MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st August, 2023) The United States reduced the validity of entry permits under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) for Hungarian citizens from two years to one year and limited it to a single use, the US Embassy in Budapest said on Tuesday.
"Today, we notified the Government of Hungary that the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) validity period for travel by Hungarian passport holders is reduced from two years to one year. Additionally, the validity of an ESTA for Hungarian passport holders will be limited to a single use," the embassy said in a statement.
The decision will affect only new ESTA applications, therefore, permits approved prior to August 1, 2023 remain valid for two years and can be used for multiple entries, according to the statement.
The embassy said this decision was taken due to fact that the simplified naturalization program introduced by the Hungarian government between 2011 and 2020 allowed nearly 1 million people to receive Hungarian citizenship on a preferential basis, allegedly "without adequate security measures in place to verify their identities."
The reduction of US entry permits' validity will stay in force indefinitely, unless "security concerns underlying it are addressed."
Citizens of countries approved for the VWP program have the right to enter the United States for tourism or business without obtaining a visa. The list of "program countries" includes most European states, as well as Australia, Singapore, Chile, South Korea, and Japan. In general, the United States approves the participation of countries in which, in its assessment, things are going well in the field of combating terrorism, law enforcement agencies are strong, and document processing is secure.
