August 10, 2004 - The State Department today announced that the President signed H.R. 4417 to extend by one year, the requirement for Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries to include biometrics in passports.

According to the State Department, "The requirement for Visa Waiver travelers to have biometrics included in passports was mandated in the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002. The passage of H.R. 4417 and the signing by the President extends for one year, to October 26, 2005, the deadline by which new passports issued must be biometrically enabled. This extension was necessary to avoid potential disruption of international travel and provide the international community adequate time to develop viable programs for producing a more secure, biometrically enabled passport." The State Department added that on and after October 26, 2004, "all passports used for travel in the Visa Waiver Program must be machine-readable."

The State Department announcement also stated that "To mitigate security concerns related to this extension, the Department of Homeland Security will begin enrolling Visa Waiver Program travelers through the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program at all airports and seaports on or about September 30, 2004."

State Department Announcement: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/35066.htm