LIAT e-Passport Advisory

You can identify an e-Passport by the symbol on the front cover of the passport booklet
You can identify an e-Passport by the symbol on the front cover of the passport booklet

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, April 8, 2016 – Effective April 1, 2016, the United States Department of Homeland Security requires that all travellers entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) must have an e-Passport.

This includes travel to the following US territories served by LIAT:
· Puerto Rico
· St. Croix
· St. Thomas

Travellers from the VWP countries who are still in possession of a valid Machine Readable Passport (MRP) will not be permitted to travel to the US after April 1, 2016.

Citizens of the new countries of Curacao, Bonaire, St Eustatius, Saba and St Maarten (the former Netherlands Antilles) are not eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Programme if they are applying for admission with passports from these countries.

Passports issued by Visa Waiver Programme countries on or after October 26, 2006 must be e-Passports, which include an integrated computer chip capable of storing biographic information from the data page as well as biometric information, such as the required digital photograph of the holder. You can identify an e-Passport by the symbol on the front cover of the passport booklet (see the image below).

Full details of the updated requirements can be found at: https://www.dhs.gov/visa-waiver-program-requirements

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18 Comments

  1. Face the Facts
    April 10, 2016

    The US government/immigration know what they are doing. It is obviously a well-thought out plan and decision for good purposes.
    It is worth making a note of even though it does not concern Dominicans.
    Considering the trend, sooner or later the US may come up with another plan/decision for other countries.

  2. kinta
    April 9, 2016

    The Visa Waiver Program permits citizens of participating countries* to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa.

  3. Big mama
    April 9, 2016

    But why is this on the news you just confusing poor Dominicans with something that has nothing to do with them

  4. April 8, 2016

    Soon the chips will be in our body

  5. pasport money
    April 8, 2016

    Is thing are for us

  6. Knowledge is key
    April 8, 2016

    Can you please explain what a visa waiver program is? Some people may not be familiar with the program and may be lost. Add below taken from uscis.gov site

    “The Visa Waiver Program (VWP), administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in consultation with the State Department, permits citizens of 38 countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. In return, those 38 countries must permit U.S. citizens and nationals to travel to their countries for a similar length of time without a visa for business or tourism purposes.”

    List of countries indicated above can be found in link below:
    https://www.dhs.gov/visa-waiver-program-requirements

    Thank you very much.

  7. B.E.B
    April 8, 2016

    I’m from DA and I am at lost, just cant understand this, will some one please redirect me?

    • Leah Remy
      April 8, 2016

      It’s simple.

      Any passport which you currently hold that is machine readable, is no longer valid.

      Instead the U.S. government wants you to get an e-passport (a passport with a chip in it) for them to be able to track your movements all over the world.

      They trying their best with them ISIS fellas, but them fellas always one jump ahead of them.

      Now, just sit back and wait to hear our government order us to throw away our old passports and get a new e-passport with the chip in it.

      • True
        April 8, 2016

        Come on Leah Remy stop spreading false propaganda, Dominica NEVER had any visa waiver, check the countries which were in the program,they now have to apply for the new E passport which I got last year (as a british citizen) I also have a Dominican passport ehich is machine readable but we in DA are not part of the programme. Dominica passports are up to date and very much fool proof.

      • Ideal
        April 8, 2016

        This new system is for ” Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), Dominica is not included as we do need a visa to enter the USA,

    • Dominican
      April 8, 2016

      Don’t worry about it. If you have a passport from Dominica you need to apply for a visa in any case for visits to the U.S.A. or Canada. Makes no difference whether you have an e-passport or not.

      • Dom
        April 8, 2016

        It makes a difference because you passport must be stamped entering the US territory if you have a foreign passport.

    • MUDD
      April 8, 2016

      The Dutch countries don’t need the B1/B2 visa like we do to get to the US territories It’s waiver for them, but the waiver no longer EXIST. They are now required to apply for an e-passport to travel to the US. That’s for the Dutch Countries.

      • Malatete
        April 9, 2016

        Not entirely correct. That on ly applies to those that opted for autonomy like Curacao and St. Maarten for instance. Others, like Saba still have access to the U.S.A. under the visa-waiver scheme.

  8. April 8, 2016

    When America says jump we in the Caribbean don’t ask why we just ask how high. There is not one Caricom country participating in this visa waiver program and we are closer to America than the European and Asian countries that participate. Not one African country is included. But they did not forget to include France and Belgium which are hotbeds of terrorism. It just shows that racism is alive and well within the policy making apparatus of the USA.

    • Titiwi
      April 9, 2016

      There are only 36 countries worldwide, who’s citizens enjoy visa free entry into the U.S.A. under their visa-waiver programme. It has nothing to do with the colour of somebody’s skin, ethnicity or religion for that matter. Japanese and S. Korean citizens can enter the U.S.A. visa free, while people traveling on an Israeli passport can not. Neither can citizens from Poland, Bulgaria or Romania although they may be holders of an EU-passport.
      Truth be told it has far more to do with a real possibility of citizens of certain countries disappearing into the unregulated economy of the U.S.A. and become illegal immigrants.
      Even longstanding members of the British Commonwealth face visa restrictions for entry into the U.K. (and E.U.), India and Pakistan included. It is not uncommon for illegal immigrants from the latter to make the hazardous trek through the Middle East and try and enter the EU from Turkey to Greece for example, in an attempt to reach their final goal, England.

  9. FED UP
    April 8, 2016

    Why so critical? Can’t you just say thank you for the information? SMH!

  10. LuClu
    April 8, 2016

    Ummmm today is the 8th of April….always late SMH

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