What are the passport requirements for travel under the Visa Waiver Program?

The requirements of the Visa Waiver Program are as follows:

• Passport must have a machine-readable area on the biographical page.
• The passport must be an electronic passport with a digital chip containing biometric information about the passport holder.

EXCEPTION: As of July 1, 2009, term or temporary passports of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program must be electronic passports.

• Taiwan passport holders [1] must provide their passport number and Personal Identification Number (PIN).
  NOTE: For citizens of the United Kingdom, only passports indicating British citizenship can be used for travel under the Visa Waiver Program. A passport indicating that the bearer is a British national, a citizen of the British Dependencies, a citizen of the British Overseas Territories, a British citizen (overseas), or a person enjoying the protection of the United Kingdom does not entitle the bearer to travel without a visa.
• [1] With respect to all references to “country” or “countries” in this document, it should be noted that the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, Pub. L. No. 96-8, Section 4(b)(1), provides that “[w]henever the laws of the United States refer or relate to foreign countries, nations, states, governments, or similar entities, such terms shall include and such laws shall apply with respect to Taiwan.” 22 U.S.C. § 3303(b)(1). Accordingly, all references to “country” or “countries” in the Visa Waiver Program authorizing legislation, Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1187, are read to include Taiwan. This is consistent with the United States’ one-China policy, under which the United States has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan since 1979.