Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides held his first official meeting with the newly arrived US ambassador, John Breslow, on 15 September. According to a readout released after the talks, both sides agreed to intensify technical work on Cyprus’ long-standing goal of entering the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Inclusion would allow Cypriot passport-holders to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without applying for a B-1/B-2 visa, a change that would significantly cut processing time for business travellers and tourists alike. The two leaders also reviewed defence cooperation, notably the US-funded expansion of the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos, and energy investments by American majors in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone. However, business groups immediately zeroed in on the VWP reference, noting that rejection rates for Cypriot visa applications fell below the US statutory ceiling of 3 per cent for the first time in 2025—one of the key eligibility benchmarks. Remaining hurdles include the signing of bilateral information-sharing agreements on terrorism and serious crime (PCSC and HSPD-6) and upgrading Cypriot passport security to full ICAO 9303-compliant e-passports with next-generation biometrics. The Interior Ministry told local press that Cyprus has already issued over 410,000 e-passports since 2023, and a tender for a Public Key Directory connection with the US Department of Homeland Security is expected by year-end. If successful, Cyprus would become the 42nd country in the VWP and only the fourth EU member still outside Schengen to join, after Croatia’s accession in 2021. For multinational companies basing regional staff in Nicosia or Limassol, visa-free US access would remove a major administrative burden, especially for shipping, financial-services and tech professionals who frequently shuttle between New York, Houston and Silicon Valley. Mobility teams should start mapping out internal processes for collecting ESTA data and educating employees on the 90-day stay limit once timelines become clearer.
Source: Cyprus Mail
