Passports and Visas
REMEMBER YOUR PASSPORTS...AND DON'T FORGET YOUR VISAS!
You MUST have a FULL and VALID passport to visit the USA, and you should check
with the Embassy for current requirements. If your passport shows you are a
BRITISH or IRISH citizen you do not usually need a visa* but can use the VISA
WAIVER PROGRAMME (form supplied at airport or on flight).
*Under certain circumstances (eg. if you have a criminal record) you may require
a visa and you could be refused entry into the USA. For more information on
why you may need a visa, please visit our Passport
and Visa FAQ's.
Visa Waiver Programme
On 15 June, the US Department of Homeland Security announced a one-year extension
of its Visa Waiver Programme to 26 October 2006.
All British Passport holders will now only permitted to enter the US under
the Visa Waiver programme if they are travelling on a valid machine readable
passport. All passports issued within the UK since November 1991 are machine
readable. This is not the case for all UK passports issued overseas.
Passengers issued with machine readable passports and therefore entitled to
travel into the USA on the visa waiver programme, must each hold their own individual
passport. In this instance, children may no longer be detailed on their parent�s
passport but must be holding their own.
To qualify for the US Visa Waiver programme you must NOT:
- Be suffering from any communicable disease, physical or mental disorder
or be a drug abuser or addict.
- Have been arrested or convicted for any offence or crime. This includes
spent convictions or an arrest not resulting in a conviction.
- Have ever been involved in espionage or sabotage, terrorist activities,
genocide or been involved in anyway with Nazi Germany or its allies between
1933 and 1945.
- Seeking work in the US, have been excluded or deported from the US, been
previously removed from the US or attempted to procure a visa or entry into
the US by fraud or misrepresentation.
- Been detained, retained or withheld custody of a child from a US citizen
granted custody of the child.
- Been denied a US Visa or entry into the US or had a US visa cancelled.
- Have asserted immunity from prosecution
To check if your passport is machine-readable?
There are 2 lines of letters, numbers and '>'s printed at the bottom of the
personal information page. On older machine-readable passports look for a white
strip at the bottom of the page containing your personal details/photograph;
in the newer machine-readable passports look for these lines on the pink page.
If there are no lines of text on the white strip or the pink page then your
passport is NOT machine-readable. Anyone travelling after October 26, 2005,
and who is travelling on a passport issued after that date, will be required
to obtain a US Visa
You will need a visa
If your passport shows you are a BRITISH SUBJECT you WILL need a VISA. This
particularly applies if you are Irish but have a British Subject passport. In
both these cases you must check with the US Embassy or nearest consulate. All
other passport holders in doubt should check with a US Embassy or consulate.
Before travel we recommend you contact the British passport office on
0870 521 0410 or
www.ukpa.gov.uk
or the US Embassy on
020 7499 9000 or
www.usembassy.org.uk.
Kids
ALL CHILDREN including newborn babies, MUST now have their own individual
passport.
NB: Some destinations require a letter
of authority if children are not accompanied by both legal guardians.
Please note: If you turn up for your
flight with an invalid passport or no visa when you need one we will be very
sympathetic but…YOU CANNOT BOARD THE FLIGHT.
Biometric passports
October 26, 2006
Passports issued on or after October 26, 2006 must have a biometric identifier
in order for the holder to travel on the Visa Waiver Programme. VWP travellers
in possession of individual machine-readable passports issued before October
26, 2006 will continue to be able to use them for travel to the U.S. on the
VWP.
VWP travellers in possession of passports issued on or after October 26, 2006,
that do not contain a biometric identifier, will require non-immigrant visas
for U.S. travel.
What is a biometric passport?
A biometric passport contains an electronic microchip that holds information
on the passport holder. The US requires at least a facial image to be included.
The UK is carrying out tests to include fingerprints and eye recognition data.
Please ensure this information is communicated to all members of your travelling
party.