So Do We Need Biometric Passports, Then?

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As there are lots of us who travel to the US, I thought it'd be worth bringing this to everyone's attention.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6080384.stm

What I don't understand is - i have a 5 year old machine-readable passport. Will this get me into the US without a visa or not?

Anyway, discuss.

― === temporary username === (Mark C), Thursday, 26 October 2006 08:55 (nineteen years ago)

no -- lock thread.

― benrique (Enrique), Thursday, 26 October 2006 08:57 (nineteen years ago)

I think maybe ILE's not for you any more Henry.

― === temporary username === (Mark C), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:13 (nineteen years ago)

he can't go to America cos they don't let people in who are DEAD INSIDE

― ;_; (blueski), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:15 (nineteen years ago)

I don't need a biometric passport as far as I'm aware

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:16 (nineteen years ago)

I've been neglecting to renew my passport since September last year. I presume you get what you're given when you renew (passport website says "logistically, we can't give you a choice between digital-readable and biometric") which means it's a bit of lottery whether I get one which means the US entry requirements. I guess there's no difference in price given that you don't have a choice in the type of passport you're issued?

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:17 (nineteen years ago)

means = meets

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:18 (nineteen years ago)

The rules from the US department of homeland security

Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended before 10/26/05 – no further requirements

Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended between 10/26/05 and 10/25/06 – digitized photograph on data page or integrated chip with information from the data page

Machine-readable passports issued or renewed/extended on or after 10/26/06 – integrated chip with information from the data page (e-passport)

Which confuses me slightly as I renewed my passport in February this year and I don't believe I have a digitised photo on my data page but have been into the US twice since then without any problems.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:24 (nineteen years ago)

So Do We Need Our House Keys, Then?

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:25 (nineteen years ago)

oh i should have clicked mark's link i guess. in general, i would say not, but it looks like it's out of the uk electorate's hands (though the gov hearts any amount of costly security bullshit so it would happen anyway).

― benrique (Enrique), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:26 (nineteen years ago)

OK, I now understand what they mean by digitised photo (BBC explains it as printed not glued)

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:28 (nineteen years ago)

this is all a bit confusing, i maybe going to the states in december. i got my passport issued BEFORE october last year, and its machine readable. so i don't have to do anything extra, according to that website?

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:29 (nineteen years ago)

If you get a biometric passport, don't forget to wrap it in tin foil

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:30 (nineteen years ago)

Which I think means I should've got my passport renewed at the time it expired and I wouldn't have any problems. When I renew now, it'll have to be a chipped one, and there's no guarantee I'll be issued with that variety. But I have relatives/friends in the US, goddammit!

Ste: I think you're OK until your current passport expires.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:33 (nineteen years ago)

thanks Michael!

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:35 (nineteen years ago)

It's weird that they can garner all the relevant (facial) biometric data from your photo - it's like CSI. I imagined undergoing Andromeda Strain-type vetting. The EU supposedly want fingerprints on passports by 2009 so that might complicate things a bit.

I'm wondering now whether to wait a few months until UKPS have switched over entirely to biometric so I definitely get one valid for visa-less US entry. But not wait so long that the price goes up...

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:41 (nineteen years ago)

'But the systems have not been programmed to understand that little girls are more likely to smile in photographs than plant bombs on aeroplanes.'

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:47 (nineteen years ago)

The UKPA has already gone all biometric (completed at the end of august) according to their site and the fees went up on October 5th to £66.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:48 (nineteen years ago)

I'm about to get my new passport which is going to be totally biometric and now the New World Order SuperComputer (stored in The Vatican, natch) has my face so it can trace me down during the end times.

So said the wacky fundamentalist tract I read the other day!

― The Real Esteban Buttez (EstieButtez1), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:54 (nineteen years ago)

Also on the UKPA website was the information that you aussies get charged up the wazoo for your passport compared to in the UK.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:56 (nineteen years ago)

What were the fees before 5/10? Do I even want to know?

(I must have been reading old info on the UKPS site - seemed to suggest biometrics were not available across the board yet).

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 26 October 2006 09:58 (nineteen years ago)

The UKPA site seems to be rubbish (it was £51 before)

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 10:02 (nineteen years ago)

(xpost)

I got charged $190 Aussie dollars for it. I hope I don't need it next week (which I might for visa purposes) because I wasn't going to pay another fucking $70 for express processing.

― The Real Esteban Buttez (EstieButtez1), Thursday, 26 October 2006 10:05 (nineteen years ago)

(190 Aussie Dollar-a-doos being about 77 quid)

― The Real Esteban Buttez (EstieButtez1), Thursday, 26 October 2006 10:06 (nineteen years ago)

Wah-hey!

I needed a decent reason to never to have to go to the US again, and this is perfect.

― Going Through The Motions (kate), Thursday, 26 October 2006 10:08 (nineteen years ago)

My mistake, it's the sheepfuxors that get scalped.

I needed a decent reason to never to have to go to the US again, and this is perfect

Within he next few years it will be a reason not to go anywhere outside these shores. However don't worry your non-compulsory but just you try and use any government services without one biometric ID card will be yours by then.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 10:19 (nineteen years ago)

...but what are they metricking on these biopassports? I already have mine ears and mine fingerprints on a massive US security database through having a Green Card.

Surely I don't need a biometric passport if I have a Green Card?

(though don't tell my mum this. last time I tried to get into the US they held me for ages at immigration because I couldn't remember "my" US address.)

― Going Through The Motions (kate), Thursday, 26 October 2006 10:23 (nineteen years ago)

...but what are they metricking on these biopassports

They measure facial features and assess eye colour and store that info on a chip. Then they look up which celebrities you most closely resemble.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 26 October 2006 10:27 (nineteen years ago)

My eye colour changes with what I'm wearing!

Not very smart, that one. Much better to go with ears.

― Going Through The Motions (kate), Thursday, 26 October 2006 10:30 (nineteen years ago)

They seem to be doing digital phrenology on us all.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 10:32 (nineteen years ago)

what does biometric mean?

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 26 October 2006 11:45 (nineteen years ago)

sounds a bit of an arcane system

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 26 October 2006 11:45 (nineteen years ago)

actually i mean archaic

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 26 October 2006 11:46 (nineteen years ago)

Then they look up which celebrities you most closely resemble.

Or TERRISTS (tho i guess they count as celebrities now)

― ;_; (blueski), Thursday, 26 October 2006 11:46 (nineteen years ago)

Considering the success rate of those "celebs you resemble" programmes, I fully expect to be arrested at airports for being Carlos the Jackel on a frequent basis. Sigh.

― Going Through The Motions (kate), Thursday, 26 October 2006 11:48 (nineteen years ago)

the last few times ive been through US customs without a biometric passport they took my photograph and fingerprinted me. I guess if this stuff is on a passport its an easier ride through.

― sunny successor (katharine), Thursday, 26 October 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

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