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Britons visiting America will now have to register 72 hours in advance UK
Daily Mail British visitors to the United States will have to register their trip with the American government 72 hours before they leave, it will be announced today. The new plans - the latest in a series of measures designed to strengthen security - will see all travellers from countries which do not currently require a visa forced to register online three days before flying. The scheme is expected to be announced today by Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff, to take effect from January. It will apply to citizens of the 27 visa waiver programme countries which include most of western Europe, Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore. The US has also signed agreements with eight other countries including the Czech Republic, Hungary and South Korea which will put them on track to join the visa waiver programme. Last year many European countries expressed concern about the idea of registering before travel. The initial proposal was that passengers should register 48 hours in advance and many large European companies, including several in the UK, claimed the move would prevent deal-clinching, last-minute flights for business. Now US officials say they want people to register even further in advance-
but with the concession that once a traveller has registered under the
new rules for the first time, it will be valid for multiple entries over
two years.
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