Fergie's Tech Blog

U.S. To Pilot Internet Travel Authorisation Program

A Reuters newswire article, via tvnz.co.nz, reports that:

The United States will launch a pilot scheme on Friday which will require travellers covered by its visa waiver programme to get prior Internet authorisation before boarding flights to America.

US officials outlining the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) denied it would amount to reintroduction of visas - a concern voiced in the European Union - even though fees might be charged for the process in future.

"The ESTA is not a visa," Jackie Bednarz, attache for the US Department of Homeland Security, told a news briefing in Brussels on Monday. "It's very different in our minds."

posted by Fergie @ 7/30/2008 12:37:00 PM