WASHINGTON: Travellers from Japan and Western Europe will face tighter restrictions on coming to the United States beginning in January, according to new rules unveiled on Tuesday by the US government.

Tourists and business travellers from the 27 countries currently listed under the visa waiver programme will have to register with the US government three days in advance, the Department of Homeland Security said.

The new rules aim to make it more difficult for potential terrorists to enter the United States from these places, the government said.

However, critics have raised concerns about the possibility of reduced tourism and difficulties with last-minute business travel.

"Getting this information in advance enables our frontline personnel to determine whether a visa-free traveller presents a threat, before boarding an aircraft or arriving on our shores," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

"It is a relatively simple and effective way to strengthen our security, and that of international travellers, while helping to preserve an important programme for key allies."

The government will ask for the same information that travellers currently fill out on the I-94 card which is handed out on the plane and turned in to customs on arrival in the United States, a DHS official told AFP.

That includes such information as passport number, country of residence, disclosure of communicable diseases or involvement in terror activities.

"Rather than relying on paper-based procedures, this system will leverage 21st century electronic means to obtain basic information about who is travelling to the US without a visa," Chertoff said.

Travellers may register with the US government beginning in August, and the information will remain valid for two years so that it is not necessary to repeat the same process in that time period.

Once the regulations become mandatory in January 2009, all US-bound travellers from the countries affected "will need to receive an electronic travel authorisation prior to boarding a US-bound airplane or cruise ship," it said.

Under the new programme, known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), travellers may apply for an ESTA authorisation on the Internet at a US government website.

The website will accept applications beginning August 1 and "will employ technology to prevent unauthorised access to the information entered and viewed," the DHS said.

The website will be offered in English only until October, when other languages will be added.

"We encourage you to apply for an ESTA authorisation far in advance of your travel," the DHS said on its website, adding that if a traveller is denied ESTA authorisation, the alternative is to apply for a non-immigrant visa at a US embassy or consulate.

"ESTA will accommodate last minute and emergency travellers," it said, but added that travellers should seek an ESTA approval as soon as they start planning a US trip, and no later than 72 hours before departure.

ESTA was called for under the "implementing recommendations" of the 9/11 Commission Act in 2007, DHS said. The 9/11 Commission was a bipartisan panel created by the US government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

The ESTA rules do not affect US travellers heading overseas.

The visa waiver programme was created in 1986 "with the objective of eliminating unnecessary barriers to travel, stimulating the tourism industry," and allowing the government to "focus consular resources in other areas," according to the State Department website. - AFP/de