The State Department today announced that the President signed H.R.
4417 to extend by one year, the requirement for Visa Waiver Program
(VWP) countries to include biometrics in passports.
The State Department announced that "The
requirement for Visa Waiver travelers to have biometrics included in
passports was mandated in the Enhanced Border Security and Visa
Entry Reform Act of 2002. The passage of H.R. 4417 and the signing
by the President extends for one year, to October 26, 2005, the
deadline by which new passports issued must be biometrically
enabled. This extension was necessary to avoid potential disruption
of international travel and provide the international community
adequate time to develop viable programs for producing a more
secure, biometrically enabled passport." The State Department added
that on and after October 26, 2004, "all passports used for travel
in the Visa Waiver Program must be machine-readable."
The State Department announcement also stated
that "To mitigate security concerns related to this extension, the
Department of Homeland Security will begin enrolling Visa Waiver
Program travelers through the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status
Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program at all airports and seaports
on or about September 30, 2004."
