As part of the procedure to offer Cypriot citizens visa-free travel to the US, Cyprus has submitted a bill for the country’s membership to the US Waiver Program. The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives, and it required ratifying a previously signed agreement.
Initially, Cyprus and the US inked this agreement on June 17, 2024, which regulated travel information cooperation between the two countries, VisaGuide.World reports.
One of the key points of this agreement is the risk assessment for people who pose a danger to the public security of these countries.
In the meeting of Cyprus’s Foreign Minister with the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the latter revealed that the two countries have reached new milestones in their dialogue regarding defence, security and energy, among others.
It’s a reflection of the fact that Cyprus is an important player in the region, and a partnership for the United States that we deeply value.
Cyrpus, Romania and Bulgaria are the only countries in the EU that have yet to join the US visa waiver programme.
Cyprus Aims to Have US Visas Scrapped in 6 Months
The government of Cyprus’ spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis said that Cypriot citizens can be visiting the country visa-free by the end of 2024 or early 2025.
Once Cyprus joins the Visa-Free program, they will not need to apply for a visa at the embassy, nor schedule an interview with the US consular. However, they need a B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourism) visa for this trip. Cyprus has been seeking to get on the American VWP for years.
The US is increasingly rising in popularity among Cypriot nationals, considering that over 5,500 visa applications have been approved by the American government in 2023.
US Issued 8.5% Fewer Visas to Cypriot Citizens Due to Pandemic
The official data of the US Department of State shows that Cypriot citizens were granted 5,537 visas in 2023. That is down by 8.5 percent compared to 2019 or pre-pandemic levels when there were no travel restrictions imposed. In 2019, Cypriots were granted a record number of 6,054 visas.
In general, the number of visas granted to Cypriot citizens has increased from 692 in 2021 to 3,681 in the following year and has been on an upward trend ever since.
Visa approval rates are an important factor in the process of joining the Visa Waiver program. It is a requirement for candidate states to have a rejection rate of less than three percent for B1/B2 visas.