State Department to Add Eastern Europe To Visa Waiver Program

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced last week that it was moving forward with plans to add several East European Countries to the Visa Waiver Program. The program allows citizens from designated countries to come to the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa. The program is used almost exclusively by tourists, because it does not permit the visitor to extend their stay beyond the 90-day period or switch to another status, such as student. At present, the program is restricted primarily to countries in Western Europe, as well as Australia and Japan.

The new additions would include Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia and would go into effect later this year.