Please Smile: Entry Into the USA

Since September 30, German citizens have been greeted at US immigration counters with: "Smile, you're on Camera!" This is because a digital photo is taken of every traveler from Germany, even if they are not subject to the American visa requirement. Additionally, both index fingers must be scanned for fingerprints. Since the end of October, every German tourist also needs a machine-readable passport for visa-free entry. This applies to babies and children as well as adults. Americans are strict about this!