Visa Waiver Program Now Includes Greece

Effective April 5, 2010, Greek nationals are now eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), meaning they can visit the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa in advance at a U.S. consular post overseas. (See: Designation of Greece for the Visa Waiver Program, Office of the Secretary, DHS, 75 Federal Register 15991, 31.Mar.2010) The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens and eligible nationals of participating VWP countries to travel to the United States for business or pleasure without first getting a nonimmigrant visa, as long as they are otherwise eligible for admission.

Foreign nationals seeking admission under the VWP must be from a participating country and, among other criteria, must present an electronic or machine-readable passport from a VWP country at the port of departure, possess a valid round-trip ticket, fill out the required immigration forms, and not represent a threat to the welfare, health, safety, or security of the United States. Participants also must not have violated U.S. immigration law during a prior VWP admission, and must obtain pre-departure travel authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

The list of VWP-eligible countries now grows to 36, including: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.



Disclaimer: The information provided here is of a general nature and may not apply to any specific or particular circumstance. It is not to be construed as legal advice nor presumed indefinitely up to date.