Montevideo, Oct. 17 (PL-RHC) Uruguay has launched a new digital passport, demanded by Washington. The digital passport was a precondition for Washington to hold talks on allowing Uruguayans to enter the U.S without a visa.

The new passport is equipped with an electronic chip for added security.

Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi, the first to receive one of the new passports, pointed out that Uruguay began issuing digital identity cards in May.

“The U.S will continue requiring visas from Uruguayans until the agreement is finalized,” Bradley Freden, charge d'affaires at the U.S Embassy in Montevideo, said.

"The digital passport was a prerequisite to begin negotiations on the visa exemption. I hope that expectations are real, as the negotiations will be slow," Freden said.

Chile is the only Latin American country whose citizens are not required to obtain visas to travel to the U.S.