The US government is to delay its deadline for countries to introduce biometric passports amid concerns that countries, such as the UK, are struggling with "complex operational issues".
The House of Representatives voted for a year-long extension to the October 2004 deadline, a year less than secretary of state Colin Powell had requested.
Maura Harty, assistant secretary for consular affairs, told the Senate Judiciary Committee said that although countries outside the US had made efforts to meet the deadline they had experienced "technical challenges".
The US has established a "visa waiver" scheme for nations whose citizens are considered unlikely to pose a security threat. Under the new system, visitors would only be allowed in without a visa if they have biometric technology on their passports.
Most countries have not yet completed testing of biometric chips and still need to look at technology that will communicate with chip readers.
"Given the time it has taken to resolve these complex operational issues, few, if any, will be able to meet the 26 October, 2004 deadline. For example, none of the larger countries – Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy or Spain -- will begin issuing passports with standardised biometrics by that deadline," Harty said.
"The United Kingdom expects to begin in late 2005, Japan to complete transition to full production by April 2006. Others may not come online until well into 2006. This delay is not due to a lack of goodwill but due to significant scientific and technical challenges that has taken us to the cutting edge of changing technologies."
Harty said that the US had given the international community a "daunting" task in meeting the deadline. Even the US is struggling, Harty suggested.
"We face complex technological and operational issues, including the security of the passport data on the contactless chips and the interoperability of readers and biometric passports. Working through these hard issues takes time."
Both homeland security chief Tom Ridge and Powell have called for a two-year extension to the deadline. Powell said that without the delay, US consular services overseas would be overwhelmed by a huge surge in visa requests.
