According to them, the official decision by the US government is expected to be announced by President George Bush. The decision to abolish the visa regime for citizens of South Korea and the listed former Eastern Bloc states, which actively sought this by supporting a number of highly unpopular foreign policy initiatives of the Bush administration, including the war in Iraq, comes into effect next month.
As ITAR-TASS notes, currently citizens of 27 countries, mainly Western Europe, as well as Australia and Japan, enjoy the right of visa-free entry to the US for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days. However, legislation passed by Congress and signed by Bush in August last year allows the list of such countries to be expanded.
It, in particular, provides for the extension of the visa-free regime to those states where the refusal rate for US nonimmigrant visas does not exceed 10%. At the same time, the US authorities obliged citizens of those countries with which Washington maintains a visa-free regime to notify in advance of their travel plans to the United States. Washington now requires that foreigners heading to the United States who do not need an entry visa inform the competent authorities of the host country of these plans at least 72 hours before arrival. Such registration is done via the Internet and is valid for two years.