Hilary
There's always something new to learn!
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2000
- Messages
- 6,483
Looking for help in making sure I understand the recent deferral decision on biometric passports / visa waivers.
The US requires all British visitors, including children, to hold valid machine-readable passports from 26 October 2004.
After 26 October 2004, children who are currently on another persons passport will need to obtain their own machine-readable passport for visa-free travel to the US.
British Citizen machine-readable passports will continue to be valid for visa-free travel to the US under the VWP until the passport expires.
All four of us have machine-readable passports.
US law originally required that travellers under the Visa Waiver Programme carrying passports issued after 26 October 2004 would need to hold biometric passports. The President has agreed a one-year deferral of this requirement, to October 2005.
DH and I both need new passports, and were planning on renewing before 26 October 2004 anyway. DD1's also expires fairly soon, so I had intended to renew hers before October, even though I could wait a couple more months. On renewal, she'll get an adult 10 year passport.
DD2 has a child's passport (valid for 5 years) which doesn't expire until august 2006. If I renew hers now (or before Oct 04), she'll still be 15 and will have another child's passport issued for 5 years. She'll be 16 next March and will then qualify for a full 10 year passport, which would be preferable.
However, does this mean that, as things stand at the moment, all these new passports may still have to be renewed (to fulfill the biometric requirements for visa-waiver entry to the US) once the UK Passport Office are able to include them, or will passports issued before the Oct 2005 deadline be acceptable until they expire?
The US requires all British visitors, including children, to hold valid machine-readable passports from 26 October 2004.
After 26 October 2004, children who are currently on another persons passport will need to obtain their own machine-readable passport for visa-free travel to the US.
British Citizen machine-readable passports will continue to be valid for visa-free travel to the US under the VWP until the passport expires.
All four of us have machine-readable passports.
US law originally required that travellers under the Visa Waiver Programme carrying passports issued after 26 October 2004 would need to hold biometric passports. The President has agreed a one-year deferral of this requirement, to October 2005.
DH and I both need new passports, and were planning on renewing before 26 October 2004 anyway. DD1's also expires fairly soon, so I had intended to renew hers before October, even though I could wait a couple more months. On renewal, she'll get an adult 10 year passport.
DD2 has a child's passport (valid for 5 years) which doesn't expire until august 2006. If I renew hers now (or before Oct 04), she'll still be 15 and will have another child's passport issued for 5 years. She'll be 16 next March and will then qualify for a full 10 year passport, which would be preferable.
However, does this mean that, as things stand at the moment, all these new passports may still have to be renewed (to fulfill the biometric requirements for visa-waiver entry to the US) once the UK Passport Office are able to include them, or will passports issued before the Oct 2005 deadline be acceptable until they expire?
, I agree with what seems to be the concensus of opinion here - as long as the passports are issued before Oct 2005, even without biometric information, the current visa waiver scheme will apply until those passports expire (or the US government moves the goalposts 
).
