29 June 2009

Greece to join US visa waiver agreement

The Associated Press has reported that Greek and US officials say they expect to conclude a visa waiver agreement soon.

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg says a deal on criminal data sharing signed Sunday will pave the way for an agreement by the year's end allowing Greeks to visit the US without visas.

Greece has long sought to be included in the visa waiver program, but negotiations with the US Government had failed to make significant progress.

Steinberg said the criminal data sharing agreement will respect Greek concerns regarding travellers' privacy.

The American Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in American visa and immigration services.