Cyprus Says US Visa Waiver Steps Complete, Awaits American Decision

Cyprus has completed the security and technical requirements for joining the US Visa Waiver Program and is now waiting for the outcome of procedures on the American side, Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Theodora Constantinidou said. She was speaking at the first annual AmCham Cyprus conference in Nicosia on Friday, 6 November.

Membership of the programme remains a priority for Cyprus, Constantinidou said. She also confirmed that Cyprus and the United States are working to convene a second Strategic Dialogue, with both sides wanting the next round of talks to deliver concrete results.

Key facts

• Who spoke: Theodora Constantinidou, Permanent Secretary of the Cyprus Foreign Ministry
• Where and when: first annual AmCham Cyprus conference, Nicosia, Friday 6 November
• Visa waiver status: Cyprus says it has completed the required security and technical steps and is awaiting US procedures
• Previous talks: the first US Strategic Dialogue took place in Nicosia in October 2024
• Also on the agenda: direct flights and a facility for US border checks before departure from Cyprus

What is the status of the US visa waiver?

According to Constantinidou, Cyprus has finished the security and technical steps required under the US Visa Waiver Program. What remains is the outcome of US procedures, and no date for a decision was given.

No start date for visa-free travel to the United States has been announced. Cypriot travellers therefore still need to follow the current entry rules for the United States.

What else is on the agenda?

The first Strategic Dialogue between the two countries was held in Nicosia in October 2024 and set up a framework for cooperation on security, defence, energy and technology. Constantinidou said both countries want the next round of talks to produce concrete results, though no date for the second dialogue was announced.

Invest Cyprus chairman Evgenios Evgeniou set out four further priorities for closer business ties: updating the double taxation treaty, reaching a bilateral social security agreement, establishing direct flights, and exploring a facility that would let passengers complete US border checks before departing Cyprus.

What this means for travellers

Nothing changes for travellers yet. Cyprus says its part of the visa waiver process is done, but entry rules for Cypriot passport holders travelling to the United States remain as they are until the US side completes its procedures.

Travellers can also watch two related proposals mentioned at the conference: direct flights between Cyprus and the United States, and a pre-departure US border check facility in Cyprus. Neither has a confirmed timeline.

Former Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna said the agreement between the EU Council and the European Parliament on implementing the EU–US trade deal gave businesses greater certainty while keeping safeguards for European producers. Panicos Pourgourides, head of the European Commission Representation in Cyprus, said Cyprus could help connect Europe with partners in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.