US waives visitor visa requirements for Israelis
Visa-free travel for short-term visits to the U.S. for Israelis is now available.
Israel officially became part of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program on Thursday, which allows eligible Israeli citizens and nationals to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days on business or tourism without having to first obtain a visa.
The admittance came earlier than estimated. On Sept. 27, when admittance to VWP was announced, authorities said it would take until Nov. 30 to complete.
"Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program represents a critical step forward in our strategic partnership with Israel that will further strengthen long-standing people-to-people engagement, economic cooperation, and security coordination between our two countries,” Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a Sept. 27 statement.
The VWP requires the person looking to come to the U.S. sans visa to "be from a country that extends to U.S. citizens and nationals the privileges we would extend to their citizens and nationals," according to a DHS press release.
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People can apply for the program via the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) or via its mobile app. Approval may take up to 72 hours.
To be eligible for VWP, Israeli citizens and nationals must have a biometrically enabled passport book. Currently, the application is only available in English, but other languages are slated to come on Nov. 1.
The change comes as the conflict continues to build in the Middle East. The death toll of Israelis and Palestinians surpassed 5,000 on Thursday, becoming the deadliest war on the Gaza Strip.
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israelis granted visa-free short-term travel to the US
