American Citizens Services Newsletter
ACS Newsletter (December 2008)
U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau
U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau
Welcome to the December Newsletter! Here are this month's topics:
New Topics:
Continuing Topics of Interest:
UPCOMING HOLIDAYS AND OTHER CLOSURES
The Consulate General will be closed on the following holidays:
December 25 Christmas Day
December 26 First Week-day after Christmas Day
FEDERAL BENEFITS SERVICES IN MACAU
U.S. federal benefits services will be available on December 3, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and on December 4, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Catholic Social Services, Rua de Santa Clara 13, G/F, Macau, adjacent to the City Hall movie theater. Please bring your identifying documents, such as your Macau identity card, passport, etc.
Services provided include:
- Assistance in filing claims for Social Security benefits and Veterans Administration benefits.
- Assistance with continuing benefits issues for the Social Security Administration, Veterans Administration, claims such as changing of address, reporting changes affecting entitlement, reporting the death of a beneficiary, and missing payments.
- Handling Medicare enrollments and issues.
- Applications for new, replacement and corrected Social Security cards.
No appointment is required for these services.
PLANNED CONSULAR SERVICES ON MACAU DAY
On Wednesday, December 17, 2008, our staff will travel to Macau to provide limited consular services for American Citizens. Services to be offered during this visit include notarials (US$30 for each signature of the consular officer), passport processing (US$75, US$85, or US$100 depending on age and type), birth registration (US$65 for each child), and adding additional visa pages. Please note that we will only be able to accept credit cards as payment – no cash transactions will be permitted. Customers may pay using MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club or Discover card. Customers must present their card at the time of payment and the person whose name is listed on the card must be present to sign the payment slip. All charges will be in U.S. dollars.
Provided your passport is in good condition, the American Citizens Services unit will also process requests for additional passport pages. In order to have additional pages inserted in your passport in Macau, you must complete and sign the application form (DS-4085) in full and scan and email it or fax it to our office no later than Monday, December 15. The form is available for download on our website. In addition, please send a copy of the biographic page of your passport (the page with your photo) with the application. Our email address is acshk@state.gov and our fax number is (852) 2845-4845. Bring the completed application form with your passport to Macau Day, where the additional pages will be added. If we are unable to provide this service to you in Macau, we will notify you in advance of Macau Day and ask you to come to the Consulate General in Hong Kong.
Services will be available from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Academy of Music (see map - PDF format)*, located at Rua de Santa Clara, No. 19, 2/F, adjacent to the City Hall movie theater and near Catholic Social Services, Rua de Santa Clara 13, Macau. Clients who are physically challenged and/or require special arrangements to access this location may call (852) 2841-2211, 2841-2323 or 2841-2225 in advance to facilitate access.
To enable us to best assist you in Macau:
- Please check our website for information on what specific identification, forms and supporting documents are required for each service. Download the appropriate forms and bring them with you.
- Please present your U.S. passport for all services.
- Please bring the original and one photocopy of each piece of identification and/or supporting document (such as passports, birth certificates, marriage and divorce certificates, Macau ID cards, etc.).
If you need a service not listed above, please contact us in advance at (852) 2841-2211, 2841-2323, or 2841-2225. We may be able to bring with us what you need for that service.
ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION (ESTA) ADVISORY STATEMENT
Beginning January 12, 2009, all nationals and citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries will be required by law to obtain a travel authorization prior to initiating travel to the United States under the VWP. This authorization may be obtained online through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), a free Internet application administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through a U.S. government Web site. This program does not apply to U.S. citizens, but will apply to any friends or family members who hold passports from VWP countries. ESTA differs from the Global Entry pilot program offered by DHS, which is discussed below.
DHS does not charge VWP travelers a fee for completion of an ESTA application. Eligible visitors seeking to travel to the United States under the VWP may apply for travel authorization via the ESTA Web site at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.
VWP travelers should be aware that unauthorized third-parties have established Web sites, which charge visitors seeking to travel to the United States under the VWP, for information about ESTA and for submitting ESTA applications to DHS on behalf of the traveler. These businesses and Web sites are not endorsed by, associated with, or affiliated in any way with DHS or the United States Government. Again, the United States Government does not charge a fee to obtain information about, apply for, or obtain a travel authorization through the ESTA Web site. Use of a private service to apply for travel authorization via ESTA will not expedite the granting of approval.
The ESTA application Web site is available in 16 languages and includes a help section that provides additional information for VWP travelers to guide them through the application process. Additional information about ESTA may be found at http://www.cbp.gov/esta.
GLOBAL ENTRY PILOT PROGRAM
The Department of Homeland Security’s Global Entry is a customer service and security program designed to expedite the screening and processing of pre-approved, low-risk travelers entering the U.S. Currently only U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) are eligible to join.
The program is available at Chicago O’Hare International, George Bush Intercontinental (Houston), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, John F. Kennedy International (New York), Los Angeles International, Miami International, and Washington Dulles International airports. Global Entry applicants will voluntarily provide their biographic and biometric information, undergo a background check and complete an interview with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. Once accepted, Global Entry travelers can use a kiosk at any of the pilot airports to verify their identity electronically and make any needed customs declarations.
Individuals may apply to the Global Entry pilot program online at https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/.
SUBSCRIBING/UNSUBSCRIBING
Anyone who wishes to sign up to receive this monthly ACS email newsletter and the travel advice we provide can do so simply by going to our web page and submitting their email address in the fill-in box towards the bottom of the page. You can also unsubscribe through the web page.
New subscribers will be sent the last few messages we have sent out in a digest form to help them catch up. Back issues are on the web at http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_newsletter.html.
*(To view and print PDF files, please download the FREE Adobe Reader.)
This newsletter is published by the American Citizens Services Unit, U.S. Consulate General, Hong Kong, Tel: 2841-2211, 2841-2323, 2841-2225; Fax: 2845-4845; e-mail: acshk@state.gov; website: http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov; All services by online appointment only.
Last modified: November 26, 2008
American Citizens Services
Newsletter
