Faced with the escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas, the United States activated the visa waiver program for Israelis Thursday October 19, allowing those wishing to visit the United States for 90 days or less to enter without needing to apply for a visa.
On September 27, the United States announced that Israel would be part of the visa waiver program.The U.S. is the only country in the world whose citizens can travel to the U.S. for three months without needing a visa, joining a select group of 40 countries, mainly in Europe and Asia.
Initial program start-up date
Initially, it was communicated that Israelis could begin traveling to the U.S. without visas from November 30. However, Israel has encountered difficulties in meeting the reciprocity requirement, which essentially means that all US citizens, including Palestinian Americans, must be treated equally when traveling to or transiting through Israel.
Early implementation of the visa waiver program
Following the various complications encountered, the visa-free program was finally implemented ahead of schedule to allow Israelis to benefit from simplified access to the United States. This decision reflects the close and privileged relations between the two countriesdespite the difficulties raised by the reciprocity requirement.
Benefits for Israeli travellers
- Ease of travel : Israelis no longer need to apply for a visa to stay in the United States for up to 90 days. All you need is an ESTA!
- Time-saving : Administrative procedures are greatly simplified, saving considerable time.
- Savings : Visa fees are now waived for these short trips, which represents a saving for Israeli travelers.