US told to sort out passport confusion

US tourism chiefs are urging their government to find a solution to the introduction of visas and biometric passports for overseas visitors.

Biometric passports for all 27 countries in the US’s visa-waiver scheme, including the UK, are set to become a requirement on October 26. But most countries in the scheme are not ready to issue them.

Speaking at US trade show Pow Wow in New York, Travel Industry Association of America director of government affairs Richard Webster said one of two solutions will be most likely: either a six to 12-month delay on the October deadline; or a rethink on what meets biometric requirements.

Webster said: “It could be that passports don’t need a chip at first. All passports will eventually have one, but as an interim measure, a different type of biometric data may be acceptable.”

TIA president Roger Dow said a decision needs to be made soon. “When someone reads in the media that they may not be able to come here in October, they are going to plan to go somewhere else on holiday,” he said.