On the subject of passports, are you guys in the US aware what the US authorities are up to with regards passports and visas for vistors to the US from Europe ?

When people from Europe (and some other countries) visit the US we can do so under the visa "waiver" scheme, meaning that as long as we don't have certain criminal convictions we can enter the US without a visa.

From 26th October this year the US are changing the rules. Anyone who gets a new passport after this date will only be able to take part in the waiver scheme if their passport is "biometric".

Unfortunately we don't have "biometric" passports available yet and won't have until at least 2005. That means that anyone whose passport runs out between 26th October and whenever the new passports are available will have to get a visa to visit the US.

This means that to visit the US people in the UK that are in this situation will have to pay 67 UKP and attend an interview at the US Embassy in London. That means that someone in Scotland would have to make a 1,000+ round trip just to get the visa.

Edit: looking a bit further there are consulates in Scotland and Wales that you can go to for your interview, but that will still mean an 800 mill round trip.

I understand that most of the rest of Europe have the same problem.

Crazy !

P.S. I notice that the US Embassy in the UK also uses a 900 number

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3378717.stm