The decision to extend the deadline was formally announced by Michael Chertoff, chief of the US Department of Homeland Security, on 15 June 2005. Permission for EU member state citizens to enter the US without a visa under the visa waiver programme will now continue until 26 October 2006.
However, the extension only applies to full biometric details ie fingerprint/iris data. Machine-readable digital photographs will still be required from October 26 2005. This raises a question on the position of France and Italy, the only EU states which do not currently meet this requirement as they still use laminated photographs only. However, Chertoff stated that valid passports issued before October 2006 would still be accepted as long as they were machine-readable.
The concession, thought to be the result of heavy lobbying from the US tourist industry, is a big turnaround for the US government which had already given the EU a year’s grace and had been standing firm for the deadline of 26 October 2005.
