Traveling to the U.S.

For U.S. Visas

The chosen biometric identifier method is a digital photo and electronic fingerprints.  During the interview with a consular officer, the applicant will simply be required to place his/her ten fingers on an electronic scanner in a procedure that is completely inkless and adds only a few seconds to the interview process.

About the Information Collected

The electronic data from the ten fingerprints is stored in a database and is made available at U.S. ports of entry to Department of Homeland Security immigration inspectors.  The electronic fingerprint data is associated with an issued visa for verification and the privacy of the data is protected by storage in the database.  Visa records are, by law, confidential.  Requests for access to visa records by law enforcement are subject to statutory, regulatory and other legal restrictions.