DOS Cable Reminds Posts of 10/1/03 Machine-Readable Passport Deadline for all VWP Entrants
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS IMMEDIATE
SPECIAL EMBASSY PROGRAM IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS STATE 204550
INFORM CONSULS, PAOS, ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL OFFICERS
E.O. 12958: N/ATAGS: CASC, ASEC, EAIR
SUBJECT: DEADLINE NEARS FOR MACHINE-READABLE PASSPORTS
NEEDED BY VISA WAIVER PROGRAM TRAVELERS
1. This is an action request. This message has been cleared by SEP.
2. October 1, 2003, is the deadline for persons entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to be in possession of Machine Readable Passports (MRPs). If a VWP traveler does not have an MRP, he or she will be required to obtain a non-immigrant B-1, B-2, or B-1/B-2 visa before attempting to enter the United States. Although VWP governments and business entities have been informed of this requirement, travelers may not know of it. Therefore, embassies and consulates must spread the word directly to visitors for tourism and general business purposes who might try to come to the U.S. under VWP privileges. VWP travelers in third countries are especially likely to have less access to this information and should be target audiences for posts in non-VWP countries.
3. To publicize the need for an MRP by someone seeking VWP entry privileges, we are sending out a press release and contacting international news media and reminding embassies and consulates of VWP countries of this requirement. Consular Affairs and EB's Transportation Affairs have already briefed aviation, tourism, cruise and travel industry representatives on the upcoming deadline. This cable asks posts to engage in a concentrated public affairs effort to get the word out about the impending October 1 deadline.
4. To assist posts in those outreach efforts, below are the talking points for use with the press and public and which can be posted on Embassy websites. Also below is a press release which can be used in its entirety or as a template from which posts may add relevant local information. Your efforts through PAOs, Consular Sections and Commercial Sections to publicize the importance of VWP travelers having a Machine-Readable Passport will be invaluable.
5. Non-VWP posts should determine whether or not there are communities of VWP travelers in their district and publicize these requirements specifically to them. We note that VWP nationals in third countries are less likely to have MRPs.
6. Some ideas for using these materials are:
-- Put the talking points below on the embassies/consulates' websites, including on econ/commercial web pages; also include in post's econ/commercial newsletters.
-- Inform local Chambers of Commerce, the AmCham, and prominent local business associations.
-- Place notices in local papers
-- Bring the issue up during all press contacts.
7. TALKING POINTS AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
-- Starting October 1, 2003, each Visa Waiver Program traveler must present a machine-readable passport at a U.S. port of entry to be admitted to the U.S. without a visa. Those travelers without machine- readable passports must obtain a non-immigrant visa.
-- This requirement includes all categories of passports - regular, diplomatic, and official - when the traveler is seeking to enter the U.S. for general business or tourist (B-1/B-2 visa) purposes.
-- It has long been a requirement that countries whose nationals use the Visa Waiver Program have a machine-readable passport issuance program, but, previously, not all VWP travelers had to present a machine-readable passport. The October 1 requirement for admission simply stipulates that no one without a machine-readable passport will be able to enter under the auspices of the Visa Waiver Program.
-- Machine-readable passports enhance security on several fronts. Not only can they be scanned at entry and exit points to verify integrity of the data, they also allow for the provision of advance passenger information which can enable border officials to process, much in advance of the arrival of the flight, the information received for further action, if necessary. In addition, lost or stolen machine-readable passports are easier to track.
-- Since machine-readable passports facilitate rapid and precise identification, they also enable faster processing of travelers at ports of entry.
-- The United States Government issued the first U.S. machine-readable passport in the Spring of 1981.
Q. What is a machine-readable passport?
-- In accordance with international standards, a machine-readable passport has two typeface lines printed at the bottom of the biographical page which can be read by machine. When read, these lines electronically provide identical information to that contained on the biographical page. The standards regarding size of the passport and photograph, and arrangement of data fields, especially the two lines of printed machine readable data, are set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, Document 9303, Part 1 Machine Readable Passports.
Q. Who sets the standards for machine-readable travel documents?
-- The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is the international authority charged with developing global standards for machine-readable travel documentation (more information can be found at www.icao.int). In 1986, the International Civil Aviation Organization established a Technical Advisory Group on Machine Readable Passports.
Q. What about the biometric requirement?
-- The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 requires the Department, no later than October 26, 2004, to issue visas using biometric identifiers.
-- The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act also requires that the passport of any Visa Waiver Program traveler issued after October 26, 2004, must contain a biometric identifier that meets standards set by the International Civil Aeronautics Organization (ICAO).
-- We are working closely with those countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, as well as other countries, to enhance data sharing with regard to travel documents.
-- In the process of screening visas and passports in the United States and abroad, biometrics will be a useful adjunct to existing screening processes that identify individuals who might be terrorists, criminals, or other aliens who might represent a security risk to the United States.
-- 27 countries participate in VWP: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
-- Travelers carrying Belgian passports must have an MRP or appropriate B visa as of May 15, 2003.
8. PRESS RELEASE:
VISA WAIVER TRAVEL REQUIRES MACHINE-READABLE PASSPORT
Starting October 1, 2003, travelers entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Program must have a machine- readable passport. Any traveler without a machine- readable passport will be required to obtain a visa before coming to the United States.
This requirement is mandated by the USA Patriot Act of 2001. Immigration inspectors may deny entry to any traveler attempting to enter on a visa-waiver basis without a machine-readable passport after October 1, 2003.
Countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program have long been required to have a program for the issuance of machine-readable passports, but the October 1, 2003, requirement makes the use of such a passport mandatory for visa-free entry. It applies to both adults and children. Citizens of Belgium have been required to present a machine-readable passport for visa-waiver entry since May 15, 2003.
Citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries are permitted to enter the United States for general business or tourist purposes for a maximum of 90 days without needing a visa. The 27 countries currently in the Visa Waiver Program are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
A machine-readable passport can generally be identified by the presence of two typeface lines printed at the bottom of the biographical page that can be read by machine. These lines electronically provide some of the information contained on the upper part of the biographical page. The machine-readable passport requirement applies to all categories of passport: regular, official or diplomatic. If a traveler has any doubt about whether a passport qualifies as machine-readable, he or she should check with the passport issuing authority for that country.
Machine-readable passports enhance security as they can be scanned at entry and exit points to verify the integrity of the passport data. Because machine-readable passports facilitate rapid and precise identification, they enable faster processing of travelers at ports of entry. They also provide for advance passenger information, so border inspectors can do much of their processing before a flight arrives.
A traveler who uses a non-machine-readable passport, even if from a Visa Waiver Program country, will have to apply for a non-immigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The worldwide US-visa application fee is $100 US. The U.S. non-immigrant visa contains machine-readable biographical data.
The Visa Waiver Program requirements can be found at the Department of State's Visa Services web site, http://travel.state.gov/vwp.html.
9. Posts' rapid assistance is greatly appreciated and will help eliminate potential entry-inspection problems for VWP travelers.