February 16, 2021 – It's official! The American Embassy in Croatia today formally confirmed Croatians USA Visa-free travel. Croatians will have the right to travel to the USA without a Visa from later this year.

The American Embassy in Croatia today officially confirmed Croatians USA Visa-free travel. Having met the final stipulation set by the USA in 2020, Croatians right to travel to the USA without a Visa will be open later this year.

Tweeting from the official account of the American Embassy in Croatia, the news of Croatians USA Visa-free travel was released at 16.49 on Tuesday 16 February 2021. This is the first time that official confirmation of Croatians USA Visa-free travel has come from America authorities.

The main precondition set by the USA for the abolition of visa requirement for Croatians visiting America was a drop in the number of denied Visa applications to below 3%. Croatia attained that result back in September 2020. Total Croatia News was the first English language media in the world to reveal the stipulation had been met, granting Croatians USA Visa-free travel.

It’s official! The final refusal rate for Croatian tourist/business visa applicants fell to 2.69% last year, an essential step forward in joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. We look forward to Croatians travelling to the United States visa-free in the near future.

— Chargé d’Affaires Taylor (@USAmbCroatia) February 16, 2021

"It's official! The final rejection rate for Croatian tourist / business visa applicants fell to 2.69% last year, an important step forward in joining the US visa waiver program. We look forward to Croatians travelling to the United States visa-free in the near future, ” wrote Victoria J. Taylor, Deputy American Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia. She went on to thank the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian government for their help in securing Croatians USA Visa-free travel.

Many thanks to @VladaRH, @mup_rh and @MVEP_hr for U.S.-Croatia teamwork and substantive progress on key Visa Waiver Program (VWP) requirements, from data sharing to border security. We will continue to cooperate closely with Croatia and complete all remaining VWP requirements.

— Chargé d’Affaires Taylor (@USAmbCroatia) February 16, 2021

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ZAGREB, October 19, 2020 - The percentage of rejected visa applications for travel to USA has fallen below 3% for Croatians, however, visas will probably not be abolished until the end of this year, US Ambassador Robert Kohorst said in Zagreb on Monday.

Croatia's refusal rate for travel visa applications has formally fallen below three percent, Kohorst told reporters in Zagreb.

Apart from this crucial requirement, some technical conditions need to be met for the implementation of the Visa Waiver Program, and US services needs to be convinced on the ground that all the procedures in Croatia hve been conducted, said the diplomat.

During his visit to the Ministry of the Interior's "Ivan Vucetic" Forensic Science Centre, Kohorst reassured the press that visa requirements would be abolished soon but that it would not happen before 31 December.

Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus are the only European Union member states whose citizens cannot enter the United States without a visa.

During today's visit to the centre, the ambassador praised the institution for the implementation of a new fingerprint identification system, which was also conducive to the abolishment of visas.

The new system also facilitates the exchange of dactyloscopic data between the Croatian ministry and the US Homeland Security Department and FBI.

The purpose of the system is to enable the timely and accurate identification of persons deemed to be a security risk.

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said that that would lead Croatia's integration through the exchange of data with its European and US partners.

ZAGREB, Oct 2, 2020 - Croatian citizens will soon be able to travel to the US without visas, State Secretary Mike Pompeo told Hina on Friday during his visit to the southern coastal city of Dubrovnik.

The abolishment of visas for the Croatians can be expected in the coming months.

Asked when Croatia and the US would sign the Visa Waiver Program, Pompeo said he hoped this would happen very soon, in the coming months. He stopped short of specifying the exact date.

There is still some paperwork to be done, administrative things, some of which should be done by us and some are up to the Croatian leadership. We have discussed them with Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman, and I am sure we will discuss this matter with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, he added.

Pompeo admitted that the visa regime and double taxation made doing business for Croatian entrepreneurs in the US more difficult. They are also obstacles for US investment in Croatia, he said.

I believe the double taxation convention will be concluded. We can now exchange the drafts, which is a very good sign, Pompeo told Hina.

On Wednesday, the Croatian government initiated the procedure for the conclusion of this convention.

Pompeo also commented on the investment climate in Croatia and Europe, saying that whenever US officials come to Europe and places where they know they share the same values of fair market competition, it does not help to see the Chinese Communist Party being treated differently from a European or American company. This puts people off from investing their capital in Croatia, Pompeo said.

I am optimistic that things will improve in that regard. We want to be here, we want to be active, he concluded.

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