ePassport required for travel to USA from 1 April

lowrig

Hi, sorry if it's already been said, but, I've just received an email from Virgin Atlantic stating that from 1 April 2016, all travellers wishing to enter the US under the Visa Waiver Programme (so the ESTA) will need to hold a passport with an integrated chip (an ePassport), as per the Foreign Office website:


https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/entry-requirements

HappyMJ

If you don't have an ePassport you can still travel to US you just need to apply for a visa before you travel.

safesound

How do you know if you have one?

peachyprice

Well they were introduced on 6th March 2006 so any passport issued in the last 10 years will have one

Westin

I received the same email today from Virgin Atlantic (for a flight with them in June). I'm also flying to the USA with Norwegian on 17 April but nothing as yet from them.

Annoyingly this means a new passport for me and as I have three European business trips between now and mid-April, plus Easter falling in this period, I can see this won't be a straight forward process. It would of been nice for a little more notice of this change from our American friends.

The old none chipped passports were actually issued through to October 2006. My current passport would have expired in June 2017 as it had time added to it when I previously renewed.

I hope this new rule gets some better exposure as I can otherwise see some people having a nasty surprise when trying to check-in.

SW17

safesound wrote: »

How do you know if you have one?

They have the biometric symbol below the word Passport on the front of a British passport. Just Google "biometric passport symbol" to see what this looks like.

mgdavid

safesound wrote: »

How do you know if you have one?

If you look in your passport you can see it.

littlereddevil

peachyprice wrote: »

Well they were introduced on 6th March 2006 so any passport issued in the last 10 years will have one

My passport was issued in October 2016 and does NOT have one.
I am off to USA in April but luckily I renewed my passport last month so that I could have my ESTA on it for 2 years as my current one runs out this month

HappyMJ

littlereddevil wrote: »

My passport was issued in October 2016 and does NOT have one.
I am off to USA in April but luckily I renewed my passport last month so that I could have my ESTA on it for 2 years as my current one runs out this month

Are you sure about that?

If you download an app for your Android phone and then put your phone up against the passport the phone can display everything that's on the passport.

Try downloading https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.innovalor.nfciddocshowcase&hl=en_GB on to your phone and have a look.

Pollycat

littlereddevil wrote: »

My passport was issued in October 2016 and does NOT have one.
I am off to USA in April but luckily I renewed my passport last month so that I could have my ESTA on it for 2 years as my current one runs out this month

This sounds strange.
I found this (in 'National Archives' from the old Directgov website and dated 3/10/2012):

What are biometric passports?


All passports now issued in the UK are ‘biometric’. Biometric details are those which are unique to you – like your fingerprint, the iris of your eye, and your facial features.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121015000000/www.direct.gov.uk/en/travelandtransport/passports/applicationinformation/dg_174159

ETA: Whoops! Clearly a typo in littlereddevil's post - we've not reached October 2016 yet so impossible to have a passport issued then.

peachyprice

mgdavid wrote: »

If you look in your passport you can see it.

Except for the newest ones, it's not the big chunky thing it once was.