Biometric Passports

[Stalar 0]

Ok for any of you that are confused by the new biometric passports that have been issued after the 26th October 2006 here is some clarification.

If you or any members of your family have a passport that was issued on or after October 26th 2006 you MUST have a visa to enter the USA (make sure you tell your wedding guests this or they will have problems getting into the USA)

If your passport was issued before October 26th 2006 and is a machine readable (sp) passport you may still enter the USA under the Visa Waiver Programme.

Just thought i'd let you all know becuase a lot of my wedding guests were confused as to what they had to do.

[fozzie 41]

This is a quote from the UK foreign office website re:travel to the US:

"Does my British passport allow me to travel under the VWP?

To enter under the VWP your passport must contain a machine-readable zone (MRZ)

at the foot of the photo page. The MRZ contains 2 lines of text as letters, numbers and chevrons (>>>). If the area is blank the passport is not machine-readable and you need to apply for a visa.

The new style passports containing a biometric chip and an MRZ are acceptable for the VWP."

Also check out the DHS website link below:

http://www.dhs.gov/xtrvlsec/crossingborder...1636133959.shtm

What it says is that if your passport was issued before 26th Oct 2006 then it must be machine readable to qualify for the visa waiver program (VWP). If it was issued after 26th Oct 2006 then it must have the biometrics chip to qualify for the VWP.

If either are true of your passport then you do not need a visa. If in doubt call the US embassy in London.

Edited November 20, 2006 by Lauren and Dave

[Kez/JWolf 6]

My son have the new style passport with the chip and he had no problems entering the US 2 days ago.... he just filed in the green VWP as normal....

[Stalar 0]

Oh ok well maybe they aren't being as strict as they make themselves out to sound because on the embassy website we were checking this week and it said you needed a visa with those passports.

My mistake.

[John & Annie 0]

here is the exact phrasing from the US Department of State website:

All VWP travelers, regardless of age or type of passport used, must present individual machine -readable passports. Previous one-time exemptions for first-time VWP travelers without MRPs ended June 26, 2005. In addition, depending on when VWP travelers’ passports were issued, other passport requirements apply:

Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended on or after 10/26/06 – requires integrated chip with information from the data page (e-Passport).

Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended between 10/26/05 and 10/25/06 – requires digital photograph printed on the data page or integrated chip with information from the data page.

Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended before 10/26/05 – no further requirements.

Temporary, emergency, official and diplomatic passports are exempted from biometric digital photo and chip requirements, but must be machine-readable.

Therefore, if you have a machine readable or chip imbeded and your country is part of the visa waiver program, you have no problem.