#054/05 October 25, 2005
A Digital Photo Requirement for Visa Waiver Program
As announced by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in June, passports issued on or after October 26, 2005, to Visa Waiver Program (VWP) citizens must include a digital photo in order to be valid for VWP travel to the U.S. Travelers whose passports do not meet this biometric requirement will need to obtain a valid U.S. visa for admission into the United States. VWP travelers with machine-readable passports issued before October 26, 2005 do not need to obtain new passports or visas in order to travel to the U.S. These passport requirements are intended to maintain and strengthen the integrity of the Visa Waiver Program in a manner consistent with Congressional intent and international standards.
Q: Will passports issued prior to October 26, 2005, be invalid since they don't meet biometric passport requirements?
No. Machine-readable passports issued prior to October 26, 2005, are and will be valid for VWP travel until they expire. Only passports issued on or after October 26, 2005 are subject to the additional requirements for a digital photo or (in 2006) an integrated chip.
Q: Which countries will not be issuing compliant passports?
At this time, it appears that France, Italy and Austria will not be issuing passports with digital photos by October 26, 2005. All three countries plan to begin production of e-passports with digital photos in a few months.
Q: Are all passports subject to these biometric requirements? What about children's passports or emergency or temporary passports?
Temporary, emergency and official and diplomatic passports do not have to comply with the biometric passport requirements outlined above. However, children must possess their own individual passport compliant with the biometric requirements described above.
Q: How do I know if my passport has a digitized photo?
Passports with digitized photos show a digital image of the person the passport was issued to, either printed onto the page that has your biographic data, or onto the plastic laminate that covers the biographic data page. Passports where an actual photo is covered by a laminate are not considered passports with digitized photos.
If travelers have requests for verification of whether their passport is compliant, they should direct them to their VWP government passport issuing agencies or U.S. embassies and consulates.
Q: Are U.S. passports biometric?
Yes. Ordinary, official and diplomatic passports issued in the U.S. include a digital photo. The Department of State is in the process of developing a U.S. e-passport that incorporates a contactless chip to store a digital photo and biographic data, in compliance with the specifications of the International Civil Aviation Organization. We are currently moving forward with the procurement of the technology and making decisions on privacy security. We expect to issue the first U.S. e-passport in fall 2005.