Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agents investigate passport and visa fraud — the fraudulent application, issuance, procurement, counterfeiting, or forgery of U.S. passports and visas — and related crimes
DSS investigations are vital to the law enforcement community and are critical to securing U.S. borders and protecting the country’s national security.
Special Investigations
DSS Office of Special Investigations (OSI) spans the globe. It is the primary office within DSS that conducts and/or coordinates investigations of alleged administrative and criminal misconduct involving State Department employees, dependents, contractors, and other U.S. government personnel under chief of mission authority overseas.
Passport and Visa Fraud
A dedicated cadre of DSS special agents, analysts, and support staff coordinate with other U.S. and international law enforcement agencies to help protect the integrity of the U.S. passport and visa.
DSS Field Offices
DSS has the largest global presence of any U.S. law enforcement agency and has a robust domestic mission in the United States. Through its 29 domestic offices, DSS investigates violations of the law involving U.S. passports and visas and protects the Secretary of State and visiting foreign dignitaries.
Human Smuggling and Trafficking
DSS agents and analysts are well versed in the intricacies of passport and visa fraud, an element frequently tied to other criminal schemes, such as human trafficking, human smuggling, and forced labor. As a result, DSS is frequently at the center of multi-agency, international investigations into these types of crimes.
DSS Most Wanted
Criminals use false or fraudulently obtained U.S. visas and passports to enter and leave the United States illegally and to commit other crimes—like terrorism, child exploitation, human and drug trafficking, financial fraud, and identity theft. Learn how you can help DSS stop passport and visa fraud.
Transnational Crime
DSS is the most widely represented law enforcement agency in the world and is best positioned to combat transnational crime abroad.