WashingtonWire - 2004-11-08
U.S. Requiring Machine-Readable Passports
Travelers to the United States from countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program now must possess a machine-readable passport to enter the country, the Department of Homeland Security said, putting into practice a program announced more than one year ago. The requirement, effective Oct. 26, applies to all family members traveling to the United States, including children. Customs agents may grant one exemption, but travelers who fail to obtain a machine-readable passport for subsequent visits may be denied entry into the United States.
"These interim procedures will allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to effectively enforce the law and exercise discretion when appropriate," said Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson. "These are prudent steps to ease travelers into these new documentation requirements."
The requirement originally was due to have gone into effect in October 2003. The delay allowed countries participating in the program to help their citizens prepare for the mandate, including issuing new machine-readable passports to citizens at airports. The order is separate from a congressional mandate requiring Visa Waiver Program countries to include biometric information in their passports. That requirement takes effect Oct. 26, 2005.
Customs and Border Protection won't impose fines on airlines transporting passengers from 22 countries that don't issue machine-readable passports, the department said. The 22 countries include Austria, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
About 13 million visitors from Visa Waiver countries enter the United States each year and are allowed to stay for up to 90 days.
DHS Embraces Biometric Facial Recognition
The Department of Homeland Security has adopted standards for facial recognition technology in travel documents. The standards set technical criteria for designing cameras and computer software to better compare photographs of faces of travelers to those that appear in databases of suspected terrorists. "This standard will help improve our long-term security by facilitating the interchange of digitally stored photographs, regardless of what equipment is used to take or to display the images," said Charles McQueary, Under Secretary for Science and Technology.