Israel Will Join US Visa Waiver Program in September, Netanyahu Announces

Israel has passed the legislative requirements demanded by the United States to join the US Visa Waiver Program, and is expected to be placed on the list of visa-exempt countries for the US in September, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced this morning, calling it “important news to the citizens of Israel.” There are, however, some additional requirements that must be fulfilled by then, Netanyahu said though he did not detail what those requirements are.

The announcement came hours after the Knesset voted to approve the second and third readings of legislation that requires airlines to provide personal information of those traveling in or out of Israel, as well as of those passing through the country. In January, the US Embassy in Israel announced that the annual rejection rate by the United States of Israelis requesting visas had finally dropped below 3%, a requirement to join the program. Last fiscal year the refusal rate stood at 4.92%.

The citizens of some 40 countries already can enter US territory without a visa for up to 90 days at a time, and Israel has long wanted to join that list as part of the US Visa Waiver Program. Israel likely could already be on the list. A bill to fulfill the requirements for visa-free travel to the US had been submitted under the last government but the opposition, led by Netanyahu, refused to vote to approve the legislation as part of its efforts to cripple and bring down the government by stymieing all of its legislative initiatives.