Visa Waiver Program - Seven New Countries Are Added
As of November 17, 2008 seven new countries have been added to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) which allows eligible citizens of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. The 7 new countries are: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia.
Citizens of countries eligible to travel to the United States under the VWP prior to November 17, 2008 are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
So now, there is a total of 34 countries are participating in the VWP.
As of November 17, 2008 the eligible citizens from these seven new countries must obtain approval through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to traveling to the United States under the VWP and starting January 2, 2009, eligible citizens or nationals from all VWP countries will be required to obtain approval through ESTA prior to traveling to the United States under the VWP.
Here is a fact sheet explaining the ESTA and the link provides the necessary ESTA forms.
