US authorities in Belfast are starting a new fingerprint-check system for travellers heading to the United States, it emerged today.
With national security intensified amid the "war on terror", biometric identifiers must now be collected from all visa applicants.
US consul general Barbara Stephenson said: "Biometrics make travelling safer for all of us. Simply put, they assure us that the person and the passport match."
The procedure is in accordance with US law, which requires all visa-issuing posts to collect fingerprints from applicants by October.
US embassies in Dublin and other major European cities have already introduced the system. London is to bring in the procedure in August.
During visa interviews, applicants will be asked to place their index fingers on an electronic scanner. Visa holders must also be enrolled in the US-VISIT program on arrival in the United States as part of the new security arrangements.
The scheme, which began in January, requires people to have a fingerprint scan and a digital photograph taken by the immigration officer at the port of entry.
PA