United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Bush approves delay to biometric passports.
President George Bush has rubberstamped legislation delaying the need for UK travellers to the US to hold biometric passports.
The expected decision, following the US Congress and Senate supporting the measure last month, means that the original deadline for UK passports to contain biometric identifiers has been put back by 12 months to October 26, 2005.
However, UK visitors to the US on the visa waiver programme will be subject to digital finger scans and having their photograph taken on entry to the country from September 30.
US authorities claim the process “usually takes an average of 15 seconds and should not inconvenience or delay arrival”.
Travellers to the US will need a machine readable passport if they are on the visa waiver scheme from October 26 this year. Children all need to carry their own machine readable passport – these have been issued in the UK since 1988.
Report by Phil Davies
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