CBP Issues Travel Advisory Regarding German Temporary Passports for Travel to U.S. (No Longer Valid Beginning May 1, 2006)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a travel advisory announcing that beginning May 1, 2006, German temporary passports (or emergency passports) will no longer be valid for travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
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German Temporary/Emergency Passport Holders Must Obtain Valid German Passport or Apply for Visa to Travel in U.S.
CBP states that travelers in possession of German temporary or emergency passports who intend to travel to or through the U.S. must either obtain a valid, machine-readable German passport for VWP travel or apply for a visa to travel to the U.S.
Regular, Official, and Diplomatic German Passports Remain Valid
According to CBP, regular, official and diplomatic German passports (with a digital photo if issued after October 26, 2005) remain valid for VWP travel, per the current VWP passport requirements.
In addition, Germany remains a designated country in the VWP, and its citizens with regular passports may continue to use the program for business and tourism travel to the U.S. Regular full-validity German passports are unaffected by this decision.
CBP travel advisory (dated 03/21/06) available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/alerts/travel_alerts/german_passport_advisory.xml
BP Note
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has previously stated, among other things, that the VWP enables nationals of certain countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism or for business stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. DHS set an October 26, 2005 deadline for VWP countries to produce passports with digital photographs, as part of a multi-layered approach to increasing the security of U.S. citizens and visitors by helping to ensure the integrity of their travel documents. (See ITT's Online Archives or 11/04/05 news, 05110440, for BP summary of VWP including the list of the 25 countries in full compliance with VWP, certain passport requirements, e-Passport deadlines, etc.)