Israel officially in US visa waiver program, State Dept. announces

The United States congratulated Israel for becoming on Wednesday the 41st country to enter the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), stressing that the move is 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 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,” he said.

US Chargé d’Affairs Stephanie Hallett said, “Mazal Tov,” as she explained the details of the program to reporters at the US embassy in Jerusalem.

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 said.

“Those who want to visit the USA will no longer have to wait months just to get an appointment,” Netanyahu said.

“This decision is further evidence of the strong ties between Israel and the USA.” He thanked US President Joe Biden, Blinken, Mayorkas, and former US ambassador to Israel Tom Nides.

US visa waiver doesn't mean no bureaucracy

The VWP does not go into effect until November 30, the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.“Today’s designation is not the end of the process,” it said, adding that it would keep its eye on Israel’s reciprocal treatment of Palestinians with US citizenship.

“As is the process with all VWP countries, the US government will continue to engage with the government of Israel while monitoring its continued implementation of all program requirements, including the reciprocity commitments [with regard to Palestinians] it made to the United States on July 19, 2023,” the statement said.

Israel has long sought to enter the coveted program, which eases travel for its citizens with short travel plans to the US but has failed until now to meet the requirements.

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 said. There is a 72-hour electronic procedure that Israelis must complete before boarding such US-bound flights, she said.

“Israelis will need to submit an application through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization or ESTA before traveling to the United States,” she added. “ESTA is an automated, online system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under VWP.”

The VWP is not open to all Israelis and is a limited entry system that does not eliminate the need for visas for long-term stay or for educational programs, Hallett said.

Those use the ESTA applications system will receive a response within 72 hours and then a two-year visa that is good for multiple trips lasting up to 90 days at a time. But this option is only open to Israelis with valid 10-year biometric passports. 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.

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 said.

Fees already spent in the process of receiving that appointment cannot be refunded, she said, urging 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, valid for 10 years and allowing a six-month stay – double the time of the visas granted under the VWP. Those with a B1/B2 visa can also apply to change their status while in the United States, Hallett 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” that are obtained only through in-person interviews at the embassy, she 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.”

Israelis who are also US citizens cannot use the VWP “to travel to the United States on their Israeli passports,” she added. “US law requires that US citizens enter and depart the United States on their US passports.”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,” she said. “You don’t need to pay any third party to do this. And you shouldn’t. ESTA is easy.”

As part of the program, Israel is expected to reciprocally grant Palestinians with US citizenship limited entry into Israel, including those who live in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Hallett said.

“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,” she said.

To date, a pilot program put in place in recent months has initially met the necessary standard for the program, but the US still plans to monitor the situation, she added.

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, Hallett said. It is an ancillary problem, but the VWP is not contingent upon it, and there is a joint working group seeking to resolve the problem, she said.

Hallett thanked Nides for all his efforts in helping Israel meet the eligibility requirement for the VWP, as well as National Security Adviser 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,” she said.This occurred “not only under Prime Minister Netanyahu but in a process that began under former prime ministers [Naftali] Bennett and [Yair] Lapid,” Hallett said.

US Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), and Peter Welch (D-Vermont) said they did not believe Israel had adhered to, or could adhere to, the reciprocity requirement for Palestinians.

A word of warning

“To date, Israel has failed to meet the ‘Blue Means Blue’ requirement... We are deeply concerned with the Administration’s decision to move forward in violation of that principle,” they said in a joint statement. “We will carefully monitor the situation to determine whether Americans continue to face discrimination based on their ethnicity, national origin, or religion. And we will keep pressing for answers as to how the US government will ensure that Israel ultimately comes into full compliance with VWP requirements.”

Several major US Jewish groups lauded the move.

Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations chairwoman Harriet P. Schleifer and CEO William Daroff said the program would bring “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,” they said in a statement. It “reduces barriers to commerce between American and Israeli entrepreneurs, enhancing American firms’ competitiveness in key sectors such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors.”

Cisco Israel CEO Oren Sagi, who chairs the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, said Israel’s entry into the VWP “is a significant step in the promotion of trade relations between the countries, testifies to the strength of the relationship and its importance, and it will greatly assist Israeli companies and businessmen in their business activities in the US.”

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said: “Today’s important and necessary decision reflects Israel’s status as a key US ally and trading partner and will benefit both countries, paving the way for enhanced travel for business, tourism, and people-to-people engagement between the two allies.”