Senior U.S. officials urged lawmakers Tuesday to further delay the October deadline for 27 U.S. allies to introduce machine-readable passports with a computer chip containing a digital photograph.
Top officials of the Homeland Security and State departments called on Congress to approve a two-year delay in the deadline for the measure, one of the steps being taken after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to keep tighter control on those entering the country.
The House approved a one-year extension Monday, and the Senate is already considering legislation that would grant a two-year extension.
The officials said a one-year extension would not give the countries enough time to meet a U.S. requirement of adding computer chips containing a digital photograph into machine-readable passports.
“We have been told by almost all of the countries that they cannot get it done within a year,” said Maura Harty, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs. “Failure to extend the deadline [by two years] will have some serious consequences.”
Huge cost, hassle predicted
Under current law, 27 “visa waiver” nations — those whose citizens can enter the United States without visas for short visits — have until Oct. 26 to issue machine-readable passports embedded with the computer chip.
The departments of State and Homeland Security have requested an extension until Nov. 30, 2006, to ensure complete compliance.
Without an extension, people from the visa waiver nations who do not have the new passports by Oct. 26 would be required to get visas to enter the United States. Visa waiver nations include close U.S. allies like Britain, France and Japan.
Officials say that would add millions of new visa seekers to the overburdened system and could anger visitors. The travel industry says the deadline is unrealistic and could cost billions of dollars in lost tourist revenue.
A one-year extension would not be enough time to properly test the technology and then produce the new passports, Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson said.
“Probably the greatest concern would be that some countries might move forward because of that deadline with technology that has not been sufficiently tested, that would not be in line with the international protocols that would wind up having something out of sync,” he said.
