Effective December 1, 2021, citizens and nationals of Croatia will be able to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a U.S. visa.  The Department of Homeland Security will add Croatia to the Visa Waiver Program, which is a group of countries with historically low levels of visa violations and immigration fraud.  Citizens of these countries normally do not need to have visas to visit the United States.  Visas to study, work and immigrate are still required.   

Traveling on the  Visa Waiver Program (also referred to as ESTA)

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows most citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to apply for a B-1/B-2 visitor visa. Travelers must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to travel.  It should be noted that a person traveling on the ESTA cannot extend his or her stay  beyond the 90 days unless there are compelling reasons preventing departure, like what we just went through during the pandemic, or the traveler is applying for permanent residence based on marriage to a US citizen.  

What Countries Participate in the Visa Waiver Program? 

Croatia joins 39 other participating countries in the Visa Waiver Program including: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has stated that the addition of Croatia as a participant in the Visa Waiver Program is “an important recognition of our countries’ shared economic and security interests”.

This alert is for informational purposes only. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this development further.