Last Wednesday a new rule from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) went into effect. The rule requires visitors from countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program to carry passports with digital photos and punishes carriers of visitors without the new passports. According to Christ Strohm of GovExec.com, this requirement is part of efforts to minimize the usage of fraudulent passports, since photos that are glued or laminated are more easily tampered with and because of post-9/11 concerns. The citizens of the 27 countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program have been free to travel in the U.S. for up to three months without a visa.

DHS said in a statement that beginning October 26 of this year, transportation carries will be fined up to $3,300 per violation for bringing any visitor under the Visa Waiver Program to the U.S. without the proper passport photo and that any visitor attempting to enter the U.S. without meeting the new requirements should expect to be denied entry. 25 of the 27 Visa Waiver Program countries have already complied with the new regulations, leaving only France and Italy to implement them. Both France and Italy have limited digital photo production resources, and any travelers from those countries are encourages to contact their passport office for information regarding the availability of digital photos. If a digital photo is unattainable, the traveler should contact the local U.S. embassy to request a visa.

In addition to digital photos, DHS is requiring the Visa Waiver Program countries to begin issuing passports with biometric data by next year. Originally the issuance of passports with biometrics data was to be in place by October 2004, but the deadline was postponed. Digital photos are only the first step in the process of completely biometric passports and other travel documents.

The Canadian government has expressed displeasure with the new passport requirements because it says that a requirement for all visitors to show a passport at the border will hurt the tourism industry. The Globe and Mail reports that British Columbia’s Tourism Minister Olga Ilich fears that B.C.’s third largest industry, already weakened by 9/11, SARS and natural disasters, will be hurt by the new requirements. Other government officials also worry that the requirements will hurt trade and education in both the U.S. and Canada.