Subject: IMPORTANT Information regarding visitors to the USA

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 09:38:39 -0400

The following article has been brought to our attention regarding 
rules that have now been put in place by the USA.

If you have any concerns, please check DIRECTLY with your Country's 
government agency to see if this may apply to you, BEFORE YOU TRAVEL 
TO WASHINGTON, DC.

"New Passport Rule for Incoming Int'l Attendees Begins"

"As of Monday, October 25, visitors entering the United States under 
the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) must have machine-readable passports, 
or the traveler must apply for a visa to enter the country, the 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said. But immigration officers 
will offer non-compliant travelers from 22 VWP countries a one-time 
exemption from the requirement and admit them to the United States, 
DHS added. Border officers will make note of the exemption on the 
passport and inform the travelers of their need for the updated 
passport or a visa. On subsequent visits, if travelers do not have 
a machine-readable passport or a visa, they could be refused entry.

"These interim procedures will allow U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection officers to effectively enforce the law and exercise 
discretion when appropriate," said DHS official Asa Hutchinson. 
"These are prudent steps to ease travelers into these new 
documentation requirements." The 22 countries are: Austria, 
Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, 
Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, 
Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, 
Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

On the other hand, "We have concerns about some European countries 
which have not been issuing machine-readable passports for very long 
and the impact it may have on those customers who fly to America 
from mainland Europe via London," says Jim Forster, British Airways' 
government and industry affairs manager."

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