The first day of new security checks for certain passengers travelling to the US was "seamless", according to Bermuda International Airport officials.

Yesterday US officials began scanning fingerprints and taking photographs of all non-Americans as part of a new programme to tighten border controls at all 115 US international airports and 14 major seaports.

Bermudians ? who do not require a visa to enter the US ? are exempt from these rules, along with citizens of most Western European countries. Bermuda has a special relationship with the US allowing travellers to pre-clear US Customs while still in Bermuda.

For those who do need a visa to enter the US, the extra processing is expected to take only seconds once officials get up to speed with the technology.

"It went very well here in Bermuda," said US Customs and Border Protection port director Vince Priore. "We are very pleased with the outcome so far."

The programme is called US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT). It is estimated it will check 24 million non-Americans per year, the only exceptions being from a list of 28 nations ? mostly European countries whose citizens are allowed to enter the US for up to 90 days without a visa.

Brazil, one of the countries which is not on the list of exempt nations, has begun fingerprinting and photographing Americans arriving at the Sao Paulo airport in response to the regulations. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry has requested Brazil be removed from the US list.

Photographs are taken with a spherical camera computer and will be stored in a database for law enforcement. The inkless fingerprints are taken digitally and will be checked against an American database for criminal backgrounds or any terrorist lists.

US officials have stated a similar programme will be in effect at 50 land border controls by the end of the year.