TIA Position Papers - Biometric Passports

Swift action by TIA and other groups in the U.S. travel and tourism industry has averted a potential disaster in international visitation. Congress and the Administration have passed and signed in to law an one-year extension concerning the use of biometric identifiers in passports. Countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) now have until October 26, 2005, to begin issuing new, state-of-the-art passports that use a biometric element to verify the identity of the traveler. The Visa Waiver Program allows travelers from 27 countries to visit the U.S. for less than 90 days carrying only a valid passport.

The biometric passport is a new concept not currently in use in any Visa Waiver Program country or in the United States. A biometric identifier is an electronic scan of a physical feature, such as an eye, hand, fingerprint, or face. Biometrics are just now being incorporated into U.S.-issued visas and will, sometime in the future, be used in passports issued by the U.S. and VWP countries. Use of a biometric identifier allows an immigration inspector to know for certain that the person appearing before them is the same person to whom a passport or visa was issued.

During Congressional hearings, it became clear that none of the VWP countries would be able to start issuing the new biometric passports by 2004 deadline. The requirement affects those travelers who need to renew their passports shortly after the deadline - they must have a biometric passport if they wish to enter under the terms of the VWP (visa-free travel). With none of the 27 countries able to produce and distribute biometric passports, as many as 5 million VWP travelers would have been impacted.

TIA supports the use of biometrics in travel documents. The increased certainty with which inspectors can review travelers will both increase security and the efficiency by which travelers are processed into the country. However, TIA also believes any deadline must allow sufficient time for the phase in of new documents.

The Administration recognized the value of international travel to the U.S. and formally requested a two-year extension of this deadline. TIA supported this request and worked with the Administration and Congress to extend the deadline. The House passed legislation on June 14 and the Senate on July 22 to extend the deadline by one year. The President signed the bill (H.R. 4417) into law on August 9.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also announced that starting September 30, 2004, all Visa Waiver Program travelers will be enrolled in the US-VISIT system (entry-exit) upon arrival in the U.S. DHS took this action in an effort to respond to congressional concerns about perceived weaknesses in border security.

TIA will closely follow the progress of the U.S. and VWP countries in developing and distributing biometric passports. TIA anticipates that most VWP countries will not be ready by the 2005 deadline and that a second, one-year extension will be necessary.