United States Vice President Mike Pence and President of Poland Andrzej Duda have announced that the U.S. will welcome Poland into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), pending the completion of program requirements. As part of the VWP, Polish citizens will be granted access to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business stays for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa.
In order to travel to the U.S. without a visa on the VWP, travelers must have a valid authorization through the Electronic System of Travel Authorization (ESTA). With an approved ESTA, travelers will be allowed to travel to any U.S. port of entry and request permission to enter. In most cases, a traveler’s ESTA will be valid for a total of two years.
According to the U.S. Travel Association’s Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Barnes, the Visa Waiver Program has proven valuable to the U.S. travel sector and “almost instantly increases the numbers of thoroughly vetted travelers.” Additionally, Barnes added that the “U.S. Travel community could not be happier that Poland is in the home stretch to join the VWP fold.”
In addition to allowing Polish travelers visa-free travel, the program also enables 38 other participating countries access, such as Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Monaco, Japan and Portugal.
For more information on VP Pence’s meeting, visit www.whitehouse.gov.
For more information on U.S. Travel Association, visit www.ustravel.org.
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