VISA WAIVER PROGRAM

Passport Requirements

All visa-free travelers, including children, who wish to enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) require individual machine-readable passports (MRP).

If the passport was issued or renewed/extended between October 26, 2005, and October 25, 2006, then the passport must also contain a digital photograph.

If the passport was issued or renewed/extended on or after October 26, 2006, then the passport must also include an integrated circuit chip capable of storing the biographic information from the data page, a digitized photograph, and other biometric information. To see an example of such a passport, please click here.

All unexpired Slovene passports with red covers are valid for VWP travel to the USA.

Temporary, emergency, official, and diplomatic passports are exempted from digital photograph and electronic chip requirements, but must be machine-readable. Please note one exception to this exemption: German temporary and emergency passports are not valid for VWP travel, and must contain a visa for admission to the United States.

How do I know if I have a machine-readable passport?

Machine-readable passports allow data in the passport to be scanned automatically by a machine. There are two lines of letters, numbers and ’>>>>’s printed at the bottom of the personal information page, that is, the page with photograph and personal details. If you are in any doubt as to whether or not your passport is machine-readable, you should check with the passport issuing authority of your country. To see an example of such a passport, please click here.

How do I know if my passport contains a digital photograph?

The majority of VWP countries already issue passports with a digital photograph integrated into the data page. Visitors can tell whether their passport meets these requirements if it contains a digital photograph that is printed on the page, not glued or laminated into the document. To see an example of such a passport, please click here.

What if my passport is not machine-readable or does not have a digital photo?

If you do not have a machine-readable passport, then you will be required to apply for either a B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourist) visa. Alternatively, if you wish to continue traveling visa-free under the VWP, then you will be required to obtain a new passport which is machine-readable.

If you are a national of a country that does not issue passports with digital photographs, and if your passport was issued or renewed/extended on or after October 26, 2005, then you will be required to apply for either a B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourist) visa. If your unexpired passport was issued before that date, then the digital photograph requirement does NOT apply to you.

Do I require a biometric passport to travel to the United States?

It depends upon the date that your current passport was issued or renewed/extended.

If your unexpired machine-readable passport was issued or renewed/extended before October 26, 2005, then you do not require a biometric passport.

If your unexpired machine-readable passport was issued or renewed/extended between October 26, 2005 and October 25, 2006, then the passport must contain a digital photograph of you on the data page.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has deteremined that, for passports issued or renewed/extended during this period, this biometric feature is sufficient for VWP travel.

If your unexpired machine-readable passport was issued or renewed/extended on or after October 26, 2006, then the passport must also contain an integrated circuit chip that is capable of storing the biographic information from the data page, a digitized photograph of the passport bearer, and other biometric information.

What is an E-passport or Smart passport?

It is a biometric passport which is capable of storing the biographic information from the data page, a digitized photograph and other biometric information. Passports issued on or after October 26, 2006 must meet this standard.