New security regulations for visitors to US
New security regulations for visitors to US
Holidaymakers travelling to the United States will soon need to comply with new security regulations, even if they don't need a visa to enter the country. Travel Daily reveals that the new system will begin to come into effect this year.
Plans for the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) were announced yesterday by homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff and will require visitors to the
US to register their details with the US government online at least three days prior to travel. The aim of the new regulations is, according to Chertoff, to allow the US to screen travellers before they even get to the airport.
When ESTA comes into play later this year, visitors from the 27 countries currently included in the US Visa Waiver Programme will be required to complete the online registration, which will be valid for two years. Nevertheless, details of travel plans will need to updated for each additional trip taken after the initial registration.
Visitors from many western
European countries will be affected by the new rules, as well as those from
Australia,
New Zealand and Japan, amongst others. A further eight nations, including the
Czech Republic and
Hungary are expected to sign up for the waiver programme this year.
The US Department of Homeland Security will start to take voluntary ESTA applications from August 1st and it will become mandatory for visa-free travel by January 12th 2009.
This story was brought to you by holiday
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4 June 2008
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