Travel question of the day: Simon Calder on passport requirements for the US

Have a travel question that needs answering? Ask our expert Simon Calder

A biometric passport is required for visiting the US

Q I am travelling to the US in September, and returning on 6 October 2016. My passport is valid until 7 March 2017. I already have a valid Esta for this trip with details of my current passport. Should I renew my passport before I travel, and if I do, would renewing my passport have any effect on the current Esta which I have?

Neil Walton

A The really important consideration for travellers to the US is that the passport must be biometric, i.e. it has the camera-looking symbol at the bottom of the front cover. That means it contains an electronic chip with a scan of your passport photo and other information.

Given the expiry date of your passport, it almost certainly qualifies: the last non-biometric UK passports were issued in the autumn of 2006, though a few of them are valid into 2017.

If the passport is compliant, then stay as you are. It is valid up to and including the date of expiry for travel to the US. Although you have plenty of time to get a new passport, that would mean going through the expense and hassle of obtaining a new Esta as well. (Esta stands for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, which the US authorities require for anyone flying to America without a visa.) An Esta can’t be transferred from one passport to the next.

Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder