18th December Updates to ESTA - Question about electronic chip in passport!

[SweetBlowFish 0]

Morning Visa Journey!

Firstly - to thank all of you who have helped me get this far in my K1 visa process - I got approved last week at the US embassy in England! Woop! I'm now waiting for the embassy to return my passport and visa and then I will be on my way to marrying the man of my dreams!

However today I read that US government have passed a new addition to the ESTA Visa Waiver Program that states this:

Travel under the VWP is restricted to travellers with passports that includecertain security features. On 18 December 2015, the US Congress passed a Bill updating the requirements for the VWP. Under the new rules, with effect from 1 April 2016 all travellers wishing to enter the US under the VWP will need to hold a passport with an integrated chip.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/entry-requirements

I presume this doesn't apply to me as I am not travelling under VWP however my passport does not have an electronic chip!

My first thought was to immediately apply for an updated passport, however firstly, my passport number is on various K1 documents and secondly, I don't currently have my passport lol. Do you think this will affect me?

Any thoughts?

[JFH 12,190]

How old is your passport? Is it a full British passport issued in the UK? Passports in the UK have all had chips in them for some time now. I think the last of the non-chip passports were issued in 2006 so those people will be needing to renew them soon anyway.

In any event, you are not travelling on the VWP and this does not come into force until next April. Surely you will have entered by then anyway?

[SweetBlowFish 0]

Hi JFK

I am 85% sure that my passport does not have an electronic chip. Of course I am unable to check at this present time as my passport is with the embassy

Yes you are right - however I wanted to doubly check that my passport will not be needed after that date, in any other capacity apart from VWP.

Thanks!