Biometric passports for the US

Entry into the US will soon require biometric passports

July 2006

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The latest in high tech passports, biometric, have appeared in the news once again as the United States outlines it future plans to include the new style passports as a requirement of entry to the US. Franco Frattini, the security chief for the European Union, has issued a warning to travelers to the US that they may need to apply for a visa if they do not hold a biometric passport which has microchips containing the holders facial recognition data. There is currently an agreement between Washington and Brussels which says that people traveling from the 15 original EU nations would still be allowed to enter the US as long as their original passport was still valid and the country of their origin had already begun issuing the new biometric passports by October 26th.

Congressmen in the US have stated that they will be looking for a 'strict interpretation' of any new law that will require travelers in the future to have the new passports which could mean a denial of entry if the documentation is absent. Travelers from the UK have been advised that they are able to enter the US if they have current passport, however, if the passport expires this year, they should apply for a biometric replacement before this October. To allow entry to the US, any passport must be machine readable, you should check for digits and chevrons on the photo page.

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