The US has announced its intention to
introduce digital visas, which would eliminate the requirement for physical stamps
or stickers on passports.
This move, which follows a successful trial experiment, intends to provide visitors with a more efficient, convenient, and secure travel experience. However, digital visas will differ greatly from e-visas given by other countries in that they will not require stamps or stickers.
The Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for Visa Services, Julie Stufft, revealed intriguing facts regarding the
pilot program.
“We
did our first small-scope pilot of a paperless visa, which means that the
visa process is the same but there’s no physical visa in someone’s
passport. We just piloted this for the first time, so this is not
something that’s going to be happening in the next year.”
“It
will probably take 18 months to have widespread use of this or longer. But
it is very exciting that we have had this first step where we have seen
visitors come through and, in this case, they were immigrant visas
without a physical paper in their passports,” she stated.
Digital visas allow passengers to maintain their passports while eliminating the trouble of mailing paperwork via mail. They lessen the possibility of passport damage or loss while also streamlining the application and renewal processes. Despite the success of the pilot experiment, wider adoption is still 18 months away. Before full adoption, the State Department will continue to analyze the program and address technical issues. Digital visas are projected to improve the travel experience for US tourists by making it more efficient, easy, and secure.
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