ESTA approval for Visa Waiver Travelers required

As of today, travelers who wish to travel to the U.S. by plane or boat and who are traveling without a visa pursuant to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) must obtain approval through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). ESTA aproval is not required for travelers arriving with a valid visa or travelers who wish to enter from Canada or Mexico using the land border posts.

The citizens or nationals of the following countries are currently eligible to travel to the United States under the VWP: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Eight of these countries joined the VWP in 2008, and their citizens and nationals have been required to comply with an ESTA since their designation as VWP participants: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Malta