Biometric passports and their introduction.

[jna]

I am so confused about biometric passports, due to my inability to understand the relevance of the date of issue of your passport and from what date a biometric version will be required to enter the USA.

We are set for three weeks in Orlando from Oct. 14th. 2006, but before then the passports for my wife and two daughters need to be renewed.

I found this on the BBC News web site today:-

“The US has said it will allow 27 mainly European countries participating in a special visa scheme more time to introduce biometric data in passports. The countries in the scheme have until 26 October 2006 to use (my bold type) biometric passports.” Dated June 15th. 2006


And this on the United Kingdom Passport Service site:-

The UKPS and the FCO will be issuing the first facial biometric pilot production passports in October this year. Full production will be rolled out between February and July 2006.

And this on the Visit USA Association site:-

Entry Procedures Update: 1st July 2005

Biometric Information. The US Government has delayed the requirement for biometric identifiers to be included in new UK passports until October 26th 2006. From that date, all new UK passports will be required to include an integrated circuit chip capable of storing biometric information from the data page in the passport, a digitized photograph and any other biometric information that may become standard in travel documents. This requirement will only apply to new passports issued after 26th October 2006 and will only apply to current passports with expiry dates after that date, when they are due for renewal.

And this from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office:-

The US Department of Homeland Security announced, on 15 June, a one-year extension of its Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) to 26 October 2006.

VWP countries, including the UK, are required to have a biometric passport issuing system in place by 26 October 2006 in order to continue as members of the Programme and benefit from visa free travel to the US after that date.

The US also announced a requirement that all new passports issued on or after 26 October 2005 must contain a digital photo image to enable the holder to travel to the USA visa free.

This means that:
• British citizens with machine-readable passports containing a digital photo image will not require a visa to visit the USA because they meet the criteria of the 26 October 2005 VWP deadline.
• British citizens with machine-readable passports but without a digital photo will still be able to visit the USA visa free as their passport was issued before the 26 October 2005 deadline.

I cannot get to grips with two things:-
1)What does a digital photograph in a passport look like? Mine was issued in November 2004 and the photo has no background, i.e. my head is surrounded by the watermarking stripes of the page, rather than a photo from the booth stuck in. Is this digital?

2)I can renew my wife’s and one of my daughter’s before October 25th. 2005, but my other daughter is sixteen on November 2nd. If I apply after October 25th I guess this means she will have to apply for a Visa?

I have come to the forum because I have to say that the Passport Office would not answer questions about the Visa Waiver Programme (which I guess is not their business), and the U.S. Embassy help-line seemed to offer an opinion that suggested that UNLESS you had a chip in the passport, no matter what the age, and even though it had a digital photo and was machine readable, a Visa would be required for entry.

Now there are many of us, as I note from another thread, bound for WDW in October 2006, so I felt sure that others may have the same concerns, and perhaps have obtained the definitive answer.

Looking forward to some guidance and pointers. Thanks.

 

[Celestine]

I would renew the passports now (you'll get an extra 3 months on top of the 10 years). From your description it sounds as though you have a digital photo. For your daughter, could you renew now & then get it upgraded after her birthday?

 

[paulh]

if your passport is vallid and has the <<<<<<<<556name>>>rt ect on the photo page its still vallid but when it runs after Oct. 14th. 2006 when you renew it you will have to have the ones with the chip in so looks like your wife will be ok for the next 10 years on the machine readable type if you renue before June 15th. 2006 hope this helps
Paulh

 

[kristieuk]

if your passport is vallid and has the <<<<<<<<556name>>>rt ect on the photo page its still vallid but when it runs after Oct. 14th. 2006 when you renew it you will have to have the ones with the chip in so looks like your wife will be ok for the next 10 years on the machine readable type if you renue before June 15th. 2006 hope this helps
Paulh

That's my understanding too - it's new passports issued after October 26 2006that you have to worry about, provided it is machine readable ie <<<< >>>> etc. There is nothing new about this, save that the date has been extended again, but according to the UKPS, they will be issuing biometric passports not long after that time.

We, like many others, have travelled several times a year on machine readable passports since the US first introduced the idea, and since they have extended the deadline year after year.

My only concern relates to the digital photograph - this isn't something that I've read about before. My passport was issued in 1998, and it's blatantly the photo stuck inside - I have checked my daughters issued in 1994, and it looks like a digital image. If I'm understanding right, it doesn't matter though???

 

[patdavies]

That's my understanding too - it's new passports issued after October 26 2006that you have to worry about, provided it is machine readable ie <<<< >>>> etc. There is nothing new about this, save that the date has been extended again, but according to the UKPS, they will be issuing biometric passports not long after that time.

Not quite.

For a passport issued after 26/10/2006, it must be biometric (ie chipped) to continue to use the VWP

A passport issued before then merely has to be machine readable (ie lots of <<<<<<<<< on the bottom two lines of the page). Such a passport may continue to be used on the VWP until it expires.

 

[Scottish-Helen]

That's my understanding too - it's new passports issued after October 26 2006that you have to worry about, provided it is machine readable ie <<<< >>>> etc. There is nothing new about this, save that the date has been extended again, but according to the UKPS, they will be issuing biometric passports not long after that time.

We, like many others, have travelled several times a year on machine readable passports since the US first introduced the idea, and since they have extended the deadline year after year.

My only concern relates to the digital photograph - this isn't something that I've read about before. My passport was issued in 1998, and it's blatantly the photo stuck inside - I have checked my daughters issued in 1994, and it looks like a digital image. If I'm understanding right, it doesn't matter though???

You are fine with the passport you have. It's only recently that passports started getting the digital photos but as long as you have a machine readable one that is all you need, don't worry about the photo thing.

 

[kristieuk]

Phew. Thanks!

 

[wicket2005]

2)I can renew my wife’s and one of my daughter’s before October 25th. 2005, but my other daughter is sixteen on November 2nd. If I apply after October 25th I guess this means she will have to apply for a Visa?

.

I don't understand why you are saying your daughter is 16. We applied for a passport for our then 15 year old son in the July before he was 16 in the August. I think it is only if they reach 16 in a couple of weeks of sending the form off. He got a child's passport which runs for 5 years.

All children need their own passport but you probably knew that, just thought I would mention it in case you didn't.

 

[musketeer]

Same here i had to renew my son's passport when he was 15, but a couple of months later he turn't 16, they issued him with a child's passport.

 

[jna]

Thank you for your responses. Here is I think the straight forward answer to my query, and one which has been touched on by you. It came from this site:-

http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html

The extract is:-

All VWP travelers, regardless of age or type of passport used, must present machine-readable passports. In addition, depending on when VWP travelers’ passports were issued, other passport requirements will apply:

a) Machine-readable passports issued before 10/26/05 – no further requirements.

b) Machine-readable passports issued between 10/26/05 and 10/25/06 – requires digital photograph printed on the data page or (my bold type) integrated chip with information from the data page.

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

wicket2005, my concern about renewing my daughter's passport (the one who is sixteen in early November) was that if I let the Oct. 25 2005 deadline pass, she might fall foul of needing a visa. It would not seem the case according to the extract above, as long as the photo is a digital one – which I assume it will be.

muskateer - As want to get my 15 year old a replacement before Oct 25 2005, this will mean obtaining a child's passport two months before she turns 16 - the same scenario as yours. As they issued your son with a child's passport a couple of month's before he turned 16, did you then have to apply for an adult passport soon after he became sixteen?

 

[mark&sue]

I am really confused I thought they wanted Biometric passports after 26th October 2006. We fly back on 26th October 2006 will we need to do anything. My daughter needs hers renewing before we go should I wait till February as it appears something is happening then?

Really confused

 

[wicket2005]

As want to get my 15 year old a replacement before Oct 25 2005, this will mean obtaining a child's passport two months before she turns 16 - the same scenario as yours. As they issued your son with a child's passport a couple of month's before he turned 16, did you then have to apply for an adult passport soon after he became sixteen?

This is why I couldn't understand about your daughter's passport. It is exactly what happened with my son last July. You don't need to apply for another passport as soon as she reaches sixteen you just stick with the one issued at age 15. It lasts 5 years, after that time she will need an adult passport. The child passport is cheaper because it only runs for five years.

 

[musketeer]

Hi JNA

My son has still got the child's passport that they issued and hopefully there will be no problems, i only renewed his a couple of months ago.

On the renewal notes it states that if the person is between 12 - 15 then you should apply/renew for a child passport unless they will turn 16 before they can issue a new passport.

If this is not right i'm sure somebody on here will let us know.

I think i'm going to phone the passport office just to make sure.

 

[musketeer]

Hi
I have just phoned the passport office and they said that he can still travel on the child's passport until it expires the lady said that the only difference between the two passports was the child's expires in 5 years and the adults in 10 years.

hope this helps.

 

[jna]

I went to the Post Office this morning at a very quiet time and was lucky enough to go to a cashier that seemed to know the ropes. We talked for a while, and she confirmed exactly what wicket2005 and musketeer have said, and thank you for your interest. I shall now go ahead and renew my two daughters' passports before Oct. 25.

Let me now refer back to my last post and these comments:-

a) Machine-readable passports issued before 10/26/05 – no further requirements.

b) Machine-readable passports issued between 10/26/05 and 10/25/06 – requires digital photograph printed on the data page or (my bold type) integrated chip with information from the data page.

I have now ascertained that all passports issued by UK Passport Offices since October 1997 have a digitised photograph, so I guess that unless you are renewing at an overseas embassy, or perhaps have one issued under emergency circumstances, you will get a digitised picture. Thus those renewing between October 25 2005 and October 2006 will still be able to use the Visa Waiver Scheme.

Going back to Mark&sue's post, you are correct, after October 26 2006 if you renew you will have to go through the procedure of obtaining a biometric passport. My suggestion is that you go and get your daughter's renewed right now (as I am doing some months before my two daughters' current ones expire) and then you have not got to concern yourself with biometrics for another five years.

The way things are going I doubt the rollout will be on schedule. Furthermore, when I showed the Post Office cashier the travel.state.gov webpage with all the dates thereon, she admitted that they had not been provided with any information regarding biometric passports. I guess they are informed of progress on a 'need to know basis', but over the coming year or so a lot of people are going to be concerned about what is the right thing to do, so the PO ought to get their staff up to speed. This forum has been of great help. Thanks again.

 

[mark&sue]

Many thanks for this. We are off to Disneyland Paris in six weeks and four days and I will renew my daughter's passport when we get back.

btw I once lost all three of our passports on the ferry back from Disneyland Paris a couple of years ago and they let us in through Dover without any passports at all!!!! I was lucky that I reported the loss to P&O and two weeks later they sent us all three passports back to us recorded delivery at no charge to us. Good old P&O!!!


Susan

 

[kristieuk]

Not quite.

For a passport issued after 26/10/2006, it must be biometric (ie chipped) to continue to use the VWP

A passport issued before then merely has to be machine readable (ie lots of <<<<<<<<< on the bottom two lines of the page). Such a passport may continue to be used on the VWP until it expires.

That's what I meant. Obviously didn't explain it very well!

 

[Shropshire Saint]

My passport expires July 2008 & I have been thinking about this issue for a little while. I decided to continue with the existing passport, but I am now thinking again.
Has anybody any idea of when the passport office will be in a position to start issuing biometric passports?

 

[patdavies]

According to the Passport Office website, during 2006

 

[jna]

This on the United Kingdom Passport Service site:-

The UKPS and the FCO will be issuing the first facial biometric pilot production passports in October this year[2005]. Full production will be rolled out between February and July 2006