Washington gave Athens a deadline until April 2017 to retrofit all IDs in order to avoid Greece’s expulsion from the Visa Waiver Program for Greek citizens who travel to the US.
The decision is already in action since April 1. In order for Greece to remain in the Visa Waiver Program even after April 2017, the security characteristics of the Greek ID must be upgraded. According to specialists, a Greek ID can be forged, causing unease to both the US Homeland Security as well as the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Ideally, the new IDs will have to contain additional biometric data, apart from the current finger print. The change of IDs is Greece’s legal commitment toward both the US and the EU.
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