MrDub

I curently have an old british passport. From the 1st of october all passports have to be 'electronic passports' to travel to the US. Also I see there is a requirement that when getting a US K1 visa that the passport is valid for at least 6 months past the date the visa is stamped on the passport.

So question 1: Do I need to apply for a new passport, i.e. will the K1 visa need to be printed on an electonic passport.

question 2: how long does it take to apply for a new British passport ??

question 3: can the visa be stamped on a brand new passport, i.e. is there any requirement that the apssport is say 6 months old ??

MarDae

question 3: can the visa be stamped on a brand new passport, i.e. is there any requirement that the apssport is say 6 months old ?? [/QUOTE]


This is the only question I can give you an answer for. My fiance was required to get a new passport because the spelling of his middle name was wrong on his passport. His new passport was only a few days old when the K-1 visa was issued and put into it. They had no problem with that what so ever. Plus now his Irish passport is good for another 10 years and he doesn't have to worry about renewing while he's in the US or having his I-551 stamp (won't be getting that for quite some time) in an expired passport.

Hope this helps a little.

MarDae

katesuiter1

What's the difference between the two passports? I recently got a new one in my married name and it was after Oct 1st. Some bits are formatted differently, and the photo has a kind of green sheen on it, but I just thought they'd botched it up a bit!

Kate. xxxx

Bluegrass Lass

These new ones are different in that they are machine-readable (have a bar code that can be scanned). But there's potentially going to be yet more changes required for incoming people from VW countries. There's talks that, if you obtain a passport on/after Oct. 2004, you will need a visa to enter the US (not enter under VWP). They also want all passports to start including biometric information - not sure if/when this will be implemented. I think this is all still being hashed out so I don't know much about it yet.

Jamie

katesuiter1

I didn't see bar code on mine. Are we talking about Oct 2003 or Oct 2004 for the new ones? I remember catching the last part of a news report and heard about the VWP, but I missed the bit about the passports.

Kate. xxxxxxxx

sibsie

From 26th October the new machine readable passports are meant to come into effect. They will have biometric details imbedded which are your fingerprints and photos. The UK won't be set up for this system til the following summer. Hence all travellers with a passport issued AFTER 26th Oct will require a visa to enter the US.

The UK is in talks with the US to get the deadline extended.

lins77

I don't think it needs to have an actual barcode to be machine readable - I think its all those >P>>> type things at the bottom of the page.

For years I've seen them swipe my passport through a machine at immigration and I think that's all it is.

The Biometric thing is something else but its not been introduced yet I don't think.

Lindsey

curlylocks

http://travel.state.gov/vwp.html

this is the site with all the info.....

MrsLondon

British passports have been machine readable for years. My last passport started in 1992 and it was.

Roland Perry

In message <[email protected]>, MrDub
<member16345@british_expats.com> writes
    >I curently have an old british passport. From the 1st of october all
    >passports have to be 'electronic passports' to travel to the US.

It's the 26th October, and the requirement is for the passport to be
"machine readable". That's two rows of type, with lots of "<" in, at the
bottom of the page with your photo on. Unless your passport was issued
at an overseas consulate it's probably already that type.

    >So question 1: Do I need to apply for a new passport, i.e. will the K1
    >visa need to be printed on an electonic passport.

See above.

    >question 2: how long does it take to apply for a new British passport ??

I think you can get one same day if you pay "rush" fees.

http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/_3_urgent/3_48hrs.asp

Normally, by post it's 2 weeks if you apply via a Post office, 3 weeks
if you apply direct to the passport office.

http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/_3_urgent/3_2weeks.asp

    >question 3: can the visa be stamped on a brand new passport, i.e. is
    >there any requirement that the apssport is say 6 months old ??

Don't know for sure, but it wouldn't fit the usual scheme of things to
prohibit this.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry

In message <[email protected]>, sunflwrgrl13
<member16206@british_expats.com> writes
    >There's
    >talks that, if you obtain a passport on/after Oct. 2004, you will need a
    >visa to enter the US (not enter under VWP).

After 26th October, yes.

    >They also want all passports
    >to start including biometric information - not sure if/when this will be
    >implemented.

On October 26th (!!!!!) The inability to use VWP after that date is the
US's way of saying "GET A BIOMETRIC PASSPORT", except the UK won't be
issuing them until mid 2005, allegedly.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry

In message <[email protected]>, katesuiter1
<member6776@british_expats.com> writes

    >I didn't see bar code on mine.

It's not a barcode, it's "typewriter" letters, and "<" fillers, at the
bottom of the photo page.

    >Are we talking about Oct 2003 or Oct 2004
    >for the new ones?

26th Oct 2004.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry

In message <[email protected]>, MrsLondon
<member8908@british_expats.com> writes
    >British passports have been machine readable for years.

If issued in the UK. Apparently there are several outposts of the
ex-empire (and elsewhere) that have been using up their old blue
passports until quite recently.
--
Roland Perry

Squire

In article <[email protected]>, sibsie <member17406@b
ritish_expats.com> writes
    >From 26th October the new machine readable passports are meant to come
    >into effect. They will have biometric details imbedded which are your
    >fingerprints and photos. The UK won't be set up for this system til the
    >following summer. Hence all travellers with a passport issued AFTER
    >26th Oct will require a visa to enter the US.
    >The UK is in talks with the US to get the deadline extended.

With a particularly strong argument that USA passports aren't expected
to contain such biometric details until 2006


--
squire
Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others. (Groucho)

Jaj

There are some red British passports out there that are not machine
readable too.

Jeremy

>Roland Perry wrote:
    > In message <[email protected]>, MrsLondon
    > <member8908@british_expats.com> writes
    >
    >> British passports have been machine readable for years.
    >
    >
    > If issued in the UK. Apparently there are several outposts of the
    > ex-empire (and elsewhere) that have been using up their old blue
    > passports until quite recently.