Waiver Program

Effective October 26, 2004, travelers from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries must present either a machine-readable passport or a valid U.S. visa. Travelers with a valid U.S. visa will not be required to have machine-readable passports.As of September 30, 2004, all VWP travelers arriving at a U.S. port of entry will also be required to enroll in US-VISIT, a program involving a digital photograph and finger scans. Beginning in October 2005 VWP countries will be required to produce biometric passports in order to remain eligible for the Visa Waiver Program.

For a complete list of Visa Waiver Countries, click here:

To read the complete State Department statement on Biometric Passports, click here: