Originally Posted by
Himeno
No. It doesn't. My last passport (replaced last September, was due to expire next month) was not biometric. It had a digital photo and MRZ. There was no chip. I used it to enter the US under the VWP 1-2 times a year between 2005 and 2013.
e-passports will not be required for all VWP entries until late October next year.
Sorry I wasn't clear but what I meant is US law requires any passport issued today to be a biometric passport to get into the U.S. under the VWP and has since 2006 as your quote shows. I did say some old passports were grandfathered in.