Advertisement

New U.S. Passport Rule Could Put A Stop To Your Holiday - Here’s Why

British travellers might face a nasty surprise if they try to travel to the U.S. - after the country quietly made changes to entry requirements.

Under new rules introduced on April 1, travellers to the country must have an e-Passport to travel under the normal visa waiver programme.

This means that people who have an older passport - thought to affect 400,000 people in the UK - will not be allowed to fly to the U.S.

Passengers may not get a warning until they actually show up at the airport, according to traveller Vic Ryan.

Mr Ryan had booked a holiday to Florida, but was unable to take his Thomson flight, as he had an older passport.

He posted on Facebook to warn other travellers of the change - which he said he was not warned about, either by Thomson or by U.S. government sites.

A spokesman for Thomson said, ‘‘We’re sorry to hear that a small number of customers have been unclear on the passport and visa guidelines for entry into the United States of America. Under the US government guidelines anyone travelling after 1st April 2016 requires an electronic passport.’