Press Releases 2008
Substantial Progress on Greece’s Admission to the Visa Waiver Program
Athens (October 17, 2008) -- Confirming the substantial progress made in bilateral talks on the Visa Waiver Program, U.S. Ambassador to Greece Daniel V. Speckhard expressed optimism about Greece’s prospects for admission. “It’s just a matter of time now,” he said following today’s White House ceremony for candidate countries, “and I believe both sides are committed to completing the negotiations soon.”
In meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, U.S. Embassy Athens officials discussed the latest drafts of three key documents with Greek counterparts. The basic Memorandum of Understanding establishes the bilateral framework for the program. The text of two implementing arrangements concerns counter-terrorism measures and exchanges of law enforcement information.
At the White House, also today, Greece was among the 13 candidate countries represented at a Rose Garden ceremony. U.S. President George W. Bush announced that seven of these countries, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and South Korea, have completed the necessary documentation and will be formally admitted to the program shortly. The President also expressed his support for the admission of the other six states: Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, and Romania.
The VWP currently allows the citizens of 27 countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. For more details about the VWP and the related Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), visit:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html