world
01 August 2023
Among the 40 countries participating in the US program, Hungary was the only country affected by the unprecedented restrictions. The Ministry of Interior described this move as retaliation for the Joe Biden administration.
As of Tuesday, the United States imposed significant restrictions on visa-free travel for people from Hungary due to security concerns related to Hungarian passports issued between 2011 and 2020.
Under the US Visa Waiver Program, citizens of participating countries can travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa for tourism or business purposes, they only need the so-called Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA, Electronic System for Travel Authorization).
From Tuesday, the validity of the ESTA for Hungarian passport holders will be reduced from two years to one year, and the ESTA will be valid for one-time use only.
– writes A POLITICO.
David Pressman, the US ambassador to Budapest, told Politico that the restrictions were imposed because hundreds of thousands of Hungarian passports issued in the simplified naturalization program did not meet strict identity verification requirements.
Among the forty countries participating in the American program, Hungary is the only country affected by the unprecedented restrictions.
The Interior Ministry suspects retaliation
The United States of America has asked Hungary to obtain data on Hungarians abroad who have dual citizenship, the Interior Ministry told MTI on Tuesday.
They wrote that Hungary would not publish this to anyone, because the safety of Hungarians abroad was at stake. “This is why President Joe Biden’s government is taking revenge on the Hungarians,” they added.
