PRESS RELEASES
New Visa Waiver Program and Biometric and Machine-Readable Passports
24 September 2004
Starting September 30, 2004, US-VISIT procedures will be expanded
to include visitors traveling to the United States under the Visa
Waiver Program (VWP) arriving at airports and seaports of entry.
This requires that visitors will have their two index fingers scanned
and a digital photograph taken to verify their identity at the port
of entry.
As of October 26, 2004, visa waiver program travelers must present
either a machine-readable passport or a U.S. visa to be admitted
to the United States. Each traveler will be required to have an
individual machine-readable passport. Children will not be able
to travel on their parent's passports.
In August 2004, the Department of State extended the requirement
for VWP countries to issue biometrically enabled passports to October
26, 2005. Passports issued on or after that date will be required
to be biometrically enabled to be valid for use in VWP travel.
The following 27 countries are currently in the VWP:
Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal,
San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and
the United Kingdom (for citizens with the unrestricted right of
permanent abode in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the
Channel Islands and the Isle of Man).
For more information on US-VISIT, please visit at www.dhs.gov/us-visit.
For more information on the VWP, please visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_novisa_waiver.html.
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