New Visa Rules for Brits to US

Tom Ridge, the former secretary of homeland security, warned last week that America needed to make visitors feel like guests, not security threats.

AMERICA is planning tough curbs on British travellers, requiring them to register travel plans online 48 hours before flying.

In an attempt to stop terrorists entering the country, the US Department of Homeland Security wants all business and holiday travellers to give advance notice of where they are going.

But the plans drew a stiff warning from the Foreign Office and travel agents this weekend that further disruption to transatlantic travellers could cause “economic damage”.

About 4m Britons fly to America each year. The measure, which is yet to be approved by Congress, would apply to Britain and 26 other countries, mostly European, whose citizens are allowed to travel to America for up to 90 days without a visa under the visa waiver programme.

Russ Knocke, the department’s spokesman, said earlier information on travellers should mean fewer flights were delayed for security reasons.

The move is the latest bid by US counter-terrorism chiefs to make America a more difficult target for Al-Qaeda.

Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, said in an interview earlier this month that visitors who enter the US under the visa waiver programme should register online and fill in a questionnaire.

“We want to increase our security standard by introducing electronic travel approval,” he said.

Chertoff said Islamist terrorists travelling with European passports presented a threat to America that needed to be addressed. “When we identify areas where we are vulnerable, it becomes obvious that Europeans travelling without visas belong to these areas,” Chertoff said.

Travellers to America are already subject to photograph and fingerprint checks, causing long queues on arrival.

Two years ago, the US introduced advance passenger information, which requires airlines to provide the name, nationality, date of birth, passport number and address of all passengers.

The Foreign Office warned yesterday that new measures could cause problems. “We work closely with America, with whom we share counter-terrorism and aviation security goals, to ensure that any new measures are introduced with a minimum of disruption and maximum safety,” it said.

“The US are aware of our views that changes to the visa waiver programme could cause economic damage to both our countries without materially enhancing the security controls.

“The visa waiver programme is certainly not a loophole, given the close cooperation between our security agencies.”

Sean Tipton of the Association of British Travel Agents said, if implemented, the proposal could act as a deterrent to many British holiday-makers.

“They [the US government] must be aware there is a growing feeling that getting into America is becoming more difficult. It will disincline people travelling if they feel there is yet another hurdle.”

18 June 2007