Biometric passports have been endorsed by governments throughout
the world as a factor in the fight against terrorism. Their
implementation is being driven by the
US
.
In 2002, the
US
set a deadline of 26th October
2004, by which time travellers from countries participating in the
Visa Waiver Program were supposed to present a biometric passport
for visa-free travel to the
US
.
The deadline was extended for one year when it became clear that
the 27 states that are eligible for the Program – including the
UK
– would be unable to comply.
EU
countries are still unable to produce the
biometrically enabled passports, and the
US
has been
under pressure to either extend the deadline for another year, or
to come up with some other compromise deal.
According to the Associated Press, this deal has now been
achieved and is likely to be announced by
US
Secretary
of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff in a visit to Europe this
week.
Chertoff is expected to reveal that from 26th October, Visa
Waiver Program travellers need only show passports showing a
digital photograph to gain entry into the
US
.
This complies with the agreed biometric standardisation set by
the International Civil Aviation Organisation in 2003, which
provides that the initial international biometric standard for
passports would be facial mapping, although additional biometrics
such as fingerprinting could be included.
But the Associated Press reports that the US is also likely to
require that embedded chips are included in passports some time
next year, allowing biometric information to be added later.
