Announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan
27 countries including Japan came for the foreigner who had “Passport (passport) that was not the machine reading type” by supposed to being able to enter a country in the United States even if the visa (visa) was not taken (The application of United States “Visa exemption program” has been received) on October 26, 2004 if it was a visit for a short term like sightseeing etc. and entered a country to have to take the visa. Moreover, after October 26, 2006, the passport of the issue will demand the visa if it is not the one that the integrated circuit chip is installed and the facial image etc. were recorded electromagnetic (Hereafter, referred to as “IC passport” Please refer to the following references 1). We will guide the relation etc. between the passport and the visa when being go to the United States in the future by the formulating query.
Q1 . Want to know whether my passport is “Machine reading type” and.
“It is not a machine reading type” passport is included in the passport issued in foreign countries though passports issued in Japan of A are “Machine reading type” all. The one that has been described the under the page with the photograph of face as “THIS JAPANESE PASSPORT IS NOT MACHINE READABLE” is “It is not a machine reading type” passport. Judging it only from the issuance legation name and the passport number has the possibility that the mistake happens and avoid it, please. (Place in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs homepage (To the information United States and to ..being scheduled.. one ..making a passage (entering a country and street)..) in detail with the sample. )
Q2 . One validity term of year or more still remains though my passport is not “Machine reading type”. Can you switch to “Machine reading type”?
The switch to A “Machine reading type” is accepted though is for one year or more the remaining validity term. Please ask the above-mentioned Ministry of Foreign Affairs homepage in detail and ask a Japanese embassy and the consulate general, etc. in the administrative divisions passport office and foreign countries. whether come to seeing it
It becomes impossible whether to enter a country with the machine reading type passport has now after the Q3.2006 October 26, year without the visa in the United States.
No A doesn’t have this. If the passport that has it now is “Machine reading type”, it is possible to enter a country during the validity term without the visa continuously. In the passport issued after October 26, 2006, if it is not “IC passport”, the visa is needed. (Please refer to the following references 2. )
Q4 . When does Japan issue “IC passport”?It in time for the time limit that the United States provided?
A the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing it aiming at “IC passport” introduction until March, 2006.
Q5 . After “IC passport” is introduced, should I switch a passport on hand to “IC passport”?
No the passport that has it now is A effective continue even if “IC passport” is introduced. Moreover, to switch to “IC passport”, the hoped person is advancing the examination.
Q6 . My passport doesn’t have the chance to proceed to the Japan-U.S. lives country embassy and the consulate (Tokyo, Osaka, and Naha) for not “Machine reading type” but the visa acquisition either. Should I switch to “Machine reading type”?Or, should I wait even for the issue of “IC passport”?Which of the passport for the passport for five years and ten years should I select if it switches?
Circumstances are different according to A your United States making a passage schedule.
(1)When you schedule to be made a passage before IC passport is introduced
It is necessary to take the visa if it doesn’t switch to “Machine reading type”. The passport will be chosen as the passport for five years for ten years if there is hope to acquire “IC passport” ahead of time when switching though it is acceptable.
(2)When you do not schedule even “IC passport” introduction to be made a passage for the United States
We will recommend being switched after it introduces it “IC passport” (An up to the minute passport can be obtained).
Q7 . Validity term expires in December, 2005 though my passport is “Machine reading type”. When should I switch though sometimes make a business trip to the United States on business?
It is possible to make a passage for the United States without the visa when switching.
Q8 . Validity term expires in January, 2006 though the passport that I have is “Machine reading type”. Should it switch ahead of time and I apply for a while afterwards though I do not schedule traveling abroad?
We will recommend A, especially the passport’s being newly acquired after “IC passport” is introduced if the travelling overseas is not scheduled. However, because the application after an existing passport lapses becomes not the switch but new application, it is necessary to submit register [**] (extraction) book (Principle and register [**] (extraction) books are omissible if there is no change in the name and the registered domicile in case of the switch application).
【 reference 】
1.What is IC passport?
“IC passport” that our country is developing is a passport that installs IC (integrated circuit) chip in the passport, and recorded another of the position matter on the passport sides such as the nationality, the name, and date of birth and possessor’s facial images in the integrated circuit chip now. Biometric passport and e?It is called Passport. The necessity of the passport that builds in the living body information attestation technology (biometrics) that is difficult the imitation or more alteration because the imitation alteration of the passport and the abuse by the disguise increase, and it is used for an international organized crime and an unlawful embarkation/disembarkation, and enables the personal identification in an electronic equipment is called out, and has been researched in recent years. An international conference is actively discussed, and selects contactless IC chip from the viewpoint that prevents the terrorist from abusing the passport as a recording medium by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) that has done the standard decision work that each other can be operated internationally in May, 2003 since the United States simultaneous multiple terrorist acts in especially 2001. The policy of adopting the facial image as indispensable living body information recorded in the integrated circuit chip (The fingerprint and the iris were admitted to be adopted by the judgment of each country adding it) was come up with. Only the facial image is recorded in “IC passport” our country’s developing now.
2.How is the United States law going?
Uncle Sam passed the law “Border security strengthening and revision of the visa entering a country method” as part of the counter-terrorism on May 14, 2002. The following were provided for by this law for the passport, and it gave impetus to “IC passport” introduction of each country.
(1)It is assumed to be a requirement to have the program that issues the machine reading type passport using the living body information attestation technology that ICAO will provide by October 26, 2005 so that it is admitted continuously as an object country of the visa exemption program of the United States.
(2)Even if he or she admits continuously by the above-mentioned as an object country of the visa exemption program, the person who tries to enter a country in the United States with the passport issued after October 26, 2005 cannot receive the application of the visa exemption if it is not a passport that fills above-mentioned (1). *
*When this law was enacted, these time limits “26 October, 2005″ were assumed to be “26 October, 2004″. However, because it was difficult for each country to introduce “IC passport” into the time limit in 2004, each country including Japan strongly proposed to postpone this time limit until the United States. This was received, and an American assembly will extend the introduction time limit for one year, and assumed, “26 October, 2005″.
However, because completely corresponding to a new time limit was a difficult still situation in IC passport introduction situation in each country, the U.S. government postponed the introduction time limit June 15, 2005 for one year further, and set a new time limit October 26, 2006. The condition of the passport issued after October 26, 2005 is to be printed the photograph of face digitally about the visa exemption when it undertakes this decision (Photograph of faces of the machine reading type passport of our country are all the digital printings).