US demands online travel forms

Travellers from across Ireland face new requirements when visiting the US, it was announced today.

From January passengers will have to submit electronic travel forms online before they fly so undesirables can be screened out before they step onboard.

The internet form requirement is called an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).

Voluntary applications started this month. They become mandatory on January 12.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said: “We expect the ESTA will help us to identify the few travellers who actually are not eligible and today they don’t know that until they have travelled to the US.

“It will certainly be a big help to identify problems before you go to the expense and time of going to the US.

“For others there will be no difference.”

At present a green form with passenger details like past convictions is presented to immigration officers upon arrival in the US. The new arrangement is an electronic version of the old system and may be valid for multiple visits.

Anybody flying from Dublin goes through pre-take off checks and that system will remain in place.

Countries which benefit from the visa-waiver programme, allowing tourists in with minimal paperwork for up to 90 days, include Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Finland, Sweden, France, Netherlands, Germany and the UK.

In June last year, the EU agreed 19 categories of personal information on passengers flying from Europe to the United States would be supplied to the US Department of Homeland Security. which could be kept for 15 years.