Non-Immigrant Visas

Visa Waiver Program

With the signing on March 17, 2008 of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and Hungary, many people are asking questions about Hungary’s eventual membership in the Visa Waiver Program. We wish to emphasize that the MOU is a key interim step in making it possible for Hungarians to travel for tourism and business to the United States, but that several additional steps remain.

Hungarians continue to require visas to travel to, or transit through, the United States and it is too early to predict when that may change.

Here are some answers to some of the Frequently Asked Questions regarding Hungary’s participation in the Visa Waiver Program:

Q. What steps still remain before Hungarians may begin traveling visa free, and how soon might this happen?

A. The United States and Hungary will still need to sign implementing agreements on several areas of security cooperation, and both countries are working hard to do this as soon as possible.

Hungary’s membership in the Visa Waiver Program will also be contingent upon the refusal rate for Hungarian citizens applying for visitor’s visas in the United States fiscal year ending September 30, 2008. Under the applicable law, that rate must not exceed 10 percent. The rate for the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2007 was 10.3 percent, and past and current trends give us good grounds for hoping that this requirement may be met this year.

There are also requirements that the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must still meet before new countries including Hungary can be admitted to the Visa Waiver Program. Specifically, the law calls on DHS to 1) Implement an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) by which travelers request authorization in advance via an Internet-based form, and 2) Increase collection of exit data from 93 percent of departing visitors to 97 percent. DHS has expressed confidence that both of these requirements will be in place by the end of this year.

Q. What will the requirements be once Hungarians are eligible for travel under the Visa Waiver Program?

A. Only individuals traveling for less than 90 days for tourism, business, or transit may travel under the Visa Waiver Program. Individuals planning to study, work, perform as entertainers, or journalists, among others, will still require visas.

Individuals will need to hold a valid Hungarian E-passport, which Hungary began issuing around August 2006. These passports are typically maroon-colored, whereas older Hungarian non-E-passports are normally blue.

In addition, Hungarian citizens will need to request a Travel Authorization online via a web-based Electronic System for Travel Authorization. Precise details of this program have still to be determined. As this system approaches implementation and additional details become available, we will post those details at the Embassy web site.

• Further Information on the Visa Waiver Program

Last updated: 03/13/2008