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email DEADLINE NEARS FOR MACHINE READABLE PASSPORTS
O 151513Z JUL 03
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/A
TAGS: 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,
../../../vwp.html.
9. Posts' rapid assistance is greatly appreciated and will help
eliminate potential entry-inspection problems for VWP travelers.
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