visa waiver program

USA: What travellers need to know about the new Visa Waiver Program rules

The FY 2016 appropriations legislation enacted last week contains significant revisions to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).  The new law (1) prohibits citizens of VWP member countries from entering under the program – i.e., visa-free – if they have visited or have dual nationality with certain countries of concern; and (2) imposes more stringent passport requirements on VWP travellers.  

Though several key provisions of the new law took effect when the law was passed on December 18, the Departments of Homeland Security and State have not yet provided guidance on how they will be implemented.  Therefore, many questions about the impact of the new law – particularly the travel restrictions – remain unanswered for now.

The following are Fragomen’s preliminary responses to frequently asked questions about the new VWP passport requirements, travel restrictions and the potential impact of the new law on U.S. citizens travelling to VWP partner countries.  These FAQs will be updated as the government provides more clarity about the revised rules. 

USA: White House enhances security of the Visa Waiver Program

The White House announced a plan on Monday to further enhance the security of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks.  The new security measures are intended to thwart similar attacks in the United States by increasing intelligence sharing between VWP countries and information collection about travellers’ past visits to countries considered terrorist safe havens. Though the Obama Administration has taken a series of steps over the past year to improve the security of the VWP, Monday’s announcement is expected to accelerate these changes and add additional safeguards.