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Visa Waiver Program

• Countries Eligible for the Visa Waiver Program
• Visa Waiver Program Expansion
• Biometric passports/Machine Readable passports
• Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) Mandatory requirement as of January 12, 20078

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows travelers from certain countries to enter the United States for a short period for tourism or business without a visa.  Not all countries participate in the VWP, and not all travelers from VWP countries are eligible to use the program.
Travelers are generally eligible to enter the United States on the Visa Waiver Program if:

1. They have a Machine readable fee from an eligible country that is valid for at least six months past your stay in the United States;
2. The purpose of travel to the United States is tourism or business;
3. They will stay less than 90 days in the United States;
4. They have not previously been found ineligible for a visa;
5. They do not have a criminal record or other condition making them ineligible for a visa;
6. They possess a return ticket; and
7. They enter and exit the United States on the passport from the country eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, not the Israeli passport.

Travelers that do not meet these requirements must apply to enter the United States.  

Countries Eligible for the Visa Waiver Program
Bearers of a valid Machine Readable passport from the following countries are eligible to travel to the United States on the Visa Waiver Program:

Note: While Canada is not included in the Visa Waiver Program, citizens of Canada generally do not need a visa to the United States for short trips of tourism or business.  For more information, follow this link to the U.S. Embassy in Canada.  
For further information, you may visit the following website: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/business_pleasure/vwp/vwp.xml

Visa Waiver Program Expansion
On October 17, president Bush announced the expansion of the visa waiver program.  The Department of Homeland Security in consultation with the Department of State, has admitted new countries into the VWP. Nationals of these countries might be able to travel without a visa in mid-November 2008.
The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Republic of Korea, and the Slovak Republic are the first countries to have met the criteria for admission provision.  Nationals of these countries will be required to use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for VWP travel immediately upon the countries’ admission to the program. 
For further information, you may visit the following website: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html

Biometric Passports
Aliens traveling under the Visa Waiver Passport must possess a biometric passport containing an integrated chip with information from the data page except in the following cases:    
-If you hold a machine readable issued prior to October 26, 2005, you may use it for travel.
-If you hold a passport issued between October 26, 2005 and October 25, 2006, and the Machine Readable Passport a digital photograph printed on the data page, you may also use it for travel.
All passports issued after October 26, 2006 must contain an integrated chip. 

ESTA
ESTA is a new fully automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. It has begun to accept voluntary applications starting on August 1, 2008 and will become mandatory beginning January 12, 2009.  ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States, and VWP travelers are encouraged to apply for authorization as soon as they begin to plan a trip to the United States.
 An approved travel authorization via ESTA is:
- Required for all VWP travelers prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the U.S. under the VWP beginning January 12, 2009;
- Valid, unless revoked, for up to two years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first;
- Valid for multiple entries into the U.S. As future trips are planned, or if an applicant’s destination addresses or itineraries change after their authorization has been approved, they may easily update that information through the ESTA Web site; and
- Not a guarantee of admissibility to the United States at a port of entry. ESTA approval only authorizes a traveler to board a carrier for travel to the U.S. under the VWP. (For additional information, please visit "For International Visitors" at www.CBP.gov/travel.
How the Electronic System for Travel Authorization Works
Log onto the ESTA Web site at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov in order to receive more information and complete an on-line application. The website is available in 14 languages. Travelers are encouraged to apply early. The web-based system will prompt you to answer basic biographical and eligibility questions typically requested on a paper I-94W form.