US Passport Requirements

Changes to passport requirements for entry to the US

Just as a further reminder to our previous correspondence - from today everyone travelling to the US needs a "machine readable passport" or a visa. Below is a copy of a machine readable passport to make identification easy.

To summarise the main people that this will affect are children travelling on their parents passports who now need their own passport or in some cases people who have had a British passport issued abroad (may be because they have lost it while travelling) may not have been issued with a machine readable passport.

Here is a link to the US Embassy site www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web/visa/niv/vwp.htm and the UK Passport Office http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/news/news.asp?intElement=808  both of these sites contain full details.

Hopefully travellers and bookers will have seen the notes on our confirmations and itineraries as we have been sending them out over the last few months with reminders on them. If anyone does have a problem or would like some further advice on this please do not hesitate to contact me directly as I know a fair bit about this having been on the BBC radio this morning discussing this, or contact your CT Business Travel Account Executive who will be happy to help with any aspect of this or travel in general.

The requirement is due to change again at the same sort of time next year where the proposed changes will mean the traveller will need to be in possession of a biometrics passport - as full details emerge of this we will keep all of our account customers informed of these changes