Visa Waiver Program

Visa Waiver Program is applicable for participating nationals who are authorized to travel to the US and leave the US without any Visa, but within a restricted period of time of 90 days for the purpose of business or tourist visits.

The countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program are as follows:- Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United kingdom.

All the 27 countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program or VWP can use the program under the following specifications:

1. 90-day stay in the US for business or vacation reasons.
2. Transit through the US with Visa Waiver Program is permitted for business and tourist reasons.
3. Transit through the US for foreign media executives is not possible under Visa Waiver Program because it is not a business or tourist activity. They may need to specially avail a media visa or visitor visa.
4. Any Visa Waiver Program user should have a Machine Readable Passport that is valid for 6 months more than the intended period of stay. This is applicable to all regular, diplomatic, or official reasons with the visit not more than 90 days. The validity of the passport may hold exemptions if there are specific country specific agreements for this purpose.
5. Visa Waiver Program beneficiaries cannot use the same to travel with private aircraft or with non-signatory modes of transport. Citizens with criminal records from qualifying Visa Waiver Program countries may not benefit from VWP.
6. Visa Waiver Program users are supposed to pay a small land border fee at the ports of entry in to the U.S.
7. DHS (Department of homeland Security) and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) stresses the need for Valid Machine Readable Passports with all features enlisted in it with the prescribed MRP failing which the VWP may not be applicable for any qualifying nationalities.
8. Readmission to the U.S. after short travel to adjacent islands, Canada and Mexico is possible, but the travel time gets reduced from the 90 days time period.

E-passport or biometric passport is the important requirement for VWP the lack of which will entitle the traveler to travel via normal visa. All travelers from VWP countries are not always eligible to use the VWP. Every Visa Waiver Program traveler is screened and enrolled in the DHS US visit program before entry with the visa waiver.