Editing Visa Waiver Program (section)

==Eligible countries==
{{Politics of the United States |expanded= Foreign}}

To be eligible for a visa waiver under the VWP, the traveler seeking admission to the United States must be a national of a country that has been designated by the [[U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security]], in consultation with the [[U.S. Secretary of State|Secretary of State]], as a "program country". [[Permanent residency|Permanent residents]] of designated countries who are not their nationals do not qualify for a visa waiver. The criteria for designation as program countries are specified in Section 217(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ({{UnitedStatesCode|8|1187}}). The criteria stress passport security, a visitor visa refusal rate below 3%, and a reciprocal visa waiver for U.S. nationals, among other requirements.

As of 2025, nationals of 42 countries are eligible for entry into the United States without a visa under the VWP:<ref name=vwp>{{cite web | url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html | title=Visa Waiver Program | publisher=U.S. Department of State | location=Washington}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dhs.gov/visa-waiver-program | title=U.S. Visa Waiver Program | publisher=U.S. Department of Homeland Security | location=Washington | accessdate=January 20, 2025}}</ref>

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* {{flag|European Union}} [[Member state of the European Union|member states]] {{small|(except [[Bulgaria]], [[Cyprus]] and [[Romania]])}}{{efn|ESTA is not available for nationals of [[Hungary]] born outside Hungary.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hu.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-waiver-program/ | title=Visa Waiver Program|publisher=U.S. Department of State | location=Budapest}}</ref>}}{{efn|Only holders of [[biometric passport]]s. [[German passport#Child's Passport|German child passports]], which could be requested for children under age 12 as an alternative to a standard German passport before 2024, are not biometric and thus are not eligible for ESTA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://de.usembassy.gov/visa-waiver-program/ |title=Visa Waiver Program |publisher=U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Germany}}</ref> The last passports of this kind were set to expire at the end of 2026.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/prado/en/DEU-AO-02002/index.html |title=Document: DEU-AO-02002 |work=Public Register of Authentic identity and travel Documents Online |publisher=European Council and Council of the European Union}}</ref>}}
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*{{flag|Andorra}}
*{{flag|Australia}}
*{{flag|Brunei}}
*{{flag|Chile}}
*{{flag|Iceland}}
*{{flag|Israel}}{{efn|Only holders of [[biometric passport]]s issued with full validity, which can only be requested in person in Israel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/visa-waiver-travel-for-israeli-citizens.html |title=Visa Waiver Travel for Israeli Citizens |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=October 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://il.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-waiver-program-vwp-2/esta-faqs/ |title=ESTA – FAQS |publisher=U.S. Embassy in Israel}}</ref> Passports requested at [[Israeli diplomatic missions]] abroad, which are not biometric, and those requested online or for recent immigrants in Israel, which are issued with reduced validity, are not eligible for ESTA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://new.embassies.gov.il/usa/en/services/israeli-citizens/issuance-travel-documents-passport-citizens-and-residents-israel |title=Issuance of travel documents (passport) for citizens and residents of Israel |publisher=Embassy of Israel in Washington |date=17 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.il/en/service/application-for-biometric-docs |title=Get a biometric passport or identity card online |publisher=Government of Israel |date=30 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/reports/olim_passport_or_travel_doc/en/traveldoc_eng.pdf |title=Immigrants ("olim"): eligibility for a passport or a travel document |publisher=Population and Immigration Authority of Israel |date=July 2021}}</ref>}}
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*{{flag|Japan}}
*{{flag|Liechtenstein}}
*{{flag|Monaco}}
*{{flag|New Zealand}}
*{{flag|Norway}}
*{{flag|Qatar}}
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*{{flag|San Marino}}
*{{flag|Singapore}}
*{{flag|South Korea}}
*{{flag|Switzerland}}
*{{flag|Taiwan}}{{efn|Only holders of passports with a [[National identification card (Taiwan)|national identification number]].}}
*{{flag|United Kingdom}}{{efn|Only [[British nationality law|British citizens]] are eligible for the visa waiver.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-waiver-program/machine-readable-biometric-passports/ | title=Machine Readable Biometric Passports|publisher=U.S. Department of State | location=London}}</ref>}}
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