Seven Nations to Join U.S. Visa Waiver Program

Six more nations also working to gain admission

By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr.

President Bush speaks with diplomats outside the White House after adding seven countries to the visa waiver program.

Washington — Citizens from six European nations and South Korea will be able to travel to the United States for short-term business or tourism without a visa in about a month, President Bush says.

The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and South Korea will be added to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. The program allows their citizens to travel to the United States for stays up to 90 days without first obtaining a visa.

“All of the nations represented here today allow American citizens to travel to their countries visa-free,” Bush said at an October 17 ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. “For years the leaders of these nations have explained to me how frustrating it is for their citizens to wait in lines and pay visa fees to take a vacation or make a business trip or visit their families here in the United States. These close friends of America told me that it was unfair that their people had to jump through bureaucratic hoops that other allies can walk around. I told them I agree with them.”

Bush also expressed support for the eventual inclusion of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Poland and Romania in the Visa Waiver Program. He said these nations currently are participating in the “visa waiver road map” process.

“We look forward to the day when your countries join the Visa Waiver Program,” Bush said to their ambassadors. Ambassadors from the 13 nations attended the White House ceremony.

Before the new additions October 17, the Visa Waiver Program was applied to 27 nations. The seven nations newly admitted to the program agreed to share information about security threats to the United States, and said their citizens would use a new system that requires travelers to register online ahead of their visits to the United States.

“I believe the best foreign policy for America is one that lets people from other countries get to know this country firsthand,” Bush said. “Extending this opportunity to some of our closest allies deepens our friendship and makes all our countries safer.”

The Bush administration’s expansion of the Visa Waiver Program was part of a larger effort to implement recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission.

A transcript of the president's remarks is available on America.gov.