New visa waiver countries
On October 17, President Bush announced the imminent expansion of the Visa Waiver Program(VWP) to include the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, the Republic of Korea and the Slovak Republic.
However, the United States must still complete certain internal steps required by statute before we can complete VWP expansion. Nationals of each country above continue to require visas to travel to the United States during that period. DHS has announced that nationals of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Republic of Korea and the Slovak Republic will be able to travel without a visa for tourist and business travel of 90 days or less beginning on November 17 provided they possess a biometric passport and register on-line through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
Review the Visa Waiver Program quick reference handout, as well as this webpage to learn more about VWP travel. For the full text of the President’s statement see the Press Release.
