2019-08745. 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Courier Drop-Off List for U.S. Passport Applications

ACTION:

Notice of request for public comment and submission to OMB of proposed collection of information.

SUMMARY:

The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 30 days for public comment.

DATES:

Submit comments directly to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) up to May 30, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Direct comments to the Department of State Desk Officer in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). You may submit comments by the following methods:

• Email: [e-mail]. You must include the DS form number, information collection title, and the OMB control number in the subject line of your message.
• Fax: [phone]. Attention: Desk Officer for Department of State.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

• Title of Information Collection: Courier Drop-Off List for U.S. Passport Applications.
• OMB Control Number: 1405-0222.
• Type of Request: Revision of a Currently Approved Collection.
• Originating Office: Bureau of Consular Affairs, Passport Services (CA/PPT).
• Form Number: DS-4283.
• Respondents: Business or Other For-Profit Organizations.
• Estimated Number of Respondents: 670.
• Estimated Number of Responses: 238,554.
• Average Time per Response: 10 minutes.
• Total Estimated Burden Time: 39,759 annual hours.
• Frequency: Daily.
• Obligation to Respond: Required to Obtain or Retain a Benefit.

We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department to:

• Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functions of the Department.
• Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
• Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected.
• Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Please note that comments submitted in response to this Notice are public record. Before including any detailed personal information, you should be aware that your comments as submitted, including your personal information, will be available for public review.

Abstract of Proposed Collection

The information collected on the DS-4283 is used to facilitate the issuance of passports to U.S. citizens in the United States and Canada with imminent travel plans who hire private courier companies to deliver their applications to one of 12 Department domestic passport agencies. The Department asks courier company employees to complete the DS-4283 for each service type and submit the form with passport applications delivered in bulk to passport agencies in a designated drop-off box. Passport agencies use the form to track the submission of applications that a courier drops off. The form serves as a record of receipt of documents submitted to the Department and as an acknowledgment of who delivered these documents. The DS-4283 is part of a Department effort to facilitate the delivery of passport applications by private courier companies while maintaining the integrity of the passport application process.

Methodology

This form is used to track the processing of passport applications delivered in bulk to passport agencies by private courier companies. Courier employees are asked to attach the form onto sealed envelopes or packages containing passport applications which they deliver in bulk to designated drop-off facilities at one of 12 passport agencies for processing.

Rachel M. Arndt,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services.