The US government has confirmed it is extending its
deadline by a year for European countries to issue biometric
passports, to enable their citizens to visit the country without
needing an expensive visa.
The US had originally set an October deadline for the supposedly
more secure biometric passports to be issued, but most countries
said they wouldn’t meet the deadline. The UK says it won’t be ready
until next year.
The UK government is preparing to issue passports that include
fingerprints and iris scans.
With the US having put back its deadline, UK citizens will
continue to benefit from the existing US visa waiver system, which
allows travellers to visit the country for up to 90 days without a
visa with their passport.
The European Commissioned had lobbied hard against the original
deadline; and signs that the US was having second thoughts surfaced
in the media last week.
The US feared the requirement for biometric passports this year
would have put off business travellers and tourists visiting the
country.