UK visitors may need visa to visit US from October

[Loftus]

This is being reported on the news wires tonight.

Looks like you will be affected if you need a new passport after October 26th, until the new biometric passports can be issued. People with current passports are okay providing those passports have a barcode.
If your passport is due to expire after October 26th and you are planning to renew it, then it may be worth doing it earlier to save having to queue for a visa.

BRITONS WILL NEED VISAS FOR US VISITS
By Mark Sage, PA News, in New York
Britons travelling to the United States, even for short visits, will soon need
a visa, it emerged today.
Currently, Britons can enter America for up to three months without a visa,
under the "visa waiver programme".
But the rules are being tightened from October 26, by which time citizens of
visa waiver countries must have new "biometric" passports, which contain
digital photographs or fingerprints.
American officials have been told by their counterparts in London that Britain
will not be able to start issuing the biometric passports before the October
deadline.
James Williams, director of a visitor registration programme, launched by the
US Department of Homeland Security on Monday, said most of the 27 visa waiver
countries "cannot comply" by the deadline.
He said Britain had already informed US officials that it would not be issuing
the new passports by October.
The visa ruling will only affect Britons who are issued new, but
non-biometric, passports after October 26.
Anyone who is issued a non-biometric passport after that date will have to go
through the time-consuming process of obtaining a visitor's visa from the US
Embassy in London.
People with valid passports issued before October 26 will not need a visa, as
long as the passport has a bar code.
It is understood British officials are lobbying Washington hard to extend the
deadline or make arrangements to prevent disruption to British travellers.
It is also likely to cause concern among the global travel industry and
tourism bodies in America.
Some 15.1 million tourists entered the United States under the visa waiver
programme last year, accounting for two thirds of spending by foreign visitors.
Among the Britons likely to be caught up in the new regime are those heading
for winter sunshine breaks in Florida, and those heading to ski resorts for the
early season.
In addition to the difficulties the new regime may create, a marked increase
in the number of people queuing for visas at the American Embassy in Grosvenor
Square could create a security nightmare for police.
A British Embassy spokesman said: "We are in close contact with the
Department of Homeland Security on the issue of biometrics, and have been from
the start, and we continue to work to find a solution."
On Monday, stringent new security regulations were introduced at American air
and sea ports.
People entering on a visa now must be fingerprinted and have their photographs
taken.
Those on the visa waiver scheme are not currently affected, but those on work
visas are.
The US's 115 international airports and 14 major seaports are covered by the
programme.
The system allows officials to instantly check an immigrant or visitor's
criminal background.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said the US aimed to be "open to
visitors but closed to terrorists".

 

[Dimplenose]

I am getting very confused perhaps someone can confirm what I should do:-

We're planning our next trip for summer 2005.
The kids are still on my passport which doesn't expire until Oct 2006.

I think I should get the kids their first passports. If I wait until spring 2005 then I think I will have problems with the visa waiver system. So should I get them this summer?

Does having the kids taken off my passport cause problems at US immigration (I assume the passport office just use a biro to remove them).

Is it likely that the US will change their minds a second time (i.e. kids passports 2004 not 2003)?

Or should I just plan to go somewhere else, it really is beginning to feel to much hassle - I'll be so stressed out with the "will they let us in?" feeling as it's so much money to risk on having the wrong paperwork.


Libby

 

[Tron[ADS]]

I might be wrong here Dimplenose, but as I understand it, your already going to have to get new passports. I don't think you can have your kids on your passport anymore. Perhaps someone else can confirm this ?

 

[WDWfan uk]

Originally they had said that all children travelling to the USA needed their own passports by Oct 2003 - this was then delayed until October 2004.

Here is the news section of the passport office -

http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/news/news.asp?strAreaNo=320&intelement=589

In Nov they (UK Government) announced they would be introducing biometric passports, and yesterday came the announcement that Loftus has posted re Visa programmes.

I think we will get and SHOULD get clarification of everything we need in order to satisfy US immigration - it looks like some if their proposals are "under discussion".

I also read yesterday that the USA said all queuing for loos in USA airspace is to be banned - BA are refusing to comply so far and said it is unworkable. (When we went to New York on American Airlines, a recorded voice over told us no-one would be allowed to stand in the aisles or walk about the plane, and of course we sat glued to our seats not daring to move, only to find that the other passengers wandered to the bathroom and back, formed a line at the loo, and stood about to stretch their legs and the crew didn't bat an eyelid ..... so we joined in !)

Libby, we got our sons their own passports a while ago now and mine had to be sent in for modification to remove them from it.

 

[mandymouse]

Hey Dimplenose

We're in the same situation, my children are on my passport, and as our next trip isn't till May 2005, I'm going to apply for their passports now to save any hassle.

Mandy

 

[Olaf]

Originally posted by WDWfan,uk

I also read yesterday that the USA said all queuing for loos in USA airspace is to be banned - BA are refusing to comply so far and said it is unworkable. (When we went to New York on American Airlines, a recorded voice over told us no-one would be allowed to stand in the aisles or walk about the plane, and of course we sat glued to our seats not daring to move, only to find that the other passengers wandered to the bathroom and back, formed a line at the loo, and stood about to stretch their legs and the crew didn't bat an eyelid ..... so we joined in !)

Oh please tell me this is a joke Shirley. You know what they need? A "take a number" system.

Guys, I don't see how this particular ruling is going to stand. It would destroy international tourism to Florida.