European resistance to a programme that requires visitors to the US to provide personal information online before travelling, was an unwelcome development, according to Michael Chertoff, the US homeland security secretary.

The system, which will be used at airports and other major ports and terminals across the US becomes mandatory in January, requires all passengers from countries that do not need visas, which as yet does not include Bulgaria - but the country is expected to be admitted entry alongside Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Poland and Romania in a few months - to notify the US government 72 hours in advance.

The notification system is valid for 27 participating countries in the US visa-waiver programme, which allows a three month visa-free stay in the country. Chertoff has dismissed suggestions the "electronic system for travel authorisation" was a form of visa.

"I've been surprised by the concern expressed because it is exactly the same information we've always obtained and kept," he said. "The only difference is we receive it earlier and it comes in electronic format as opposed to a piece of paper, and neither of those strike me as material from a privacy standpoint" as quoted by the Independent.

Earlier this month, the Greek government rejected this proposed scheme by the American government as "nonsense", and said that Greece should not be subjected to any such regulation. Athens was apparently unhappy that they were not listed in the same league as Britain, Germany and France, but are together with the likes of Bulgaria, Poland and Cyprus who are yet to receive the visa-free regime.

Rejecting that as "nonsense", Chertoff said the Greeks would be included once they signed required agreements. "They've not been prepared to sign them or they're trying to negotiate with us to change them, and we're not going to create a separate standard for one country." He expected other countries flagged for entry - Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Poland and Romania - to be admitted in the "next few months".

"Some members of the European parliament are concerned, but I've not really got an articulated reason other than objections which would apply to what we've done for the last 20 years," Chertoff said. "If you object to our collecting information on who comes into the US, then the Europeans should have said years ago: 'We insist on the right to travel to America without giving any information at all' - which, of course, is preposterous because when we go to Europe, they do the same."