THE FULL LIST OF VWP COUNTRIES
The famous ESTA or Electronic System for Travel Authorization is the fruit of a collaboration between 38 countries which participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) or visa exemption program in French. There are many VWP countries, is France one of them?
WHAT IS THE VISA WAIVER PROGRAM?
The Visa Waiver Program is supported by the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) as well as by the DOS (Department of State). This device allows many foreign nationals to travel to the United States without a visa.
WHAT IS THE USE OF THE WAIVER PROGRAM VISA?
The ESTA was set up (it has been compulsory since 2009) in order to help the American authorities in immigration control and thus, increase security on American soil. It also facilitates administrative procedures for travelers wishing to stay in the United States. And finally, ESTA USA is also intended to finance tourism projects on American soil thanks to the administrative fees which you must pay when applying.
COUNTRIES CONCERNED BY THE VWP
You will understand that not all countries can benefit from the visa waiver program (ENP). France is a beneficiary country of the system. Here are the countries that make up the VWP to date:
| Allemagne | Grèce | Norvège |
| Andorre | Hongrie | Nouvelle-Zélande |
| Australie | Irlande | Portugal |
| Autriche | Italie | République Tchèque |
| Belgique | Islande | Royaume-Uni |
| Brunei | Japon | Saint Martin |
| Chili | Pays-Bas | Singapour |
| Corée du Sud | Lettonie | Slovaquie |
| Croatie | Liechtenstein | Slovénie |
| Danemark | Lituanie | Suède |
| Espagne | Luxembourg | Suisse |
| Estonie | Malte | Taïwan |
| Finlande | Monaco | |
| France | Pologne |
Other countries may soon join this list of VWP, case to follow!
The ESTA visa is valid for two years, day for day; thus, you can make a trip to the United States or more, during this time. Regarding the price of the ESTA visa document, it has become payable since 2010.
IS IT SUFFERING TO BE NATIONAL FROM ONE OF THE COUNTRIES CONCERNED BY THE VWP TO BENEFIT FROM ESTA?
The answer is no ! In fact, despite the fact that you are a citizen of one of the 38 countries concerned by the program, this is not always enough. Other criteria come into play for the delivery of ESTA. Here is a list of the conditions required to be able to stay in the USA thanks to the ESTA authorization:
- bring a biometric passport or an electronic passport if you do not already have one (valid passport );
- go to the United States by plane or boat;
- stay 90 days maximum in the United States;
- traveling to the USA for tourist, business or transit reasons.
Our advice to travelers: you must make your request fairly quickly, as soon as the scheduled date of your trip is known. The document is issued within 72 hours, but it is better to anticipate to avoid too late issuance in case of error. If you want assistance, do not hesitate to make your request online at demande-esta.com, a team will take care of your request by filling out the ESTA form for you and you will just have to think about New -York, Los Angeles, Miami or the state that you will discover during your trip to the USA. You just have to fill out a very simplified form, the team takes care of everything. The American dream begins when you get your ESTA !