Visa Waiver Program: U.S Department of Homeland Security officials arrive in Croatia

(Photo credit: Miki Bratanić)

ZAGREB, 14 June 2021 – U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials have arrived in Croatia for a week-long visit in connection with Croatia’s progress toward Visa Waiver Program membership.   

The officials are in Croatia working with Government of Croatia partners to advance shared goals and address remaining technical and policy requirements for Croatia joining the joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.  

The U.S. Embassy in Zagreb said in a statement that the people-to-people ties between the United States and Croatia are robust and far-reaching and that the U.S. Embassy team is focused on further strengthening those ties.  

“Croatia is a trusted partner, and travel between our two countries both increases and deepens our strong ties. Our two governments continue close cooperation on meeting the requirements for Visa Waiver Program participation.”

To recap, the final refusal rate for Croatian tourist/business visa applicants fell to 2.69% last year, which was an essential step forward in joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. 

“We look forward to Croatians travelling to the United States visa-free in the near future,” Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Zagreb, Victoria J. Taylor, said earlier this year.

Taylor thanked the Croatian government and Ministry of Interior for substantive progress on meeting the key Visa Waiver Program requirements, from data sharing to border security.  

Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Cyprus are the only European Union member states whose citizens cannot enter the United States without a visa.