Important Notices
Effective October 26, 2004, Travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries must present either a machine-readable passport or a valid U.S. visa
Visa waiver travelers from all 27 Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries must present either a machine-readable passport or a valid U.S. visa. This new requirement comes into effect on October 26, 2004. Travelers with a valid U.S. visa will not be required to have machine-readable passports. For information on making an appointment to apply for a U.S. visa, click here.
In addition, as of September 30, 2004, all VWP travelers arriving at a U.S. port of entry, will be required to enroll in US-VISIT, a program involving a digital photograph and fingerscans. In a related item, President Bush signed into law a one-year extension for the date countries are required to produce biometric passports in order to remain eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, delaying the requirement until October 2005.
- For complete information on U.S. visa requirements, including studying, doing business or just visiting, click here: http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/
- To read the complete State Department announcement/statement on Biometric Passports, click here: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/35066.htm
- For a complete list of Visa Waiver Countries, click here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_novisa_waiver.html#2
- To visit the U.S. Consular homepage, click here: http://travel.state.gov/
Related Items:
Implementation of Biometric Passports Extended to 2005, click here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_novisa_waiver2.html
Visa Waiver Program, click here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_novisa_waiver.html
What is a machine-readable passport, click here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_novisa_waiver.html#4
US-VISIT, click here: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/content_multi_image/
content_multi_image_0006.xml