Inspection of the Bureau of Consular Affairs' Passport Services Directorate

What OIG Inspected

OIG inspected the headquarters operations of the Passport Services Directorate, which is part of the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

What OIG Recommends

OIG made 3 recommendations to the Bureau of Consular Affairs. In its comments on the draft report, the Bureau of Consular Affairs concurred with all 3 recommendations. OIG considers all 3 recommendations resolved. The Bureau of Consular Affairs’ response to each recommendation, and OIG’s reply, can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The bureau’s formal written response is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix B.

What OIG Found

• The Passport Services Directorate’s leadership was committed to implementing reforms, including a well-received core values initiative centered around people rather than production.
• The directorate’s dependence on the Office of Consular Systems and Technology for management of IT modernization initiatives resulted in delays in the Online Passport Renewal and Next Generation Passport systems.
• Delays in passport IT modernization initiatives required the Passport Services Directorate’s personnel to work in a paper-based environment, preventing passport adjudication by telework during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Passport Services Directorate had effective processes covering the issuance of adjudication guidance on citizenship and passport issues. However, the directorate did not comply with Department requirements that such guidance be searchable and readily retrievable. 
• Spotlight on Success: Directorate employees used a collaborative process and “change champions” to define five directorate core operational values and drive the integration of values throughout the organization.