> Real serious issues seem to be waved away. To my opinion, one
> threat to the international nature of the IETF are the continuous
> increasing difficulties entering the US. This morning I read in the
> local papers that starting the 25th of october the Visa-Waiver
> program will grind to a halt for (most) Europeans.
>
> jaap
>
This depends on whether your passport issuing authority is getting it
together with some new requirements for machine readability.
See (e.g.) http://stockholm.usembassy.gov/Consulate/mr_passports.html
Summarizing: if you get a new passport on or after 26 Oct 2005, the Visa
Waiver Program will only apply if the passport includes machine readable
biometric data embedded in a 'contactless' chip (facial recognition data
apparently).
Since I get more private reactions, let me paraphrase the
article:
---
Dutch travellers need a a visum after the 25th of October. The US
Congres doesn't want to delay requirements for digital fingerprints
in european passports.
This is the reaction in a letter from Jameson Sensenbrenner, chair
of the relevant comittee in the US Congres to the Euro commisioner
Fratini (Justice). ``The concern about the weak border control of
the US will make an extra delay difficult''.
European passports will only in 2008 be fulfill the requirements.
It will be difficult for the US authorities to prcess th visa for
the 13 million people which now are under the Visa Waiver program.
---
This doesn't apply if your passport is already machine readable (ie. Most
current European passports) and is issued before 26 Oct 2005.
Well, I'm not sure how to read the following in the VisaWaferProgram
side (http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html). It
states:
Biometric Passports - President Bush signed legislation,
which delays until October 26, 2005 the requirement for
Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries to include biometrics
in their passports. The Department of Homeland Security now
enrolls Visa Waiver Program travelers in the U.S. Visitor
and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program
at all airports and seaports. To read more, select News
Release and Fact Sheet .
Seems that after 26/10/2005 (that's 10/25/2005 for americans :-)),
you need a ``biometric enabled passport''.
jaap
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