Cypriot authorities are making the final preparations for the application for the US Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), which will allow Cypriot passport holders to enter the US without visas.
According to local media, the Cypriot authorities have finalised their preparations and are awaiting the team of experts from the US Department of State and Congress. This team will visit Cyprus before Easter, which means that the delegation will visit during the first half of April, Schengen.News reports.
The Cypriot authorities are positive that the country will be joining the US VWP this spring, following the inclusion of Romania in this programme, which happened at the beginning of the year.
Cyprus Made Robust Progress in Combating Terrorism & Crime
Part of the criteria that has to be met for Cyprus to join the US visa-free programme, was also to enhance the partnership between the US and Cyprus in combating terrorism and crime.
By entering the US programme for visa exclusion, Cypriot citizens can travel to the US for business or tourism purposes for a period of up to 90 days. They are free of the requirement to apply for a B visa, as they currently do.
Another requirement that Cyprus has to meet to be eligible for programme inclusion is visa rejection rates, which should not exceed three per cent. This means that only three per cent of all visa applications that the US authorities receive from Cypriot applicants can be rejected.
This is one of the requirements that Romania struggled with the most during its journey to become a member of the US VWP.
US Increasingly Approving Visa Applications for Cypriots in the Last Decade
In 2023, the US authorities approved 5,537 visa applications filed by Cypriot applicants. This number was up by 50.4 per cent, compared to 3,681 issued in 2022 and seven times higher than 692 visas granted in 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic was ongoing.
The highest number of US visas granted to Cypriot citizens was recorded in 2019 when 6,054 visas were issued. It is evident that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the number of visas granted, resulting in decreases.
According to the VisaGuide Passport IndexCypriot passport holders are allowed to travel visa-free to a total of 115 countries, while a visa is needed for travel to 25 countries in the world. The Cypriot passport will experience a boost when the US scraps visas, increasing the passport score from 88.13 points to where it currently stands.