The relief was perhaps greatest in Switzerland when the US delayed implementing a new rule requiring computer-readable passports from countries whose citizens don't need visas. The notoriously organized Swiss have clung to old-style passports, with only one in six holders carrying the advanced model.
While most other A-list countries on Thursday appeared much more prepared for the eventual shift -- prompted by US security concerns -- there were reports of potential visitors to the US choosing other destinations.
US officials said this week that Washington plans to extend by nearly 13 months the Oct. 1 deadline, which affects citizens from 26 countries -- most of them in western Europe but also including Australia, New Zealand and Japan. For some, the move came too late.
"For example, yesterday I had a couple who were going to the US for their honeymoon, but decided to go to Mexico instead," said Massimo Maida, a travel agent in Rome.
Chloe Hathaway of House of America, a Paris travel agency specializing in North American trips, said calls had been pouring in from would-be travelers with questions about US rules.
"People have to be really organized and apply for their new passport several weeks before they want to travel," she said. "We were already getting a lot of calls from worried customers who are not sure if they will be able to go to the US."
Only about half of French passport holders have computer-readable types, an Interior Ministry spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity.
Even further behind is Switzerland, normally known for clockwork efficiency, which started to issue computer-readable passports Jan. 1.
Only 16 percent of passport holders have switched to the new type, and the Swiss government lobbied Washington for an extension in July.
"We drew attention to the fact that there would be many Swiss who simply wouldn't know about the rules," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Daniella Stoffel-Fatzer in Bern. "So they'd buy their ticket, on the Internet for example, get on the plane and then find they had to go home again."
Guido Balmer of the Federal Police Office, which handles passports, insists the Swiss will catch up. "We're getting faster every week," he said.
Even governments that have been quicker to switch to computer-compatible passports welcomed the extra time.
In Tokyo, Foreign Ministry official Yuji Nowake said all new Japanese passports are machine-readable -- but about 140,000 people still have old-style documents, generally those issued by Japanese embassies abroad.
"It will be helpful for Japan if the US delays new rules until October next year," Nowake said.
The sentiment was echoed at the Portuguese Foreign Ministry. "The problem was getting the word out to the public and travelers about the new requirement," said Joao Cesario, head of the visa and passport department.
Some said the original US deadline was useful in prodding anyone with an old passport to finally get a new one. In Ireland, for example, that means giving up the old green passport for a new maroon EU-approved model for 65 euros (US$75).
"We've been advising people since three months ago on the rule change," said Bill Chambers, marketing director of Dublin-based tour operator American Holidays.
With the pressure off for a year, he said some people might now postpone upgrading their passports
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