Device Registration
Every device that will be connected to the Velocity Interoperability Network must be certified to Network interoperability standards and registered to its holder at the point of entry. Registration is what makes a device known to the Network: it records the device, its class, the person or organisation responsible for it and the period for which it may be connected. A device that is not registered may not be connected, however it is certified.
The requirement follows from the purpose of the Network. Interoperability depends on every connected device behaving as the standards require, and registration allows the Network to know which devices are present, to suspend a device that is lost or stolen and to trace a device that misbehaves to a responsible holder. Registration is not a tax and carries no fee. It is carried out by officers of the Immigration Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network at every point of entry and normally takes a few minutes for each device.
The rules distinguish six classes of device. Personal handheld and portable computing devices need only a Network compatibility mark and are registered on the spot. Network equipment, cryptographic hardware and professional equipment need full certification, must be declared and are inspected before they are registered. Removable storage is not registered at all below one terabyte, but must be declared and inspected above it.
Thresholds in figures
- 6
- Classes of device recognised at the point of entry
- 3
- Connected devices a traveller may carry before a declaration is required
- 30
- Days: a device connected to an outside network within this period must be declared
- 1 TB
- Removable storage above this capacity must be declared
Classes of device
| Class | Description | Examples | Certification required | Treatment on arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | Personal handheld devices | Telephones, tablets, wearable devices | Network compatibility mark | Registered on arrival; counts towards the three-device threshold |
| Class B | Portable computing | Laptop and portable computers | Network compatibility mark | Registered on arrival; counts towards the three-device threshold |
| Class C | Network equipment | Routers, switches, access points, radios | Full certification to Network interoperability standards | Must be declared; inspected before registration |
| Class D | Cryptographic hardware | Hardware keys, signing modules, secure elements not built into a Class A or B device | Full certification and a record of the issuing organisation | Must be declared; registered to a named holder only |
| Class E | Removable storage | Drives, cards and media of any capacity | None below 1 TB; declaration above 1 TB | Not registered below 1 TB; inspected above |
| Class F | Professional and test equipment | Analysers, instruments, equipment carried for work | Certification where the equipment transmits | Must be declared; registered for the period of the assignment and removed on departure |
Registration procedure
Step 1: Check certification before you travel
Every device you will connect to the Network must carry a current Network compatibility mark or, for Class C, D and F devices, full certification to Network interoperability standards. A device that is not certified cannot be registered and will not be admitted if it transmits on Network channels.
Step 2: List your devices on the visa application
Applicants for a visa are asked to list the devices they will connect. Name each device exactly as it appears on its certification record. Devices listed on the application are registered more quickly on arrival.
Step 3: Declare what must be declared
On arrival, declare more than three connected devices, any device connected to an outside network in the previous thirty days, all Class C and D equipment, removable storage above one terabyte and all Class F equipment.
Step 4: Present each device for registration
The officer matches each device to its certification record and registers it to you. Registration records the device, its class, its holder and the period for which it is registered. You are given a copy of the registration.
Step 5: Keep the registration current
Tell the Department if a registered device is lost, stolen, sold or passed to another person. A change of holder is recorded within three working days. A device that leaves the Network and returns is registered again on re-entry.
Step 6: Deregister on departure
Registered devices are deregistered at the point of entry when you leave. Devices registered to a holder who has left the Network without deregistering them are suspended and cannot be connected until the holder returns.
Period of registration by document
| Document held | Period of registration | At the end of the period | Change of holder permitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visitor visa | Period of the visa, up to 90 days | Deregistered on departure | No |
| Work visa | Period of the visa, up to 2 years | Renewed with the visa | Yes, on notice to the Department |
| Member staff visa | Period of the assignment | Renewed with the visa | Yes, within the member organisation |
| Passport of the Network | Indefinite while the device remains certified | Reviewed when certification lapses | Yes, on notice to the Department |
| Emergency travel document | Single journey | Deregistered on departure | No |
Obligations of the registered holder
- Connect only registered devices
- Only a device registered to you, or to your organisation with you named as a user, may be connected to the Network. Connecting an unregistered device is a breach of the entry rules.
- Keep certification current
- Certification lapses when a device's software falls out of compatibility. A registered device whose certification has lapsed must be brought back into compliance or disconnected. The Department is notified of lapses by the certifying body.
- Report loss or theft at once
- A lost or stolen registered device is suspended from the moment the loss is reported, so that it cannot be used on the Network by another person. Report a loss to the Department by email, quoting the registration number.
- Do not lend Class D hardware
- Cryptographic hardware is registered to a named holder only and may not be used by anyone else. Where an organisation needs to move a key between staff, the change of holder must be recorded first.
- Remove professional equipment on departure
- Class F equipment is admitted for the period of the assignment on condition that it is removed when the assignment ends. Equipment that is to remain in the Network must be transferred to an organisation inside the Network and registered to it.
Questions about devices
Device registration is one part of the entry rules. It is carried out at every point of entry, and the time it takes is stated under Processing Times. Questions about a particular device may be sent to contact@immigration.gov.vin, naming the device and its certification record where you have one.