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Visa Waiver Program Expansion Update

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The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) was expanded on November 17, 2008 to add nationals of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and South Korea. According to the Department of Homeland Security press release, nationals of those countries can now travel to the United States for business or tourism for a period of 90 days without the need for a visitor visa provided they hold an e-Passport and have completed their registration for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) was expanded on November 17, 2008 to add nationals of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and South Korea.  According to the Department of Homeland Security press release, nationals of those countries can now travel to the United States for business or tourism for a period of 90 days without the need for a visitor visa provided they hold an e-Passport and have completed their registration for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program.  These seven countries were added to the existing list of 27 countries currently eligible for VWP.  Several additional countries are moving closer to qualifying for VWP, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Poland and Romania, but have not yet qualified.

For more information on the VWP and its expansion, see U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s fact sheet.

Note: This article was published in the November 2008 issue of the Immigration eAuthority.

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