NICOSIA – Cypriots expect to soon be able to travel to the United States without a visa as authorities on the island are making final preparations for the application for the US Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) travelers have long awaited.
Cypriot media said officials on the island are now awaiting the team of experts from the US Department of State and Congress to visit the island before Easter in early April as the hopes are rising, noted Schengen.News.
https://schengen.news/cyprus-expects-to-finalise-visa-free-travel-agreement-with-us-in-april/
Part of the criteria that has to be met for Cyprus to join the US visa-free program, was also to enhance the partnership between the US and Cyprus in combating terrorism and crime, a key point.
By entering the US program 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 program inclusion is visa rejection rates, which should not exceed three percent. In 2023, the US approved 5,537 visa applications filed by Cypriot applicants.
That was up 50.4 percent, 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 news site noted.
The highest number of US visas granted to Cypriot citizens was recorded in 2019 when 6,054 visas were issued just before the Coronavirus stuck the world and nearly halted international air travel.
According to the VisaGuide Passport Index, Cypriot passport holders are allowed to travel visa-free to a total of 115 countries, while a visa is needed for travel to 25. 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.
