Part II Commentaries to Typical Sofa Rules, 12 Entry and Departure of Visiting Forces

Subject(s):

Military assistance — Military matters

This chapter details the arrangements typically made for the entry and departure of foreign military personnel. Entry and departure provisions in the UN Model SOFA and the NATO SOFA are very similar. The prerequisite for lawfully entering into and departing from a foreign State is the prior permission by its government. While such permission is generally included in a visa, specific regulations have been developed to facilitate the procedure, ranging from the verbal permission given by a border guard at the point of entry to standard permission for the nationals of certain countries to enter the territory of others. More specific arrangements have been made for foreign armed forces to regulate the entry of their personnel into the participating State.