Countries participating in the US Visa Waiver Program can stay in the United States for up to 90 days without a visa for tourism or business purposes, i.e. through the Electronic Travel Authorization (ESTA) system, but as of Tuesday, a serious restriction came into effect for Hungarian passport holders.
If someone wants to enter the United States with a Hungarian passport, in his case the validity of the ESTA will be reduced from two years to one year, and from now on he will only be entitled to use it once, Politico. Currently, 40 countries participate in the US program, but the newly announced restrictions affect only Hungary.
David Pressman, the US ambassador to Budapest, said before the announcement that over the nine years between 2011 and 2020, Hungary issued hundreds of thousands of passports under the simplified naturalization program without checking identity verification mechanisms that meet strict requirements.
The ambassador added: The Hungarian government decided to ignore security concerns, which prompted the United States to respond.
the 24.He I noticed that the US Embassy has published the following text: On his Facebook page“The United States government has made significant efforts over many years to avoid this amendment and address the long-standing security risks arising from the streamlined naturalization process. Despite this, the Hungarian government has decided not to address the concerns raised and has done nothing to meet the requirements of the Visa Waiver Program in all respects.”
Official information also indicates that the reduction in ESTA validity only applies to new ESTA applications received after this statement came into effect, i.e. it is not retroactive. ESTA permits issued before August 1, 2023 are still valid for two years and entitle you to multiple entries.
Politico adds: Washington’s decision comes at a time when Hungary has a contentious relationship with its Western allies. They separately note that the Hungarian parliament has yet to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO, but they briefly touch on Hungary’s pro-Russian policy, as well as government actions that negatively impact the LGBTQ community.
