American Citizens Abroad's annual general meeting will be held in Geneva in the meeting hall of the Emmanuel Church (Rue du Monthoux, Geneva) at 7pm on 14 June 2005. Open to members or potential members, members only voting.

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The week of 9-13 May, representatives from ACA, AARO (Association of Americans Resident Overseas), FAWCO (Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas), ABCGC (American Business Council of the Gulf Countries) and other groups were in Washington for an exhausting, inspiring series of meetings with members of Congress, the Administration, and special interest groups. ACA’s Jackie Bugnion was a featured speaker at a Heritage Foundation sponsored luncheon seminar on Territorial Taxation and International Competitiveness: Is America Losing Its Global Edge?. Other meetings dealt with taxation, voting, the census, overseas Americans and US national policy, international relations and trade. Keep your eye on this web site (www.aca.ch) where news on Overseas American Week 2005 will be posted soon!

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Under newly issued regulations, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada will be required to have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. This is a change from prior travel requirements and will affect all United States citizens entering the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports. This new requirement will also affect certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States. Most Canadian citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and to a lesser degree, Mexican citizens will be affected by the implementation of this requirement.

• December 31, 2005 – Passport or other accepted document required for all travel (air/sea) to or from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America.
• December 31, 2006 – Passport or other accepted document required for all air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada.
• December 31, 2007 – Passport or other accepted document required for all air, sea and land border crossings.

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H.R.1268, with the intriguing title: "An act making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief 2005", recently passed Congress and was signed into law (P.L. 109-13). Within this legislation lie the provisions for the REAL ID, meant to ensure that illegal aliens will not be able to get state drivers' licenses.

Beginning in 2008, federal agencies will be barred from accepting for official purposes a driver’s license or state identification card unless the issuing state meets new federal requirements. Among the requirements of REAL ID, the license must include a digital photograph of the person, and be made with a common machine-readable technology.

States must set up systems to verify identity and citizenship or lawful residence in US, verify the Social Security number with the Social Security administration, not issue a driver’s license or identification card to a person holding a driver’s license issued by another state without confirmation that the person is terminating or has terminated the driver’s license, and limit validity of all driver’s licenses or identification cards to maximally eight years.

To read the text of this law, go to thomas.loc.gov and type in the bill or public law number. To keep abreast of your state’s licensing requirements, go to: www.firstgov.gov

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Thanks to generous contributors and enthusiastic bidders, ACA’s annual fundraiser auction at Geneva’s lovely Hotel Beau-Rivage on 22 April gave the organization a much-appreciated financial boost. As we frequently remind readers and members, ACA has no federal or corporate support: it is able to continue thanks to concerned individuals – those giving their time, and those giving their money to support our work. More of both kinds of help is always welcomed!

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The ACA office is receiving its annual series of FAQ related to filing of US tax returns from concerned overseas Americans. Here are some ideas and some sources:

When do overseas Americans have to file US tax returns?
We have an automatic two-month extension, so the deadline is 15 June 2005. Mark on your return that you reside abroad, to avoid misunderstandings, and be aware that the two-month extension in filing time does not hold at bay interest due on taxes owed and not paid by 15 April.

Exchange Rates for 2004 are available at: Exchange rates: www.amb-usa.fr

Haven’t filed taxes for some years, and wonder what to do?
The same Paris IRS site recommends: “PRIOR YEAR RETURNS: If you have not filed US returns for one or more years, begin by filing a tax return for the current and two prior years. If a tax liability is incurred for one of those years, then you should file returns for an additional three prior years (for a total of 6 tax years). Instructions for getting prior year forms can be found on the IRS Home Page at www.irs.gov, or in our Information Booklet.
Note: The statute of limitations for making tax assessments does not begin running until a tax return is filed. Therefore, the statute remains open on any tax year for which a tax return has not been filed.” (see: www.amb-usa.fr)

Have a dependent who is not eligible for a Social Security Number?
The IRS says: “YOUR TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER If you are not eligible to get a Social Security number but need to file a tax return, you will have to apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Application is made on Form W-7, Application for an IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Get the form at www.irs.gov or www.amb-usa.fr. An ITIN is a 9-digit number issued by the IRS, beginning with the number "9." It may look a bit like a Social Security number, but an ITIN is used only for federal income tax purposes and has no effect on your work or immigration status in the U.S. Each person who files a federal tax return or is listed as a spouse or dependent must have a valid SSN or ITIN. This will ensure prompt processing and receipt of any refund. If a person does not use a valid number, this will delay any refund due and exemptions for spouse or dependents will be denied until a valid number is presented. You can apply for an ITIN by completing and submitting a Form W-7 with appropriate documents to the IRS. For more information about ITINs, check out Publication 1915, Understanding Your IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or download Form W-7. The publication and form are also available by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676)in the United States or +1-215-516-2000. Visit us online at: www.irs.gov ”

Where can I get information from an IRS office abroad?
Downsizing in recent years leaves overseas filers with only five IRS offices worldwide. These offices often have training programs to prepare interested volunteers to help their fellow citizens to fill out forms. To find out when and where tax assistance is available, call the following numbers:

• Berlin, Germany - tel. +49-30-8305-1140 or 1136
• London, England - tel. +44-207-408-8077
• Paris, France - tel. +33-1-4312-2555
• Tokyo, Japan - tel. +81-3-3224-5466
• www.amb-usa.fr

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Social Security publication SSA Publication No. 05-10093, June 2004 (www.ssa.gov) says: “If you are a victim of family violence, Social Security may be able to help you."

"Public awareness campaigns stress how important it is for victims to develop safety plans that include gathering personal papers and choosing a safe place to go. Sometimes the best way to evade an abuser and reduce the risk of further violence may be to relocate and establish a new identity. Following these changes, it also may be helpful to get a new Social Security number. Although Social Security does not routinely assign new numbers, we will do so when evidence shows you are being harassed or abused or your life is endangered.”

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The US Department of Homeland Security recently announced that effective 26 June 2005 all Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travelers will have to present a machine-readable passport (MRP) for visa-free entry into the United States. There are currently 27 countries in the VWP, and all these countries have programs in place to issue machine-readable passports. Details of the announcement at: www.dhs.gov.

Travelers who do not have MRPs will have to apply for a non-immigrant visa at a US embassy or consulate abroad (see: travel.sate.gov or www.unitedstatesvisas.gov).

The Department of Homeland Security says that currently the highest percentage of VWP travellers without MRPs come from France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway and Japan.

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Ordering books, CDs, DVDs via amazon.com ? With an extra click or two on your part, you can contribute to ACA's work on behalf of all Americans abroad. Enter the book section on this ACA web site (www.aca.ch); then click on any amazon.com logo there. By accessing amazon.com via the ACA web site, ACA will get a small sales commission on every purchase you make during that visit--at no extra expense to you! Thanks for your help in covering the overhead of our nonprofit, nonpartisan association run by overseas Americans like you, devoting hundreds of volunteer hours to help YOU.

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To all Americans Abroad: A Swiss-based American novelist is working on a story that requires research on how the lives of US Citizens abroad have been affected by both 9/11 and the policies of the current administration. Both positive and negative anecdotes would be greatly appreciated and can be sent directly to tkelley@las.ch. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

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SOCIAL SECURITY HELP TO NAME YOUR BABY? Well, to see what the most popular baby names at a given moment are. Great fun. What girl’s name has been consistently most popular in the US from 1996 through 2003? Emily. And Jacob has been the most popular boy’s name since 1999. The site permits you to see the thousand most popular names in any year since 1990 – or you can search how a given name has fared, popularly-wise in the 13-year period covered. www.ssa.gov

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Imagine sliding out of bed and knowing your "work" for the day is to scuba dive along the Great Barrier Reef...mountain climb in the Andes...or Kayak around the most remote of the San Juan Islands... Here's the opportunity you've been looking for.

Get the Details and Your Free report.

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This News Update is, like ACA itself, of, by, and for Americans abroad. ACA is staffed through the efforts of volunteers, with its primary income source being membership fees and donations from private American citizens around the world.

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE HANDS-ON TO ACA WORK:

1. NEWS UPDATE EDITORS. ACA is seeking to supplement its News Update staff. Work involves actually writing the News Update 2 - 3 times a year, under supervision of a Senior Editor, and monitoring raw material considered for the newsletter on a regular basis. Calls for e-mail access and an ability to write/edit succinctly and against a deadline. ACA takes pride in the global spread of its editors.
2. BOOK REVIEWS/REVIEWERS. ACA is interested in discovering books of particular interest to Americans abroad. It also seeks individuals willing to review such books. Reviewers get to keep the book, and to see their contribution in print. Click here for a list of books or contact the ACA office.

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO ACA'S FINANCIAL SUCCESS:

1. Did you know that by accessing amazon.com (click on any Amazon link you find in the book review section, ACA web site) and then browsing and purchasing as normal, ACA receives—at no cost to you—a small percentage on the purchases you make? Check ACA's web site and make a painless contribution: it makes $&sense!
2. Join us for our annual auction. The FUNdraiser evening produces the single largest annual contribution to ACA's working budget. And the highest bids are for items ingenious and/or exotic. It's a good bet that someone in the attending crowd of internationals will be intrigued by even the most distant and/or unusual of objects or services.
3. And, of course, an outright contribution via check or charge card is the most obvious way to support the work of ACA and its worldwide volunteers working to help YOU. Membership is only $40 a year ($30 for seniors). Secure payment via thru PayPal^®, or send a check to: ACA, 5 rue Liotard, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland.

Disclaimer: While ACA makes every effort to be accurate in the information it transmits, such information is not to be considered a substitute for specific and qualified professional advice.

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