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ODC

Country Clearance Information

Visits by US industry and military personnel to both military and industrial sites in France require US government and host nation permission.  This is achieved using a Country Clearance Request addressed to ODC France. The information below provides an overview of the clearance request process and indicates where more detailed information may be obtained.

The Process:

  1. Review the France portion of the Foreign Clearance Guide (DoD 4500.54-G) and complete your Country Clearance Request accordingly. Click here for a country clearance request.

  2. ODC only processes country clearance requests submitted via the Aircraft and Personnel Automated Clearance System (APACS) or Electronic Country Clearance System (eCC). Your security officer should send in requests through the above automated systems no later than 35 days before the visit (for September visits, allow 60 days). To set up accounts, go to https://apacs.dtic.mil/apacs/index.js or https://ecc.state.gov. If you have any questions about sending in requests through APACS or eCC, please contact the ODC.

  3. ODC will coordinate the visit request with the French Ministry of Defense (MoD) when the requested visit:

    • involves classified material;

    • will last more than 5 days;

    • involves French government; or

    • is to controlled sites

  4. All other cases will be coordinated directly with the French Point of Contact (identified in the country clearance) of the organization to be visited. If the visit takes place entirely at a conference center or hotel, please state this plainly in the message.

  5. Country clearance approval will come back to you via the same DMS Routing Indicator.

  6. Approval for country clearance for France cannot be assumed.

The Top Six Mistakes in Requesting a Country Clearance

  1. Failure to provide precise location information. Organization, name, city and correct address are needed.

  2. Failure to meet time requirements for submitting clearance requests. Thirty-five (35) days is the minimum lead time. For September visits, 60 days must be allowed.

  3. Omitting visitors date of birth, place of birth, clearance level and passport number.

  4. Failure to provide a Point of Contact (POC) and their location in France. This is the person who will pass your visit information to the organization's security office. Visit requests cannot be forwarded to organizations without a POC name, phone and fax number for each organization to be visited.

  5. Failure to provide a correct phone and fax number. France's country code is 33. French phone numbers are 10 digits long and begin with a zero. Outside France, a phone number would read: (33) 1.xx.xx.xx.xx. Within France, the same phone number would read: 01.xx.xx.xx.xx. Depending on the region/city you are calling, the beginning number may change, i.e. 1 in this example is for Paris.

  6. Failure to confirm visit details/itinerary in advance. Due to the large number of requests, ODC cannot coordinate your schedule requests with your host in France. Your request will be denied if your host is not previously informed of your visit.

  7. Failure to provide a reliable home POC during your visit. It is imperative that Item 8 of the Country Clearance request form, "Traveler's Point of Contact at Origin", be filled in completely with the details of a POC who will be available during your stay in France in the event of an emergency.

Points of Contact

Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC)
+33.1.43.12.26.09 NlanduFP@state.gov

US Army International Technology Center - Atlantic (France) Admin.
Support Assistant – Guillemette M. Doumitt +33.1.43.12.26.10 Doumittgm@state.gov