Visiting the US - Fingerprinting etc?
Discussion
Has anyone been to the US since October last year, and entered using the Visa Waiver program?
I was there at the end of September and wasn't fingerprinted or retina scanned, but Im sure I read that it's all changed now - they fingerprint everyone going in, regardless of type of visa/visa-waiver that you have?
Couldn't see any info on US gov websites.
Yep - went to NY in November. Digital prints and a photo - all very fast and efficient. No problems at all because they had a lot of counters open - we went through immigration much faster than used to be the case.
As I recall it was a simple photo & prints rather than a retinal scan - have they changed again?
As I recall it was a simple photo & prints rather than a retinal scan - have they changed again?
miniman said:
And the catch is, I believe, that the UK are no longer issuing machine-readable passports that are acceptable to the US. So if you don't have one now, you WILL need a Visa in the future.
i'm not sure thats true. non machine readable passports were the pre95 passports that are all nearly out of date when the US changed their rules. the advisory was that if you had a pre95 (or whatever year it was) was to get it replaced so you didn't get hassled at US Immigration.
that said the US authorities didn't enforce machine readable passoports until long after the deadline.
Pulsatingstar said:
I went to NY in jan and had to have finger prints and retina scan.
I was right near the front of the queue, which was lucky as I overheard them talking and moaning it was going to take a long time as they didnt have enough people on that day.
Does anyone know how a retina scan works with contact lenses?
miniman said:
I was fingerprinted on a Visa Waiver entry recently, both on the way in AND on the way out. And they tell you that you MUST hang on to the exit "receipt" and present it upon your next entry into the US.
the Green card you have must be handed in as you leave the US. you must not keep hold of it when leaving.
i found this out last year as no one had taken the green card out of my passport, so on my return i got accused by a US Entry person of "holding on to it". he whipped it out of my passport and told me "not to do it again".
anyone else on the face of the planet i would of had a go at - and told them not be so stupid that i was that atteched to some precious piece of green card in my passport.
but considering he was wearing gloves i decided not to.
vetteheadracer said:
Was in San Francisco (no butt jokes please) in October and we had the photo and finger print thing. SF is a great place to enter the US IMHO no queues! 
There were queues when I went on Boxing Day, until all the Yanks went through and they opened up the US citizen counters anyway!
Green card - they stapled mine to my passprt and took it out when I checked in the day I left, so no probelms there. One tip though - take a pen with you on the flight over so you can fill in the form en route (or stuck on Heathrow runway in my case)
Contact lenses - they ask everyone to take off their glasses for the retina scan, don't know about contacts.
GingerNinja said:Although I'd not be going any time soon, I'm joining you in that sense. Decided back when they decided you needed a visa before entering the country - you had to go to the London embassy IIRC.
Thanks everyone - as they do fingerprint, I shan't be going to the US anytime soon. Nothing sinister, I just object to giving them that kind of info.....
...and my paranoid side tells me the US government will be sharing that kind of data with the UK.
No desire to go to America either way.
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff