As we reported on the index, the United States announced on August 1 that it would change visa regulations for Hungary due to security concerns.
Citizens of countries participating in the US Visa Waiver Program may travel to the United States without a visa for up to ninety days for tourism or business purposes. Travelers under the Visa Waiver Program need a valid so-called electronic travel authorization system, and ESTA approval.
From August 1st
The validity of the ESTA has been reduced from the previous two years to one year.
The United States made its decision citing security concerns, as it believes that between 2011 and 2022, the Hungarian state did not provide sufficient information about the identity of passports issued during this period.
Is there hope for visa restrictions to be eased?
As we also mentioned, the Interior Ministry, led by Sándor Pinter, responded to this case. The United States allegedly asked Hungary for data on Hungarians abroad with dual citizenship, which the Hungarian government was not prepared to do, because the safety of Hungarians abroad was at stake.
According to the short announcement you sent to our newspaper, the government of US President Joe Biden is taking revenge on the Hungarians.
In Washington, already at the beginning of the summer, it was proposed to take the necessary tightening steps. The Ministry of the Interior and the concerned American authorities have been searching for a solution to the problem for some time
– Announce Free Europe. The newspaper knows that it was possible to reach a possible settlement, If Hungary pledged to immediately respond to information requests from Americans instead of handing over the database.
It was noted that the United States is not treating the situation as final.
The campaign is scheduled to continue until security concerns are resolved.
In the event of anger, there may even be a mandatory visa
According to the portal, the US government may soon decide to relax the rules, but if the situation worsens, there is also a possibility that compulsory visa measures will be imposed against Hungarian citizens.
They added that the bad relationship between the Biden government and the Hungarian government does not help improve the situation. As we wrote, since the appointment of US Ambassador David Pressman, the atmosphere in the Hungarian leadership has been particularly tense. For example, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán joked about the ambassador's name and called him a “news man,” implicitly suggesting that he wanted to put pressure on Hungarian government policy.
