People flying from the Netherlands to the United States will be barred from boarding their plane if they don't possess a passport with an electronic chip, Dutch military police have said in a statement. The rule applies to travellers from countries that belong to the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

From 1 July, US authorities no longer accept the old paper-only passports. Dutch passports issued after 26 August 2006 are fitted with a chip. Carriers of older passports need to apply in advance for a visa for the US. The military police emphasise that it is not possible to apply for a visa or emergency passport at Schiphol Airport, since those are not fitted with a chip.

Another problem mentioned by the military police is that children travelling to the United States should possess their own passports. That, too, needs to be arranged well in advance.

Military police in the Netherlands are responsible for administering border controls.

VWP members are: Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.