Croatia becomes 40th country that can travel visa-free to U.S.

Croatia has become the 40th country where citizens can travel to the U.S. without a visa, the Departments of State and Homeland Security said on Tuesday.

The joint statement says the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will be updated by Dec. 1 to allow citizens from Croatia to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days for business or tourism without a visa.

“Today’s designation of Croatia as a new participant in the Visa Waiver Program is an important recognition of our countries’ shared economic and security interests,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.  

“I congratulate Croatia for becoming the 40th member of the VWP after having met strict requirements, and I look forward to our continued close cooperation on key priorities,” he added.

Other countries added to the visa waiver list in the past decade include Chile, Poland and Taiwan.

To get on the list, a country must continuously hit requirements pertaining to counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security and border management

A country must issue secure travel documents, have a refusal rate for nonimmigrant visas under three percent and work with U.S. authorities on counterterrorism.

The statement said this designation will go towards “further strengthening long-standing economic and security cooperation between the United States and Croatia.”