What About Passports And Visas?

The United States operates a Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), available to most British Citizen passport holders travelling on business, pleasure or transit from where they normally reside and who intend to stay in the US for less than 90 days.

Some travellers are not eligible to enter the United States visa free under the VWP.  These include people who have been arrested, even if the arrest did not result in a criminal conviction, those with criminal records, certain serious communicable illnesses, those who have been refused admission into, or have been deported from, the United States, or have previously overstayed on the visa waiver program.  Such travellers must apply for special restricted visas to travel without a visa.  A passport indicating that the bearer is a BRITISH SUBJECT, British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British National (Overseas) Citizen or British Protected Person does not qualify for travel without a visa.  This includes Irish citizens who have a British Subjects passport.

NEW REGULATIONS
From 26 October 2004, all British passport holders, including children, travelling to the USA under the VWP will need their own machine readable passports (MRP).  All British Passports currently issued in the UK, and the vast majority of those issued at British Missions overseas, are machine-readable.  A machine readable passport can generally be identified by the presence of two typeface lines printed at the bottom of the biographical page that can be read by machine.  Machine Readable Passports (i.e. the current type of British passport) issued up to and including 25 October 2005 are valid for visa-free travel to the US until the passport expires. 

BIOMETRIC PASSPORTS
Passports issued after 26 October 2005 (Postponed until Oct 2006) need to contain biometric data.  British travellers with valid machine-readable passports issued before the deadline will be able to travel to the US under the Visa Waiver Programme up to, and beyond, October 2005.
Visa's applications have to be made by personal appointment at the US embassy in London so please allow plenty of time before you travel if you need to obtain a visa.

For further information please call the US Embassy visa information line on 09068-200-290 (24 hour) Calls charged at 60p/min, or for the Operator Assisted Visa Information Service call 09055-444-546 Monday through Friday, between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm, and Saturday, between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm.  Calls are charged at £1.30/min.  The service is not available on British public holidays.  The UK Passport Service is available on 0870 5210410.  Alternately visit the websites at www.usembassy.org.uk or www.ukpa.gov.uk

This information is extracted from information provided by the Embassy of the United States of America and the UK Passport agency.

We endeavour to keep you informed of any changes to passport and visa requirements however all passport, visa, travel insurance and health certificates are your responsibility and Florida Owner Rentals do not accept any responsibility for any delay or expense incurred through loss or any irregularities in your documents.