS”.

(b) Visits to Italian government and/or Military Officials inside Italian Government and/or military facilities.
(c) Visits to Italian industrial production line facilities and/or whenever discussions with Italian Industry representatives will be conducted at the “classified” level.
(d) Visits by DVs such as flag officers and/or DoD civilian equivalents.
(e) Visits to the US Embassy or US Consulates.
(f) US Forces unit movements in conjunction with scheduled/approved exercises or training activities.
(g) Site surveys which will involve meetings in an official capacity with Italian Government/Military Officials.

(i) Requestors should include in the NOTES field the following statement: “Scope of the visit is a Site Survey involving official meetings with Italian Military and/or Government Officials”.

(h) Any time discussions will be held at the “Classified” level.

(i) Visits related to NATO official business.

(i) Requestors traveling on NATO official business should state so in the NOTES field of their request. NATO visits will receive an “Approval with Restriction” response with the following remark: “Country Clearance is granted provided you conduct the necessary coordination directly with the Italian NATO event POC, and particularly for the authorization to access to the facilities to be visited. Note: ODC Italy is not responsible for processing requests to visit bona fide NATO facilities nor for visits to facilities where NATO sponsored meetings will be held. The only exception being NATO sponsored visits to Italian defense industries. Force Protection responsibility for official travelers rests with the Chief of Mission while in Rome and with COMUSEUCOM while in other locations within country. Ensure all travelers have appropriate responsibility for Force Protection and completion of Level 1 AT/FP reflected in travel orders”.

(4) The following types of visits do not require Country Clearance approval:

(a) Site surveys involving meetings with US side ONLY.
(b) Travel while on leave.
(c) Travel to board US Navy ships.
(d) Official meetings with U .S . side ONLY.
(e) International conferences held inside local hotels/conference centers.

(i) In these instances, the approver will respond “Not Required” with the following remark: “Country Clearance is not required for this type of visit. Attention: this does not constitute authorization to conduct official meetings with Italian Military/Government Officials”. Travelers who do not require Country Clearance should coordinate directly with units and/or facilities to be visited for local support and services.

(5) Requestors traveling to Italy to meet with Italian Military/Government/Industry Officials, without first receiving a Country Clearance response to their APACS request, are warned they could potentially be denied access to the facilities to be visited.

(6) DoD Personnel Country Clearances for Italy can be grouped into the following three (3) main categories:

(a) DoD/DoD Contracted Personnel visits to Italian Government / Military facilities and/or Italian Military installations where there is a U .S . Forces presence.

(i) If visiting ONLY the US side, the requestor will receive a “Not Required” response. In case these visits will involve formal meetings with representatives of Italian Military and/or Ministry facilities, it is VERY IMPORTANT travelers include a statement inside the “NOTES” field of each itinerary location, specifying whether the meetings will be conducted at the “Unclassified or “Classified” level and whether these are by Italian Invitation or by US DoD Initiative.

(ii) For those visit requests in conjunction with temporary training deployments, it is required that the unit send ODC ITALY an authorization request via e-mail prior to submitting the APACS request. Units intending to temporarily deploy to Italy for training or exercises should contact the ODC Italy, Assistant OPS Officer at Commercial 39-06-4674-2361 (DSN 626-3322). In these instances requestors submitting the APACS request will receive an “Approval with Restriction” with the following remark: “Country Clearance is granted provided you receive the necessary training deployment authorization message from ODC ITALY. Note: this clearance is valid for personnel only and does not constitute flight clearance. A special diplomatic clearance authorization code to include in block 18 of all training flight plans will be included in the ODC ITALY approval message”.

(b) DoD/DoD Contracted Personnel visits to Italian Industry.

(i) Industry visits require Italian National Security Agency approval ONLY whenever an Italian Industrial production line will be visited and/or discussions will be held at the “Classified” level. In these cases it is very important that requestors include a statement inside the “NOTES” field of each itinerary location field, stating so. DoD/DoD Contracted personnel conducting “Unclassified” meetings with Italian industry representatives, whether held inside Industry representational offices or in public areas (e.g. hotels, conference centers, etc.) will not require Italian National Security Agency authorization. In these instances requestors will receive a “Not required” response and will be instructed to personally conduct direct coordination with the local Italian Industry POC for access to the facilities to be visited. Requestors MUST include inside the “Organization” field related to each individual itinerary and for each location to be visited, the following information: the Industry name and exact address of the facilities to be visited, as well as full name/phone number of the Italian Industry POC of the visit.

(ii) In case of recurring visits to Italian Industry facilities in conjunction with consolidated Defense Cooperative Armaments programs, customers may submit a “Blanket” APACS request for a period up to one (1) calendar year. Gaining a “Blanket” approval through the Italian National Security Agency will provide customers a one-time approval for same purpose/multiple visits.

(c) NON-NATO personnel invitations to Italian Military installations.

(i) When DOD/DOD Contracted personnel wish to invite military/civilian members of NON-NATO countries to Italy for any purpose, either inside Italian Military installations where there is US Forces presence or to any other Italian Military and/or Government facility, a request must be forwarded via the APACS in order to gain the required Italian MOD approval prior to travel. In these cases when sending the APACS request, include the rank/full names and Nationality of the NON-NATO personnel, and inside the “NOTES” field for each location include the statement “NON-NATO PERSONNEL INVITATION”. For procedures on how to submit NON-NATO visit requests see section III.A.1.a.(8), below.

(7) Include the following information for each individual: Nationality, passport number, place and date of birth. Whenever this information is missing the APACS request cannot be processed for approval, and customers will receive a “REQUEST FOR MORE INFORMATION”. Only when the customer will has provided the missing information will the request be processed. Delays in providing this information will negatively impact the required lead-time as per Host Nation guidance.

b.

2. Theater Clearance.

a. Theater Clearance is required.

(1) Submit all clearance requests via APACS. See III.C.1, below, for APACS information.

(a) Assume Theater Clearance five (5) days after submitting the Personnel Clearance Request via APACS if not informed otherwise.

(2) Additional Guidance for US Army personnel.

(a) DV/HRP TRAVEL: Contact USAREUR/7A Executive Services Division (ESD) by phone at commercial 0049-6221-39-4500 (DSN 314-377-4500), or by e-mail at mail.cmd.esdgroup@eur.army.mil (NIPRNET) or esdgroup@eur.army.smil.mil (SIPRNET) to inform of and/or coordinate for any USEUCOM Theater inbound US Army and/or US Army sponsored Distinguished Visitor (DV) traveler, in the rank of O-6(P) (promotable) or higher and the equivalent, and/or who is designated as High Risk Personnel (HRP).

(i) A written theater clearance approval entry in APACS from USAREUR/7A G3 is required before travel may commence. An APACS issued “AUTO APPROVED” status without comment(s) under the Theater Clearance Status section does not constitute granted theater clearance from USAREUR/7A G3 for this category of travel. Contact the USAREUR/7A Personnel Travel Clearance Customer Support Team for details: By phone (have the APACS ID number ready) at commercial 0049-6221-57-7551/6704 (DSN 314-370-7551/6704), or by e-mail (include the APACS ID number in the subject line) at personneltravelclearance@eur.army.mil (NIPRNET) or personneltravelclearance@eur.army.smil.mil (SIPRNET).
(ii) Does not apply to personnel assigned to USAREUR/7A or USEUCOM.

(b) RC DV/HRP TRAVEL: Contact USAREUR/7A G3 Mobilization and Reserve Affairs (M&RA) by phone at commercial 0049-6221-57-8169/8460 (DSN 314-370-8169/8460) to inform and/or coordinate for any USEUCOM Theater inbound US Army Reserve (USAR), USAR sponsored, US Army National Guard (ARNG), and/or ARNG sponsored Distinguished Visitor (DV) traveler, in the rank of O-6(P) (promotable) or higher and the equivalent, and/or who is designated as High Risk Personnel (HRP).

(i) A written theater clearance approval entry in APACS from USAREUR/7A G3 is required before travel may commence. An APACS issued “AUTO APPROVED” status without comment(s) under the Theater Clearance Status section does not constitute granted theater clearance from USAREUR/7A G3 for this category of travel. Contact the USAREUR/7A Personnel Travel Clearance Customer Support Team for details: By phone (have the APACS ID number ready) at commercial 0049-6221-57-7551/6704 (DSN 314-370-7551/6704), or by e-mail (include the APACS ID number in the subject line) at personneltravelclearance@eur.army.mil (NIPRNET) or personneltravelclearance@eur.army.smil.mil (SIPRNET).
(ii) Does not apply to personnel assigned to USAREUR/7A or USEUCOM.

(c) INTRA-THEATER TRAVEL: Theater clearance is required for Intra-Theater travel. This includes travel within the Theater when traveling to a country other than the country of current assignment.
(d) USAREUR/7A POC: If the traveler has questions regarding the status of an APACS request or needs to expedite securing Country, Theater, and/or Special Area Clearance decision of US Army and/or US Army sponsored travel into/within the USEUCOM Theater, please contact the USAREUR/7A Personnel Travel Clearance Customer Support Team: By phone (have the APACS ID number ready) at commercial 0049-6221-57-7551/6704 (DSN 314-370-7551/6704), or by e-mail (include the APACS ID number in the subject line) at personneltravelclearance@eur.army.mil (NIPRNET) or personneltravelclearance@eur.army.smil.mil (SIPRNET).

3. Special Area Clearance

a. Special Area Clearance requirements.

(1) General or flag officers and SES personnel or equivalent require Special Area Clearance.
(2) Military personnel of grade O-6 and below and DoD civilian personnel of grade GS-15 and below do not require Special Area Clearance.

b. Submit all clearance requests via APACS.
c. For additional information on Special Area Clearances, see the Foreign Clearance Manual, C.3.3.5.

4. The Personnel Clearance requirements in this section apply only to official travel on DoD business, not to leave travel. Personnel traveling on leave should check I.B, above, to determine whether there are any clearance requirements for leave travel.
5. Non-NATO Visits

a. The Italian Government reserves approval authority for all visits to Italy by non-NATO personnel. US personnel must not extend invitations to non-NATO personnel to visit locations in Italy without prior Italian Government authorization. This includes visits to US bases, which Italy considers Italian bases with a US presence. ODC Rome is the contact point for non-NATO visits. The Italian Ministry of Defense (IMOD) has established a two-step process to request visit authorization for non-NATO personnel:

b. Step One: The requesting command sends a message to ODC Rome requesting that the Italian Government grant permission to extend invitation(s). The ODC then forwards this initial request to the Italian Government and later notifies the requester whether or not it has been approved. ODC Rome must receive the message a minimum of 55 days prior to the visit. The message must contain the following information (including a complete explanation of any acronyms used):

(1) Host US command that will issue the invitation.
(2) Country to be hosted.
(3) Number of personnel.
(4) Precise visit location.
(5) Inclusive dates of visit.
(6) Purpose of invitation (in detail).

c. Step Two: When notified that a request has been granted, the requesting command sends a second message to ODC Rome no less than 30 days prior to the visit. The ODC then requests formal visit authorization from the Italian Government and notifies the requesting command when it is approved. This second message must contain the following information (including a complete explanation of any acronyms used):

(1) Country invited.
(2) Branch of service.
(3) Host US command issuing the invitation.
(4) Visit dates and duration of visit.
(5) Purpose of visit (in detail).
(6) Personal data for each visitor:

(a) First and last name.
(b) Place and date of birth.
(c) Passport number.
(d) Position.
(e) Nationality.
(f) Mode of travel into and out of Italy.
(g) Lodging information (hotel name and address or government quarters).
(h) Dress: uniform or civilian attire.

d. ODC Rome commercial numbers:

(1) Phone: 39-06-4674-2685.
(2) Fax: 39-06-4674-2360.

6. Mandatory Training and Documentation: Prior to requesting Theater Clearance, DoD and DoD-sponsored travelers must complete the following training and documentation.

a. Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) training.

(1) Complete Level 1 AT/FP training compliant with DODI 2000.16 prior to requesting Theater Clearance, and state in paragraph eight (8) of the Travel Clearance Request (or, if using APACS, in the “Theater Specific Information” field under “Country Information” on the “Itinerary” tab) that the training has been completed.
(2) DoD and DoD-sponsored personnel who cannot receive Level 1 AT/FP training from a certified trainer may receive it on line at https://atlevel1.dtic.mil/at/. After logon, use a self-generated user ID and password to proceed. At the end of the process, save or print a copy of the completion certificate as proof of having completed Level 1 AT/FP training.
(3) Ensure that travel orders also certify completion of Level 1 AT/FP training.

b. Statement of Force Protection (FP) responsibility.

(1) State in paragraph eight (8) of the Travel Clearance Request (or, if using APACS, in the “Theater Specific Information” field under “Country Information” on the “Itinerary” tab) whether the Chief of Mission (US Ambassador) or Commander (CDR) USEUCOM has FP responsibility. If CDR USEUCOM has FP responsibility, also specify the component command that will exercise this responsibility.
(2) Ensure that travel orders also indicate FP responsibility.
(3) Memorandums of agreement (MOAs) between CDRUSEUCOM and chiefs of mission and accompanying matrices are posted at http://www.eucom.smil.mil/epoc/at/MOA/moa.html. Senior Defense Officials/Defense Attachés (SDOs/DATTs) or USDAOs in countries to be visited may assist in coordinating FP responsibility.

c. Personnel Recovery (PR) training and documentation.

(1) All personnel traveling in the USEUCOM area of responsibility (AOR) must complete Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Level B (or higher) training prior to entering the USEUCOM AOR. The SERE 100 computer-based training satisfies this requirement. This unclassified course can be found on the NIPRNet on Army Knowledge Online (AKO), Defense Knowledge Online (DKO), and Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) at https://www.us.army.mil, on Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) at https://www.nko.navy.mil, on the Air Force’s Advanced Distributed Learning Service (ADLS) located at https://golearn.csd.disa.mil, and on Marine Net at https://www.marinenet.usmc.mil; or click on http://dodimagery.afis.osd.mil/products/davisditis.html?url=http%3A//productions.dodmedia.osd.mil/cgi-bin/davis_ditis/davis_descr.pl%3Frecnum%3D999132531%26lognumber%3D1648435 to order the SERE 100 training CD.
(2) Travelers who will be placed at an elevated risk of becoming isolated must have an Isolated Personnel Report (ISOPREP) on file prior to entering the theater. The level of risk will be determined at the unit level by the commander or a civilian equivalent. Both mission and threat should be considered when making this determination. A risk-of-isolation threat matrix can be found on the SIPRNet at https://portal.eucom.smil.mil/organizations/epoc/site%20content/default.aspx and look for PR references under key links tab to assist in risk determination.
(3) ISOPREPS must be completed in the Personnel Recovery Mission Software (PRMS) web-based application. PRMS can be found only on the SIPRNet at http://prmsnatl.osc.acc.af.smil.mil/prms (for Special Forces, use the following site: http://prmsnatl.osc.acc.af.smil.mil/prmssof). Once completed in PRMS, ISOPREPS should be exported and saved as a word document and that copy retained at the unit level. For Army personnel, data entered via the Army Knowledge Online “PRO-file” satisfies the ISOPREP requirement. Note that when blocks 50-56 of the ISOPREP document are filled in, that ISOPREP becomes Confidential. Fingerprints are not required.
(4) Questions pertaining to Personnel Recovery training can be sent to JPRCC@eucom.mil.

B. LEAD-TIME FOR PROCESSING PERSONNEL CLEARANCE REQUESTS

55 days: Part 1 for Non-NATO visits.
35 days: All Classified visits; unclassified visits to Ghedi Air Base; Part 2 for Non-NATO visits and unclassified visits to Italian Industry production lines.
25 days: Unclassified visits to Italian government agencies, military installations and facilities
5 days: Visits by two-star or higher military officers, civilian equivalents, other distinguished visitors, visits to US Embassy Rome and US Consulates in Italy..
All DoD agencies requesting clearances must adhere to these lead-times as required by the Italian MOD and are MANDATORY in order to allow the MINIMUM required staffing time on the Italian side. Customers are advised that any request received inside these windows will be DENIED. Exceptions will be evaluated ONLY for personnel safety emergency cases.