What you need to know about the new passport rules for Britons flying to America

A rule change, quietly introduced last month, obliges anyone seeking to visit America without a visa to have a biometric passport

Anyone seeking to visit America without a visa has to have a biometric passport (EPA)

As many as 80,000 British travellers planning to visit the US possess “the wrong kind of passport” - and face being turned away from their transatlantic flight.

A rule change, quietly introduced last month, obliges anyone seeking to visit America without a visa to have a biometric passport.

But not all airlines and holiday firms have warned their customers, leading to passengers being denied boarding at check-in - causing family trips to be split up, and triggering costs of hundreds of pounds.

Q: How do I know if my UK passport is biometric?

If it was issued from 2007 onwards, it is biometric - i.e. with an embedded chip that contains your personal details including your face geometry (scanned from your passport photo).

If it was issued in 2006, then it may or may not be. You can tell just by looking at the front cover. If, below the word PASSPORT, it features a rectangle bisected by a horizontal line, with a circle in the middle, then it is biometric. If it does not, then you will need to get a new passport before you go.

Q: How do I get a new passport?

If you have three weeks before you travel abroad, then you can apply for a renewal in the usual way: gov.uk/renew-adult-passport. This costs £72.50, with an extra £9.75 fee for the Post Office’s Passport Check and Send service - which, in my experience, is worth paying.

If you have less time, you will need to use the one-day Premium service (£128) or one-week Fast Track service (£103). Both of these options require attendance at a Passport Customer Service Centre; gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently has more details.

Q: My current passport has a valid “Esta”. Will it still be valid with a new passport?

No. You will need to apply again at esta.cbp.dhs.gov, and pay the $14 (£10) fee again.

Q: If I have been turned away from a transatlantic flight because of the wrong kind of passport, can I claim compensation?

No - neither from your travel company nor from your insurer. It is always the traveller’s responsibility to make sure they comply with the immigration rules of their destination country, no matter how complex and prone to change.

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