Reason why US limits visa waiver for Hungarians: passport fraud, security threat

On Tuesday, it was announced that the United States is restricting the visa-free regime for Hungarian passports. The US administration has cited unspecified security policy reasons. However, an article in a US newspaper has revealed what the specific problem might be. The Hungarian State Secretary for International Communications and Relations has also reacted to the events.

Yesterday, we reported based on Politico that the US has restricted Hungary’s participation in its visa waiver programme due to security concerns over new passports issued between 2011 and 2020.

Visa waiver limited for Hungarians

Citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program can travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa, using only an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Under Tuesday’s decision, this possibility will not be completely abolished, but will only be available one year after the online profiling of the person (required for visa-free travel) and only once.

The U.S. Embassy in Budapest has claimed that between 2011 and 2020, the Hungarian government granted Hungarian citizenship to nearly one million people through a simplified naturalisation process. This happened without proper security clearance of their identity. The government was asked for these people’s data but were not given it. The Interior Ministry has responded by saying that it believes Joe Biden’s administration is “taking revenge” on Hungarians, as we reported HERE.

What is the reason behind the limitation?

Exactly what concerns have been raised by the US side, an article in The Washington Post reveals. It was noted that the move comes at a time of disagreement between Budapest and Washington over the war in Ukraine and growing fears in the West of Russian spying, Index writes.

According to the newspaper, Hungarian passports have been abused for years. In this regard, a 2018 Homeland Security document was cited, according to which some 700 people without Hungarian citizenship had unauthorised access to Hungarian passports and fake identities, including at least 65 who had gained entry to the United States thanks to visa waivers.

Serious security risks for hundreds of thousands of passports

Because the Hungarian government has not inspected and verified the identities of those who were granted passports between 2011 and 2020, individuals “who are criminals and pose a threat” to US security may also hold Hungarian passports.

“There are very serious security risks associated with hundreds of thousands of passports issued without proper identity verification requirements”, an official requesting anonymity told The Washington Post.

Yesterday, not long after the US announced the limitation concerning Hungarian passports, Russia declared that it will make obtaining visas easier for Hungarians: we can now apply for electronic visas to Russia.

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