In a September 28, 2021 press release, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, in coordination with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced that Croatia will be added as a new participant in the Visa Waiver Program beginning no later than December 1, 2021. Croatia will be the 40th country to be part of the B-1/B-2 Visa Waiver Program (“VWP”), and nationals of Croatia will be able to apply for visa-free visitor travel through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (“ESTA”).
The VWP allows citizens of designated countries to travel to the US for business or tourism without a visa for stays of up to ninety days. In return, US citizens and nationals are allowed to travel to those countries without a visa for business or tourism purposes for a limited period of time. To travel under the VWP, qualifying applicants must apply through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) online application and receive an electronic travel authorization before boarding US-bound airplanes or cruise ships.
ESTA determines if an individual is eligible for VWP travel. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel, and it is suggested that applications be submitted when foreign nationals first begin planning their trip to the US. Applications must be completed no less than seventy-two hours prior to travel to the US. Once approved, ESTA authorizations are generally valid for two years, though foreign nationals must re-apply under certain circumstances such as when obtaining a new passport, when changing their name, or a when a change in circumstances affects their eligibility. If a foreign national is not eligible for ESTA and thereby not eligible to travel under the VWP, they must apply for a nonimmigrant visa at a US Embassy or Consulate in order to travel to the US. We must also note that ESTA authorizations are not a guarantee of admission to the US; CBP makes determinations on admissibility at the port of entry.
We await announcement of the official date on which Croatian nationals will be eligible for the VWP, and we will continue to update our site as further details become available. In the meantime, please see our previously published article for tips on ESTA travel.