USA Planning to Add 4 More Countries to Its Visa Waiver Program
The USA is planning to add 4 more members to its Visa Waiver Program to enable them to travel to the States without an Embassy visa. Members of the VWP can travel to the States visa-free but need to submit an online registration for Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
The considered new members to join the program soon are citizens of Romania, Israel, Cyprus, and Bulgaria. Currently, most of the European Union, Croatia, and Ireland are participating in the American VWP.
The USA Visa Waiver Program essentials
As for now, there are 40 countries that are members of the America Visa Waiver Program. Passport holders of these countries are able to travel to the United States without a visa and stay there for up to 3 months. Traveling under the VWP is possible if a trip is related to business or leisure. Moreover, eligible travelers can also make a transit stop in the USA.
To go visa-free to the USA, passengers need only to register their personal and travel information online and receive the American ESTA, which remains valid for 2 years.
A holder of ESTA can enter and exit the USA numerous times during its validity period, while a single stay can be up to 90 days.
Benefits of being a member of the USA VWP
Being a member of the VWP significantly facilitates traveling to the States. Adding new countries to the VWP can be beneficial to the American tourism sector that prepares for the big reopening this month.From 8th November, travelers from 33 countries, including the UK and the Schengen Area countries will be allowed to make non-essential trips to the USA again.
Travelers coming from the VWP countries who plan to visit the States do not need to visit Embassy and book appointments long in advance. Obtaining ESTA takes only a couple of minutes and requires only a working electronic device and Internet connection. The handling process lasts only up to 3 business days, so a traveler should submit an online application 3 days in advance of the American trip.
