United States: Greece Joins Visa Waiver Program
United States: Greece Joins Visa Waiver Program
Greece has become a member of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced. DHS estimates that, in about 30 days, Greek citizens should be able to begin using the program to make short trips for business or tourism visits without the need to obtain a visa, provided that they meet program requirements.
The Visa Waiver Program allows foreign nationals from designated countries to enter the United States for business visits or tourism visits up to 90 days without the need to obtain a B-1/B-2 visitor visa from a U.S. consulate. Greece joins 35 other countries that already participate in the program. These are Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
To use the VWP, Greek citizens must hold an “e-Passport” embedded with an integrated computer chip that stores the traveler’s biographic data, digital photograph and other information. Like all VWP travelers, they will also be required to register and obtain an approval to travel in the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before departing for the United States. ESTA applications are submitted online at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/, and should be made at least 72 hours before planned travel.
Source: Fragomen
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