Announcements
Key Date for Visa Waiver Program Travelers
Present U.S. law requires that Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travelers present a machine-readable passport (MRP) or obtain a nonimmigrant visa to enter the United States. To facilitate travel, the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection Bureau had given officials at ports of entry discretionary authority to grant one-time exemptions on a case-by-case basis to VWP travelers without a visa or MRP.
This exemption policy will end and full enforcement of machine-readable passport requirements will begin on June 26, 2005. As of June 26, VWP travelers without MRPs (or a valid visa) may be denied entry to the United States.
All VWP travelers should obtain machine-readable passports (or visas) prior to travel to the United States. An example of a machine-readable passport as well as additional VWP information can be found at http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html#4.