New rules for those travelling to the United States under the visa waiver programme will come into effect on January 12.

Most Bermudians will be unaffected by the changes, but those whose citizenship is listed as British in their passport or those with an EU passport will now have to apply online for advance permission to travel to the States.

Other passengers heading to America by air or sea who normally fill out a green visa waiver form, such as British or Australian citizens, will also have to follow the new Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).

The new procedures were explained yesterday by Eric Sappol, supervisor of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He said the changes would affect about ten percent of people travelling to the US from Bermuda.

“For example, in July 2008, CBP processed 38,764 passengers. Of these, 3,043 used the visa waiver programme and would now be required to register via ESTA.”

After January 12, those travellers who usually complete green visa waiver forms will have to visit https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov at least 72 hours before their trip to the US and complete an online application, including details of where they will be staying.

They will receive an email telling them whether or not they are authorised to travel. Once they have authorisation, it is valid for two years unless their passport expires or their marital status or gender changes. Those who fail to follow ESTA could face delays or difficulty in getting entry to the States.

Margaret Pride, from the US Consulate, said: “Bermudians are not affected if they are travelling under the Bermuda visa exemption, which is when a Bermudian travels on a Bermudian passport and the holder is registered as a Bermudian.

“If they have a Bermudian passport, with a Bermudian stamp and they are listed as a British Overseas Territory citizen, they do not need to travel on this programme.”

She added: “Some Bermudians have ‘British citizen’ in their passport or they are travelling on an EU passport. If your passport says ‘British citizen’, do this (online application).”

Citizens from the following countries will be affected: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

The Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, the Republic of Korea and the Slovak Republic were recently allowed to join the visa waiver programme. Citizens of those countries already have to use ESTA and have a passport with an electronic chip to travel to America without a visa.

For more information visit www.travel.state.gov.