Newsroom / CNA
The United States is currently reviewing its Visa Waiver Programme and has not admitted any new countries, according to sources familiar with Cyprus’s efforts to join the scheme.
These sources said Washington has acknowledged the progress Cyprus has made in satisfying the technical requirements for membership. At the same time, the US administration is conducting an internal reassessment of the programme itself, and no additional nations have been accepted while that process continues.
The latest information follows a visit to Cyprus in mid-July by a high-level American delegation led by Rob Law, Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Plans at the Department of Homeland Security. During meetings held on 13 and 14 July, US officials discussed Cyprus’s advances toward meeting the programme’s criteria with Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki, Deputy Minister of Migration Nicholas Ioannides and Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Theodora Constantinidou.
A statement issued after the talks confirmed that Cyprus had completed the required technical steps. Further consideration of the application would proceed according to the United States’ own internal procedures, the announcement said.
The US Embassy in Nicosia described the July visit as productive. It noted that discussions also covered growing security cooperation between the two countries, including border security and efforts to combat illegal migration. The embassy statement stressed that the Department of Homeland Security continues to monitor Cyprus’s progress as it evaluates possible designation under the Visa Waiver Programme and looks forward to ongoing collaboration toward that goal.
For Cypriot citizens, entry into the programme would allow short-term travel to the United States without the need to obtain a visa in advance. Officials on both sides have treated the issue as one element of a broader partnership that now includes regional security, law-enforcement cooperation, information sharing and cybersecurity.
While Cyprus has fulfilled the technical conditions, the final decision remains with US authorities. For the moment, the ongoing reassessment of the Visa Waiver Programme means no new members are being added.
