ambassador remarks

Visa-Free Travel to the U.S. in Sight

By Ambassador Richard W. Graber

February 27, 2008

With the signature February 26 in Washington of the framework on visa waiver, the United States and the Czech Republic have taken a huge step towards our common goal of bringing Czechs into the U.S. visa waiver program.  This week’s agreement is the fruit of productive negotiations between our two countries and the fulfillment of a promise President Bush made two years ago.  While both Washington and Prague have more work ahead to meet all the requirements of American legislation on visa waiver, I am optimistic that the Czech Republic will be able to join the program by the end of 2008.

Last year over 35,000 Czech citizens applied for a visa to visit the United States and in the first two months of this year, visa applications are up 15%.   With more and more Czechs interested in traveling to the United States, I expect an even greater increase in travel after the Czech Republic joins the Visa Waiver Program.

Drawing on the language of the new legislation governing VWP and knowing the work U.S. Department of Homeland Security has already undertaken, I would like  to outline the simple steps a Czech citizen will follow under VWP before traveling to the U.S.

For those intending to visit the United States for business or tourism for a period not exceeding 90-days who already have the biometric passport that Czech authorities began issuing in 2006, the main requirement will be to fill out an Electronic System for Travel  Authorization (ESTA) online before or at the time of making plane reservations.

This will mean entering basic biographic information, certainly less information than is requested on a U.S. visa application. The information will be queried against several databases, including those pertaining to lost and stolen passports and criminal and terrorist watch lists. This information will be subject to the same kinds of strict privacy provisions, use limitations, and access controls currently observed by the U.S. government.

An ESTA will be required for each person, adult or child, intending to travel. Unlike current visa procedures, there will be no fee for filling out the form and no waiting for a confirmation or need to schedule an appointment at the Embassy.  Within seconds of completing the online form, travelers will receive an answer.  While the final details of the ESTA system are still being developed, it is expected that each approved ESTA will be valid for a period of two years.  Travelers will be able to visit the U.S. repeatedly within those two years without obtaining a new ESTA. In the small number of cases that an ESTA is not approved, the traveler will be advised and referred to the U.S. Embassy to apply in person for a visa.

The ESTA is a completely new feature of the VWP legislation.   All VWP travelers worldwide will be using the ESTA by June 2009.   The U.S. ESTA will be modeled on a similar system currently in use in Australia.  It will be a preliminary screening of travelers’ eligibility to visit the United States. The ESTA will also provide a level of security screening in advance of boarding that we believe is prudent for aviation safety. For the vast majority of Czech travelers, the ESTA will eliminate the time and expense of applying for a visa. The approved ESTA will enter a computer database that is cross-checked at airports at the time of a teraveler’s check-in.  For the many Czechs who already have a valid U.S. tourist visa in a valid Czech passport, there will be no need to fill out an ESTA.
 
As the United States and Czech Republic move forward in the months ahead to address the requirements outlined in the memorandum we have signed, both our governments intend to provide Czech citizens, directly and through the travel and tourism industries, with more information.

I deeply appreciate the bold and constructive approach the Czech Republic continues to take in promoting the expansion of VWP in accord with American legislation.  The Czech leadership role on this issue will benefit aspirant countries in the region and promote the expansion of VWP around the globe.