I recall that the chipped passports were phased in with different start dates for each office. The anti-ID cards people ran a "renew for freedom" campaign encouraging people to renew before their nearest passport office switched to chipped passports.

In the past the US has given much longer lead times to changes to what passport formats are acceptable for the VWP. This change was brought in much faster as a reaction to the Paris attacks.

I am sorry my friend, but you may be in a tight spot. From your favorite newspaper:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ad...ssued-in-2006/
"Most British passports issued between October 26, 2005, and October 25, 2006, do not have printed digital photographs. This one-year problem arose because the UK’s passport agency did not have the equipment to print digital photographs in time for the US deadline for countries using the Visa Waiver Program. The US Consulate in London says that your husband either has to apply for a tourist visa or he must obtain a new passport."

You could fly anyway, although you may get into secondary inspection. Since your passport is actually valid, they will most likely let you in anyway. I will was in a similar situation about 10 years ago when I was a student, and was directed into secondary. Once there, the supervisor got really annoyed with the CBP agent. "What's your problem! His passport is valid, let him in!". This was at JFK.

I think it is unlikely you will be denied entry, but it may depend on the CBP agent. Since the rule is quite new, I think most agents will be flexible, and Brits seems to be a preferred category from my experience.

All UK Passports are now chipped.

It was one of the reasons why UK High Commissions, Embassies and Consulates had the ability to issue anything other than a temporary travel document (e.g. if you lost your passport whilst away) taken away from them a couple of years ago to ensure that there was consistency in which versions were being issued.

Without an ESTA (which has been cancelled) he ain't getting on the plane let alone land to meet a US based CBP officer.

BA's system will show he doesn't have a valid ESTA and they will get into trouble with the CBP / DHS if they let him board.

I won't repeat the theme of 'it's the traveller's fault' but this really should be moved a sub-forum of Travel Safety since it has nothing whatsoever to do with BA.

Criticizing the fact of the email is punishing a good deed.

Countries change their entry requirements all the time and travelers bear the brunt of it because it is 100% the traveler's responsibility to be properly documented.

We all live with it and there is no substitute for routinely checking requirements. One need not trawl consular websites as IATA's TIMATIC presents the data in a useable format and is what the carriers rely on.

As others note, this issue is much less about what CBP would do, but much more about what BA will do prior to boarding.

^

I feel sorry for the OP (and friend), but this has nothing to do with BA, so shouldn't really have been posted here.

From my own (limited) dealings with ESTA, the fact that he was sent an email at all is amazing. Just a shame they didn't send it a few weeks ago. Hopefully the OPs friend manages to get his passport on Monday from Victoria.

ESTAs are normally "ok'd" almost instantaneously.

There are quite a few new questions to be answered since you last applied!!!

my wife very nearly got trapped by this. Her "un-chipped" passport was near its expiry and I went onto the web to see if there was a requirement of "at least 6 month's validity" or the like from the US and discovered that there was not but that her unchipped passport would not work for our trip to FSO in June.

Yes it is the travellers responsibility to check, but IMHO, some blame should also be placed on the US for introducing this rule and for not exactly publicising it (I could not find any reference to it on the US DHS website); some credit should go to the UK FCO for spelling it out on their website and BA can get both credit for mentioning it and a black mark for leaving it so close to the date of travel.

Anyway, a passport renewal can usually be done very quickly and an ESTA usually takes a few seconds to get so don't panic yet.

It is still technically possible to sort this - the Belfast passport office has same day appointments available for Monday morning. A new ESTA can be applied for as soon as s/he has a new passport and usually only takes a moment. It could - in theory - all be fixed by Monday evening in time to travel...

The OP's friend needs to decide whether the cost/hassle of going to Belfast for this on Monday is worth it to avoid the cost/hassle of forfeiting the BA flight.

I agree this is in no way BA's fault.

(And I can't believe this is the post that made me terminate my long term lurking!)

Were you going to Vermont or California? ;)

Welcome to Flyertalk and the BA forum, and well done on moving on from anonymous lurking! ;)

See the link included in this post: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26419690-post7.html

"Normally" is correct, but they can be referred if there is any anomaly plus a random sub-sample are not confirmed automatically but instead referred to manual screening for no particular reason in which case it can easily take a week to confirm.