2007 press releases

U.S. Embassy Welcomes New Security Act (Visas)

Prague, August 6, 2007

The U.S. Embassy is pleased that Congress took action on President Bush's initiative for more flexibility to grant our allies access to the visa waiver program (VWP) and make our nations more secure.

When President Bush signed the Improving America’s Security Act of 2007 at 10:15 on August 3, we moved closer to freer travel and greater contacts between our two nations. This is good news for the Czech Republic and for the United States.

In a statement on the signing, President Bush said, “I appreciate the steps taken to modernize the Visa Waiver Program, particularly the additional security measures, but I will continue to work with Congress to advance our security and foreign policy objectives by allowing greater flexibility to bring some of our closest allies into the program.”

There are many points outlined in the law that must be met for a country to accede to the VWP, including reporting of lost and stolen passports, repatriation agreements, and attaining specific targets in visa refusal rates or overstay rates.  Much work also remains to be done on the U.S. side to meet the requirements of the new law, including implementing electronic travel authorization and an air exit tracking system. 

We look forward to working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Interior Ministry to help the Czech Republic meet the requirements for the Visa Waiver Program as outlined in this law.