USA

USA ESTA | UNITED STATES

COVID infos As of May 12, 2023, it is no longer necessary to be vaccinated against COVID 19 to travel to the USA.

Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows you to travel to the United States with ESTA authorization, without having to apply for a visa. The result of collaboration between Department of Homeland Security and the State DepartmentIt allows nationals of the 41 countries covered by the program, with valid passports, to fill out only the ESTA questionnaire before flying to the United States, rather than having to apply for an ESTA visa. visa application with the American embassy.

This article reviews the entire visa waiver program, its requirements and requirements, the necessary documents and other important details to know.

The conditions necessary to benefit from the Visa Waiver Program

To benefit from the visa waiver offered by the Visa Waiver Program and therefore travel without a visa, you must meet the following conditions:

> List of countries participating in the Program

Here is the list of the 41 participating countries as of December 1, 2023:

GermanySpain Liechtenstein UK
AndorraFinlandLithuania San Marino
AustraliaFranceLuxemburg Singapore
AustriaGreeceMalta Slovakia
BelgiumHungarymonaco Slovenia
BruneiIrelandNorway Sweden
ChileIcelandNew Zealand Swiss
CroatiaIsrael (2023)Netherlands Taiwan
South KoreaItaly Poland
Denmark JapanPortugal
Estonia Latvia Czech republic
List of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries

> Recent changes (2016) made to the exemption program

In recent years, the United States has implemented a change to the visa-free program, and these changes have been made under the “Enhancing the Visa Waiver and Terrorist Prevention Program” Act. .

Since this law, some travelers can no longer travel to the United States as part of the visa waiver program, are concerned:

> How does a country adhere to the visa waiver program?

To become a member of the Visa Waiver Program, a country must meet certain conditions:

Benefits and limitations of VWP travel

The benefits of the visa waiver program are numerous. You will not have to apply for a visa, which takes time, effort and a lot of documents. With minimal effort on a computer, you can get VWP approval and get ready to plan your trip to the United States. You will also avoid long processing times. Therefore, if you are traveling for work or traveling to the United States. as soon as possible, you can do it with the VWP.

What’s more, the Visa Exception Program also allows you to take a short break in Canada, Mexico or even an island close to the USA. When you return to U.S. soil after this little excursion, you’ll be able to re-enter the U.S. with your ESTA authorization. Of course, these short stays abroad are included in the maximum period of presence authorized, i.e. a maximum of 90 days.

> What activities are allowed with an ESTA?

First of all, you need to review the activities allowed under the Visa Waiver Program. The ESTA only allows you to carry out certain activities in the United States. Here is a list of possible activities:

> What are the limitations of the visa waiver program

With an ESTA obtained under the Visa Waiver Program, you cannot carry out all possible activities in the United States. Here are some activities you are not allowed to do in the United States under the Visa Waiver Program: