President Trump said Friday that the State Department formally
nominated Poland for entry into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
If approved by the Department of Homeland Security, Poland
would be the 39th VWP member, and first country to join the VWP since 2014,
when Chile was admitted.
"This is an important step in continuing to increase
economic, security, cultural and people-to-people connections between our two
nations," the White House said in a statement.
Citizens of VWP countries may enter the United States
without a visa for business or tourism. VWP member nations must meet certain
security requirements such as the vetting of individuals prior to their travel
to the U.S.
U.S. Travel Association CEO Roger Dow praised the news,
saying, "In every case, we have seen inclusion in the VWP immediately
boost visitation from the new member country, and with the great rapport and
strong cultural ties between the U.S. and Poland, we have little doubt that
history will repeat itself here."
Dow added that U.S. Travel would like the VWP to be expanded
to other qualified countries.
"[We] encourage potential members to take steps to meet
the security requirements of the program," he said.