In November 2006 Alston + Bird initiated a Monthly Digest of Global Trade and Investment. This monthly report is titled, Comparative Advantage and their first article focused on Trade at Midterms.

Roger Conklin, a Director of American Citizens Abroad, responded to the editors commenting that they ignored an important issued related to the trade deficit of the United States – the fact that Americans working overseas are subject to U.S. taxes. Roger's reply is particularly noteworthy because it provides the historical background of tax discrimination against overseas Americans along with the concrete facts illustrating the impact of this discrimination on the development of U.S. exports. If you are interested in signing up for Comparative Advantage on-line report, send your contact information to: comparative.advantage@alston.com.

Another example of ACA working hard to preserve the rights of Americans living and working overseas.

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Thanks to great work on the part of groups such as Overseas Vote Foundation (www.overseasvotefoundation.org), Democrats Abroad (www.votefromabroad.org), Republicans Abroad (www.republicansabroad.com) and the Federal Voting Assistance Program (www.fvap.gov) we can expect to learn that more overseas Americans voted in the 2006, with fewer problems or disqualified votes than in previous elections.

Increased media coverage regarding efforts to vote from abroad (for example, the series of articles by Brian Knowlton of the International Herald Tribune) has aided in keeping the spotlight on overseas voters.

Readers are encouraged to share their experiences in voting, whether good or bad, with ACA email: .

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Non-citizens from Visa Waiver Program countries can enter the US without a visa if their passport was issued:

• BEFORE October 26, 2005 and includes a machine-readable zone,
• BETWEEN October 26, 2005 and October 25, 2006 and includes a digital photograph; or
• ON OR AFTER October 26, 2006 and is an electronic passport (i.e. with an integrated computer chip capable of storing biographic and biometric information).

Only three visa-waiver countries have not met the deadline for issuing e-passports: Andorra, Brunei and Liechtenstein. Citizens of these countries with new passports will have to apply for visas to enter the US. Details and drawings to help verify whether passports meet the requirements can be found at www.dhs.gov.

The US began issuing electronic passports in mid-August 2006. Note that all passports issued prior to this date remain valid to their listed expiration date. Detailed information at travel.state.gov.

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US citizens planning travel abroad can check visa requirements for countries they plan to visit via the overview provided by the Department of State at: travel.state.gov

To be noted: even when a visa is not required for entry, often countries require that one’s passport be valid for a certain period from date of entry – often six months. Be sure to check that your passport is not due for renewal soon before travelling.

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The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), dealing with travel between the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda, requires formal documentation of citizenship for travel among countries in the region.

The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security have recently submitted for public comment a federal rule proposing the development of a card-format passport for international travel under WHTI by US citizens through land and sea ports. The proposed rule is open for comment until December 18, 2006.

As of January 8, 2007 a US passport (or Air NEXUS card or US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document) will be mandatory for air travel to these WHTI countries.

Under the proposed implementation plan, a passport card would be acceptable as a passport alternative from January 1, 2008, for land and sea travel in the region. It is proposed that the passport card cost $10 for children and $20 for adults, plus a $25 execution fee. US citizens and nationals could apply for both a passport book and a passport card using the same application.

Full details can be accessed via: www.regulations.gov, then asking for Dept of State, proposed regulations, Card Format Passport.

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As of January 14, 2007, all airlines and seagoing vessels entering or leaving the US will be required to submit a passenger manifest to the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) PRIOR to departure. Passengers not cleared prior to departure time cannot be allowed on board.

Previously, airlines vetted passenger names against Transportation Security Administration provided “no-fly” and “selectee” lists. Selectees are subjected to additional screening at security, but normally allowed to proceed. A Swedish newspaper recently reported that the total of these lists has bloomed to more than 80,000 names. Groups such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center (www.epic.org) query how the lists are compiled; criteria used are not made public.

Under the new rules, these lists will no longer be shared with airlines, but clearance of manifest data must be obtained directly from the CBP. The Department of Homeland Security’s explanation and background can be found at: frwebgate.access.gpo.gov.

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Have you read the book of ACA-collected tales, So Far and Yet So Near? Why not add your review to those on the amazon.com or amazon.co.uk website? Review it for an English-language publication in your area/region, as well. Send a copy to every US-based friend or relative who cannot understand why you live abroad. Order your copy right here on this ACA website. Or, if you prefer, you can order this or any other book directly from amazon.com USA or from amazon.co.UK (and ACA gets a small commission at no inscrease in cost to you).

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A more personalized version of recycling is freecycling. See www.freecycle.org to access the 3,830 communities worldwide – US, Australia, Iceland, Singapore, South Africa, Cayman Islands, etc. - where members (2.7+ million) can list items they are willing to give or are hoping to find. Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.

The Freecycle Network started in May 2003 when Daron Beal, employed by a Tucson, AZ recycling firm, sought a simple way to “place” some of the many good items he saw being given to recycling. A good idea which has blossomed globally.

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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. ORDER YOUR PUBLICATIONS THROUGH THE ACA WEBSITE and we get paid for your business - at no cost to you. Go to the Book Review section and click on any link to amazon-com (USA) or amazon-UK. Any purchases you make when you have entered through the ACA portal, whether of items reviewed on the website or not, will generate a small revenue for ACA; Please make this extra click-to-give gesture to help us continue to help you. You can also order our new ACA book So far and Yet So Near directly from www.amazon.com USA or from www.amazon.co.UK and add your other orders.
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. IS YOUR MEMBERSHIP CURRENT? Renew by secure online payment or contact the ACA office . Membership is only US$40 a year (CHF 60). 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. Secure payment using 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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