After the European Parliament voted for the imposition of visas for American citizens to five EU countries, including Croatia, whose citizens require visas to the enter the United States, TCN contacted the US Embassy in Zagreb for a statement. Here is the response we received in full, released on March 6, 2017. (Please note that the initial version of this article stated that this was an official statement, which was not accurate – it was a direct response to our enquiry).
The objective of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is to facilitate travel to the United States while maintaining the highest standards of screening to protect national security.
The requirements for the program are set by law, and under the law eligibility for the VWP must be addressed on a case-by-case, bilateral basis.
The program is open to countries that have very low nonimmigrant visitor visa refusal rates and immigration violations, issue secure travel documents, and work closely with U.S. law enforcement and security authorities.
We have maintained an open dialogue with EU officials—as well as officials from those Member States that require visas for travel to the United States—on this matter. It is premature to speculate on an imposition of visas on U.S. citizens.
