The United States congratulated Israel for becoming the 41st country on Wednesday to enter the visa waiver program, the State Department announced, adding that the move was a reflection of the strong ties between the two nations.
“Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program represents a critical step forward in our strategic partnership with Israel that will further strengthen long-standing people-to-people engagement, economic cooperation, and security coordination between our two countries,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
“This important achievement will enhance freedom of movement for US citizens, including those living in the Palestinian Territories or traveling to and from them,” he added.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said, “This designation, which represents over a decade of work and coordination between the United States and Israel, will enhance our two nations’ collaboration on counterterrorism, law enforcement, and our other common priorities. Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program, and the stringent requirements it entails, will make both of our nations more secure.”
The Chargé d’Affairs Stephanie Hallett at the US Embassy in Jerusalem told reporters “Mazal Tov!” as she explained the details of the program.
Congratulations Israel for becoming part of the Visa Waiver Program! We are proud of this joint success, bringing the American and Israeli people even closer together. pic.twitter.com/loPRY7leh5
— Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Stephanie Hallett (@USAmbIsrael) September 27, 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Today we mark an important and joyful moment for all citizens of Israel.”
“We have worked on this for many years, close to a decade, even more so in the last year when we passed extensive legislation in the Knesset, legislation that enabled the legal basis for this move,” he explained.
“Those who want to visit the USA will no longer have to wait months just to get an appointment,” Netanyahu stated.
“This decision is further evidence of the strong ties between Israel and the USA,” Netanyahu stressed as he thanked US President Joe Biden, Blinken, Mayorkas and former US Ambassador Tom Nides.
US visa waiver doesn’t mean no bureaucracy
Hallet cautioned the Israeli citizens who have long dreamed of this moment that the process, which does not go into effect until November 30 of this year, are still required to undergo a bureaucratic procedure to gain entry to the US.
Israel’s entry into the visa waiver program “does not mean that Israeli citizens without US visas can head for Ben-Gurion Airport now for a quick flight to the United States,” Hallett stated.
There is a 72-hour electronic procedure that Israelis must complete before boarding such US-bound flights, she explained.
“Israelis will need to submit an application through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization or ESTA before traveling to the United States.
“ESTA is an automated, online system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under VWP,” Hallett said.
It is also not open to all Israelis and is a limited entry system that does not eliminate the need for visas for all travel purposes, Hallett explained.
Those who choose to use the procedure must “submit an application through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before traveling to the US,” Hallett said.
“ESTA is an automated, online system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under Visa Waiver Program (VWP), Hallett explained.
Those use the ESTA applications system will receive a response within 72 hours and receive a two-year visa that is good for multiple trips lasting up to 90 days at a time, she said.
But this option is only open to Israelis with valid 10-year biometric passports, Hallett explained.
Israelis without such passports must still use the existing visa application system, which is done through an in-person visit to the embassies in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Hallett said.
Israelis who have an existing “visa interview for short-term travel to the United States” should not cancel that appointment and should attend it, Hallett stated.
Fees already spent in the process of receiving that appointment can not be refunded, she explained, as she urged Israelis not to contact the embassy with requests to receive their money back.
The two-year visa option is a limited travel document that is not the equivalent of a B1/B2 tourist visa that is valid for 10 years and allows a six-month stay, double the time of the visas granted under the waiver program, Hallett said.
Those with a B1/B2 visa can also apply to change their status while in the United States, she said, adding that those who entered through the waiver program cannot do so.
“All Israelis going to the United States for longer visits or for things like studying, working, or exchange programs will always require visas” obtained only through in-person interviews at the embassy, Hallett said.
“You cannot travel to the United States under VWP for this. If you attempt to do so, you could be denied entry into the United States,” she stated.
US citizens cannot use the waiver program “to travel to the United States on their Israeli passports. US law requires that US citizens enter and depart the United States on their US passports,” she said.
A word of warning
Hallett also cautioned Israelis to be aware of third-party scams by those offering to do the process for them or suggesting alternative websites.
Israelis “should only use the ESTA application on the Department of Homeland Security website. You don’t need to pay any third party to do this. And you shouldn’t. ESTA is easy,” Hallett said.
Israel is expected as part of the program to reciprocally grant Palestinians with US citizenship limited entry into Israel, including those who live in the West Bank and Gaza.
“Israel committed in writing to the US that all US citizens traveling with a US passport may seek to enter Israel without regard to national origin, religion and ethnicity,” Hallett said.
To date, a pilot program put in place in the last months has initially met the necessary standard for the program but the US still plans to monitor the situation, she explained.
Hallett said there is still an issue that is being worked out regarding vehicles that are used both in Israel and the Palestinian territories by US citizens. She noted that is an ancillary problem, but the VWP is not contingent upon it.
There is she said a joint working group that is seeking to resolve the problem.
Hallett thanked former US ambassador Tom Nides for all his efforts in helping Israel meet the eligibility requirement for the Visa Waiver program as well as Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hangebi “who has been a steadfast partner of the embassy over these many months.”
“And I have to thank the many many Israeli officials from across the government who worked tirelessly to help Israel meet the stringent qualifications to enter the program over the course of the last two years,” Hallett said.
This occurred “not only under Prime Minister Netanyahu but in a process that began under former prime ministers [Naftali] Bennett and [Yair] Lapid.”
Harriet P. Schleifer, Chair, and William Daroff, CEO, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP), issued a statement on Wednesday commending the decision. “The Conference of Presidents welcomes the State of Israel’s long overdue admission to the Visa Waiver Program by the US Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State. Israel now joins more than 40 Visa Waiver Program countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom, and South Korea, whose citizens enjoy the ability to travel to the United States without a visa for 90 days.
“Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program will bring tangible benefits to both American and Israeli citizens. The relatives of Jewish Americans in Israel will no longer be forced to go through a lengthy, expensive, and cumbersome process to visit their families. Additionally, Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program reduces barriers to commerce between American and Israeli entrepreneurs, enhancing American firms’ competitiveness in key sectors such as AI and Semiconductors.
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