 DEPARTMENT OF STATE ISSUES RULE ON VISAS FOR 2002 WINTER OLYMPICS
During February 2002, the Olympics will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Olympics are, of course, the greatest international athletic competition, and thousands of people from around the world are expected to come to participate in the games. The Olympic Charter provides for streamlined immigration processes for competitors and other official personnel, saying, “the Olympic identity card or accreditation card establishes the identity of its holder and constitutes the document authorizing entry into the country in which the city organizing the Olympic Games is situated.”
Those who have the Olympic identity card will not be required to go through the normal visa process. Also, because of the large number of participants, and the short window of time during which they will be entering the US, a number of procedures will be changed. The primary mechanism for this will be the Olympic Visa Information Database (OVID 2002). This is a secure interface between State Department visa systems and the official Olympic registration system. The State Department will be able to obtain biographical information about applicants through the system, and will issue the visa directly on to the Olympic identity card.
The requirement that the visa applicant seek the visa in their home country will be waived, as well as the standard requirements of the non-immigrant visa form and the personal appearance at the consulate. Also, because the visa will be placed directly on the Olympic identification card, applicants will not be required to present a passport at the time they obtain the visa.
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