Tougher Rules for Visits

[tonado]

The airline business is hurting already. I wonder if foreigners will want to come to USA anymore.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/11/politics...s/11travel.html

 

September 11, 2004

U.S. Acts to Notify Foreigners of Tougher Rules for Visits

By RACHEL L. SWARNS

 

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 - Only three weeks before sweeping policy shifts begin affecting foreign visitors at American airports, officials say they are intensifying their efforts to inform travelers from more than 20 industrialized nations to prepare for tough new entry requirements.

 

By the end of September, tourists from 27 nations, including Britain, Germany, Japan and Australia, will for the first time be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival. And beginning at the end of October, passengers from 22 countries, mostly in Europe, must carry machine-readable passports in order to visit without visas.

 

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security plan to start advertising in newspapers in Britain and Australia later this month, informing travelers from those countries that airport inspectors here will start collecting digital fingerprints and photographs from them on Sept. 30. The officials, who have highlighted the new requirement in meetings with trade groups and journalists in London and Germany in recent months, also plan to attend a trade show in Hong Kong in coming weeks.

 

On Wednesday, the State Department sent a cable to its consulates and embassies in the affected nations, encouraging consular officials to expand their efforts to inform travelers about the need to have machine-readable passports by Oct. 26. Consular officials have already been posting advisories on their Web sites and meeting with chambers of commerce, travel groups and news organizations, the department says.

 

Tourists from Europe and other industrialized countries are not typically required to apply for visas to visit the United States, but they will have to do so if they do not have machine-readable passports by the Oct. 26 deadline. Officials at the Travel Industry Association of America, which represents the nation's largest airlines, hotels, cruise lines and car rental companies, say some people in Spain, Italy, France and Switzerland still lack such passports.

 

Travel industry officials commend Homeland Security for its efforts but say the State Department is doing too little to inform travelers about the machine-readable policy.

 

Rick Webster, director of government relations for the Travel Industry Association, said that without a concerted publicity campaign, some travelers might arrive at American airports without either the required passport or a visa.

 

Starting next week, the industry group says, it will send hundreds of e-mail messages to travel associations, foreign journalists and others to advise them of the changes.

 

Angela Aggeler, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said officials had been using various means, among them getting articles published in European newspapers, to spread word.

 

The new policy that requires tourists from 27 industrialized nations to be fingerprinted and photographed affects travelers from 22 European countries and Brunei, Singapore, Japan, Australia and New Zealand who can currently travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. Because students and other visitors from those nations who stay for more than three months are required to carry visas, they have already been subjected to these new security measures, which took effect for all visa carriers in January regardless of country of origin.

 

The policy that requires travelers to carry machine-readable passports will now affect 22 of those 27 nations. The remaining five - Andorra, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and San Marino - adopted the American standard in 2003.

[keelec]

Just for curiosity,

 

Does the USA have machine readable passports with microchips? I don't think mine has anything more sophisticated than a barcode. Does anybody here have a Post-9/11/2001 passport? Is it any different than the pre-9/11 passports?

 

Hmmm, what happens to the microchip if one carries the passport in one's pocket and the passport gets crumpled a bit?

 

Anyway, this policy was announced over a year ago. I would imagine that it initially will cause a little chaos, but won't have any huge, long lasting effects.

 

The bigger issue is the millions of chinese (and other national) tourists that get denied visas and get turned away from the USA. Or, those individuals who choose not to visit the USA because of excessive delays (generally not visa waiver countries like most of Europe).

 

----- Clifford -----

[Chinese Wife!!!]

Hey Clifford,

Renewed mine 13 April 2004. Maybe I wouldn't know a "machine readable" passport if you slapped me in the face with it several times. Felt and flexed all pages and binding- nothing I can find chip wise. Inside back cover has a simple 9 digit bar code (that is not the same as my passport #).

 

NOW old passport issued in 1994, EXACT SAME THING-Same printing press and binding machine??? Went page by page too. Richard

 

Editted: Clifford you sometimes ask the damnest questions. Now on Thursday night I will be fondling my wife's Chinese passport (maybe other things first but I'll get around to it). She just got hers in late June for her Thai trip.

 

Wish I could remember the VWP info for certain. I believe they arrive w/o Mach read. passports they can be Photo'ed and f'printed this year and proceed but as of Oct.26, 2005 even they must have MRP's.

[Alex]

My passport was issued October 2003...just barcodes....no chips!

[oregonknl]

Bush administration continues to crack down on ports of entry -- requiring iron-clad identification, and completely ignores our walk across borders, or id standards for people currently IN the US.....

 

....nice

[chinadave2001]

Personally I think its a good idea. Too many of these countries are very lax in their approach to documents. Far too easy for a terrorist to get a French passport. We need to more vigilent than ever.

CD

[turtle]

Meanwhile, recent reports estimate 3,000,000 people will cross the border illegally from Mexico this year...

[chinadave2001]

Meanwhile, recent reports estimate 3,000,000 people will cross the border illegally from Mexico this year...

Exactly. We need to get after that one as well. Other countries can secure their borders - why can't we?

[Guest hakkamike]

And not all of them are Mexicans.

Later, Michael Perez

[cosmiclobster]

Bush administration continues to crack down on ports of entry -- requiring iron-clad identification,  and completely ignores our walk across borders, or id standards for people currently IN the US.....

 

....nice

 

There are several National Parks that sit at the border of Mexico. The N.P.S. does not have the funds to play border patrol (they go home at night) and the border patrol says they do not patrol the National Parks (N.P.S. jurisdiction). So hundreds of illegal immigrants walk into the USA EVERY DAY.

All new passports have barcodes - my last one didn't.

 

Kim: I agree 100%

[Chinese Wife!!!]

All new passports have barcodes - my last one didn't.

 

Hi Steve,

Not that it matters much but when was it issued? As I said mine from 1994 did.

[Dave G.]

And not all of them are Mexicans.

            Later, Michael Perez

Gee...that kind-of reminds me of an old computer game I once played.

 

Oops...sorry to open any old wounds, Mike.

 

Now, put down the car keys. No need to go to Home Depot.....

 

Oh, those were the days!

[Guest hakkamike]

Damn that was a long time ago hahahahahahaha lol lol

Later, Michael Perez

[Guest hakkamike]

http://www.transience.com.au/el/elgameo.html

 

Ok Dave I'll roof your house.

Later, Michael Perez

[Dave G.]

http://www.transience.com.au/el/elgameo.html

 

Ok Dave I'll roof your house.

      Later, Michael Perez

Something to laugh about now. Then (being very new to AAC), I thought I might need a restraining order....or buy Home Depot stock.