US Introduces New Entry Requirements

Starting Thursday, all foreign visitors arriving at US airports and some seaports will undergo biometric data processing in the latest step to improve national security. Digital fingerprints from two digits will be taken along with a digital photograph and regular passport data which will then be cross-referenced against existing "no-fly" lists and crime databases.

Visitors requiring visas have been checked since January using the new US-VISIT system, but now some of Washington's closest US allies including Britain, the rest of the European Union, Australia and Japan will have to undergo the process. A total of 27 countries fall under the system's guidelines.

Previously, travelers from these countries only needed a valid passport to be allowed a maximum stay of 90 days in the United States. Now, they must have their fingerprints taken and iris scanned to achieve the same. In addition, from October 26, travelers from these countries which take part in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), will also be required to show an electronically readable passport or a visa for entry into the United States.

Aim is to encourage travel from Europe

"The US is committed to keeping our doors open to visitors," said Asa Hutchinson, the US Department of Homeland Security's deputy secretary for border and transportation security, in a statement on Wednesday. "We want to increase, and not to diminish, travel from Europe to the United States."

"The most important factor is that somebody can come from Finland or Germany to the USA and feel that we have done everything conceivably possible to make sure their stay is a secure one."

Delays not expected

Hutchinson added that travelers, 13 million of which pass through the United States every year, would not be inconvenienced by the process which he claimed added less than 15 seconds to each customs check and had so far led to the discovery of more than 280 suspected criminals or illegal immigrants attempting to enter the United States.

"We are finding the right balance to ensure that people feel safe and welcome as they travel to and within the United States," he said.

Skeptical visitors

Visitors are skeptical. "Who knows what the people will do with the information they receive," said one British traveler awaiting a flight to the United States. "I believe that is the big worry everyone has. It is a kind of Big Brother state."

"I believe we will have to live with the Big Brother syndrome," another added. "The people observe you and know personal things about you. But I fear that it will not stop there."

Tourism industry admits concern

The US tourism industry is also concerned as to what effect the new measures may have. At a time in which the tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Ed Fluhr, from the Travel Industry Association in Washington, is worried that the biometric regulations will have prove detrimental to business.

"Our biggest worry is that this security program aggravates the general view that international visitors are not welcome in the USA. Therefore, we will observe these and other measures by the department of homeland security very closely and watch to see if they function properly and the reasons for them are fully understood abroad," says Fluhr.

Security problems highlighted

The US-VISIT system is part of a massive $5.3 billion (€4.29 billion) security budget, 90 percent of which has been spent on increasing airport security. It comes at a time when investigations reveal "gaping holes" in rail, subway, truck and port security, as well as nuclear power plants, immigration and cyber-security. A domestic security report released this month also showed that in some cases airport security guards performed worse now than before the September 11 attacks.