Foreign and Commonwealth Office Notes on Travel in the USA

These travel notes have been edited down from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office website www.fco.gov.uk, where the full story may be read

Edited by Barry and Margaret Williamson

September 2005

Crime

You should use common sense and bear in mind the following: If staying in a hotel, do not leave your door open at any time. Avoid wearing expensive jewellery and carrying valuable items in run down areas. Do not sleep in your car on the roadside or in rest areas. Avoid leaving luggage on display in cars. Try to stay on main roads and use well-lit car parks. If hit from behind while driving, indicate to the other driver to follow you to a public place and call for Police help.

Road Safety

Learn US traffic laws before coming to the country. Speed and drink driving limits are lower than in the UK. An international driving licence is recommended. UK driving licences are required for each driver on a fly-drive holiday. If you have a photocard licence remember to bring the green 'paper' section. Insurance cover with the rental company should cover the occupants of your vehicle and any third party claims including personal injury. Ask for directions from the rental company.  It is worthwhile buying a detailed road atlas of the areas through which you are travelling. Find out the prevailing weather conditions before embarking on a long journey, e.g. in mountainous and isolated areas where there is increased likelihood of snowfall, or in dry desert areas where you may need extra water and petrol stations could be scarcer than usual.

Local Laws And Customs

Do not make flippant remarks about bombs or terrorism, especially when passing through US airports. Laws vary from state to state, including speed limits and the age of consent. So does the age at which you may legally buy and consume alcohol, but this is usually 21 years. The plant Khat (or Qat) is an illegal narcotic in the US. You will be arrested and detained with the possibility of a prison sentence if you are caught trying to take Khat into the US. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has added all lighters to its 'Prohibited Items List'. This list gives details of items prohibited on inbound and outbound flights to the USA. Further information can be found on the TSA website: www.tsa.gov. This ban was enforced on 14 April 2005. If you get into any difficulties with US Authorities, you should explain to them that you are a British national and ask to speak to a UK consular officer.

Entry Requirements

Most British Citizen passport holders do not need a visa to visit the US on business, pleasure or in transit if they intend to stay in the US for less than 90 days and as long as they have a Machine Readable Passport. This is called the Visa Waiver Programme, and more information on this is available on the US Embassy website. The requirement to have a machine readable passport was introduced on 26 October 2004. The US authorities have been granting a one time exemption to Visa Waiver Programme nationals arriving at US borders without a machine readable passport. However, the US Department of Homeland Security has announced that this exemption period will cease on 26 June 2005, and the requirement to have a machine readable passport will be strictly enforced.

If you are unsure whether you are eligible to travel to the USA without a visa, the following Questions and Answers may be helpful.

Is my passport machine-readable?

If your passport is machine-readable it will have at the foot of the personal information page (at the back of the passport) 2 lines of text as letters, numbers and chevrons (>>>). If there are no lines of text, then the passport is not machine-readable and you need a visa. The personal information page should also describe your nationality status as "British Citizen".

Why might I need a visa?

There are reasons why a British traveller will need a visa. These include one or more of the following: (If you think that your situation falls into any of the following categories, you should consult the US Embassy about whether you need to apply for a visa – you must do this well in advance of any plans to travel to the US.)

1. The personal information page of your passport does not describe you as a "British Citizen", but instead says "British Subject", "British National (Overseas)", "British Overseas Territories Citizen", "British Dependent Territories Citizen", "British Protected Person" or "British Overseas Citizen"

2. You intend to stay longer than 90 days

3. You have a passport that is not machine readable

4. You intend to travel to the US for a reason other than business, pleasure or transit

5. You have been arrested, even if not convicted

6. You have a criminal record

7. You have a serious, communicable disease (including HIV)

8. You are HIV Positive

9. You have been refused entry to the US on a previous occasion

10. You have been deported from the US

11. You have previously overstayed the 90 days permitted under the Visa Waiver Programme (ie travel without a visa)

12. You are a child included on your parent's passport

In all of these cases, you need to apply for a visa, or seek further information from the US Embassy Visa Information Service on 09055 444546 – (calls are charged at £1.30 a minute) or www.usembassy.org.uk.

On 15 June, the US Department of Homeland Security announced a one-year extension of its Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) to 26 October 2006.

VWP countries, including the UK, are required to have a biometric passport issuing system in place by 26 October 2006, in order to continue as members of the Programme and benefit from visa free travel to the US after that date. Biometric passports will contain data about the holder's face, and may also contain other unique personal information such as fingerprints and iris details.

The US also announced a requirement that all new passports issued on or after 26 October 2005, must contain a digital photo image to enable the holder to travel to the USA visa free.

This means that in order to travel under the VWP: From now until 26 October 2005, you can enter the US with a machine-readable passport, with or without a digital photo image. From 26 October 2005, if you are holding a British Citizen passport, you will still be able to enter the US with a machine-readable passport, with or without a digital photo image (since 2003 all UK passports have been issued with digital photographs). From 26 October 2006, all passports issued on or after that date will have to include biometric data. The UK is on course to meet this deadline.

UK Passports

You are advised to check the remaining validity of your passport as soon as you plan to travel to the US. Although the US and the UK have an agreement that allows people travelling from one country to the other to enter with a passport that only has six months validity or less, you should nevertheless try to renew your passport beforehand. This is in case your departure from the US is delayed for any reason; if you wish to make side visits to other countries; or if you have further travel plans immediately after your visit to the US.

On Arrival/Departure

On 5 January 2004, the US Authorities introduced the US-VISIT Programme. This means that all those aged between 14 and 79 travelling to the US are now finger-scanned and digitally photographed on arrival at passport control. The US authorities are confident that this will not add significantly to waiting times at immigration. Special arrangements are in place for travellers with disabilities.

The Department of Homeland Security is piloting a scheme at various US air and sea ports to register the departure of non-immigrant visa holders and, from 30 September 2004, people who are visiting the US under the Visa Waiver Programme. Exit procedures are mandatory at locations where the pilot scheme is in place. Pilot exit procedures are in place at airports in Baltimore (BWI) and Chicago (O'Hare) and at the Miami sea port, but in the coming months the scheme will be extended to include the following US points of departure: Newark, Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Francisco, Denver, San Juan, Seattle, and Los Angeles (Long Beach and San Pedro). We anticipate that checkout procedures will take longer in ports where the pilot scheme is operating and we recommend that you consult your airline or travel agent who can advise on the optimum time to start checking in.

For more information about the US-VISIT exit scheme please visit the Department of Homeland Security website: http://www.dhs.gov.

Health

Medical treatment can be very expensive; there are no special arrangements for British visitors. The British Embassy and Consulates-General cannot assist with medical expenses. Comprehensive travel and medical insurance is essential; at least $1,000,000 cover, which includes hospital treatment and medical evacuation to the UK, would be wise.

For further information on health, visit the Department of Health's website at: www.dh.gov.uk.

Contact Details

Address: British Embassy, 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008

Telephone: (1)(202) 588 6500 Embassy, (1)(202) 588 7800 Consular, (1)(202) 588 7830 British Council

Office Hours: GMT: Mon-Fri: 1400-2230. Local Time: Mon-Fri: 0900-1730