Argentina could enter the U.S. Visa Waiver Program

The United States government is currently looking at the possibility of extending the “Visa Waiver” program to include citizens of Chile, Argentina and Brazil, Rodger Dow, President of the U.S. travel association, announced recently.

The Visa Waiver Program allows entry into the U.S. by foreign tourists from selected countries, for up to 90 days without having to obtain a tourist visa.

“We are looking at the possibility of extending the Visa Waiver program for Argentina, Brazil and Chile,” said Dow during the 42nd International Pow Wow, an international business conference taking place this week in Orlando, Florida.

In this annual travel conference, over 1,000 U.S. travel organizations meet with over 1,500 international buyers in order to create future business negotiations which, in turn, generates billions of dollars in future U.S. travel and tourism.

According to Dow, this extension could happen in the next 26 months, “Although there are still a lot of steps to be taken.”

Recently, the Obama administration announced the extension to include the country and citizens of Greece.

The Visa Waiver program now includes the majority of Western Europe, along with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore.

The program used to include Argentina and Uruguay, but both were excluded in 2002 and 2003 due to the economic crisis that happened in both countries in 2001.

About the Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables nationals of 36 participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business (visitor [B] visa purposes only) for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. The program was established to eliminate unnecessary barriers to travel, stimulating the tourism industry, and permitting the Department of State to focus consular resources in other areas. VWP eligible travelers may apply for a visa, if they prefer to do so. Nationals of VWP countries must meet eligibility requirements to travel without a visa on VWP, and therefore, some travelers from VWP countries are not eligible to use the program. VWP travelers are required to have a valid authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to travel, are screened at the port of entry into the United States, and are enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security’s US-VISIT program.

Currently, 36 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program, as shown below:

- Andorra
- Hungary
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Iceland
- Norway
- Austria
- Ireland
- Portugal
- Belgium
- Italy
- San Marino
- Brunei
- Japan
- Singapore
- Czech Republic
- Latvia
- Slovakia
- Denmark
- Liechtenstein
- Slovenia
- Estonia
- Lithuania
- South Korea
- Finland
- Luxembourg
- Spain
- France
- Malta
- Sweden
- Germany
- Monaco
- Switzerland
- Greece
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom
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SOURCES:

“US Visa Waive program could include Chile, Argentina and Brazil”
May 20, 2010
MercoPress
http://en.mercopress.com
http://en.mercopress.com/2010/05/20/us-visa-waive-program-could-include-chile-argentina-and-brazil

“Visa Waiver Program”
U.S. Department of State
http://travel.state.gov
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html