Machine Readable Passports
Photo showing machine readable passport
Photo showing machine readable passport
Norwegian passports are either machine readable or hand-written. If your passport is machine readable and you meet all other requirements to travel on the Visa Waiver Program, you may travel to the US without a visa. You must remember to register in ESTA when using this program.
A machine readable passport has two machine readable lines at the bottom of your identity page. In Norwegian passports these lines, your photo and the identity information are all integrated in the page.
Before you come in to apply for a U.S. visa or register in ESTA, please make sure that your passport is undamaged and valid.
Norwegian passports issued from 1999-2005 have a production error which makes the identity page loosen from the rest of the passport. When that starts to happen, the passport is no longer considered a secure document and must be replaced. If you show up for your visa interview with a torn passport, you will be asked to provide a new one before we can issue a visa for you. If you register in ESTA and travel to the US, you might get stopped at the airport or at the Customs in the U.S., and might not be allowed to enter the country.
Visa regulations state that a passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of the holder's departure from the U.S. however the U.S. has an agreement with Norway automatically extending the validity of the passport for 6 months past the passport's expiration date. The result is that a Norwegian passport need remain valid only for the duration of the holder's stay in the U.S.