New British Passport

Gordon

Has anyone applied for the new biometric UK passport yet? I'm going to do this soon.

link to the British Embassy Passport section.

I understand that with the new Passport you are included in the US Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) which means that a British citizen with the biometric passport doesn't need a Visa. Has anyone gone through this procedure?

And those that have new passports - what's the deal with the digital picture? Is it easy to obtain a picture from a shop - or can you simply take a photo with your digital camera and use that and print it? I can't quite understand the embassy websites explanation of it.

Thanks

Gordon

Actually this may be better off in Travel/Holidays.

lasno

I dont need one, I have an Irish biometric passport

BuffyBot

I understand that with the new Passport you are included in the US Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) which means that a British citizen with the biometric passport doesn't need a Visa. Has anyone gone through this procedure?

Even current passports count. It's the country that's part of the VWP, not the passport type as such. Once it's machine readable (i.e. with a rear page that has all the details like this:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SMITH>>>>J etc, it should be fine. Unless it's a very, very old passport or one which has been issued in an emergency by an embassy, it should be machine readable. The UK have had machine readable passports for years.

There isn't a procedure as such. Pre-flight, you'll fill in some details via your airlines website/check-in. On your flight you'll be asked to fill in an immigration form. You arrive in the US, hand in the form, get asked a few questions and get a stamp and the exit portion of the form attached to the passport and you enter the USA. That's roughly it

kleefarr

Gordon wrote:

Has anyone applied for the new biometric UK passport yet? I'm going to do this soon.

link to the British Embassy Passport section.

I understand that with the new Passport you are included in the US Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) which means that a British citizen with the biometric passport doesn't need a Visa. Has anyone gone through this procedure?

And those that have new passports - what's the deal with the digital picture? Is it easy to obtain a picture from a shop - or can you simply take a photo with your digital camera and use that and print it? I can't quite understand the embassy websites explanation of it.

Thanks

The passport equipment in the passport office changed recently.
A couple of years ago I took my two sons passport photographs on my digital camera and both were ok, passports issued. My wife had to apply for a new passport last year and I took the photo for that. Sent it off and we got a phone call saying it was no good, as the new equipment could no longer read many digital camera photos. They also said that a lot of the photo booths that you get in shopping malls etc aren't any good either. So we had to go to a local chemist that apparently had the lastest and only suitable digital camera that would provide a suitable picture. It was only €2.50 but was a pain having to find the only place within 5 miles that did it. :mad:

This was in Ireland though, not sure if it would be the same if your sending you photos to UK or the UK Embassy?

Gordon

Cool, thanks very much for the info lads.

I'm hoping my digital camera will be ok