Restrictions at US ports: new ESTA required for Hungarian passengers

According to information from the MSC, the regulation on ESTA visas applied for and issued after 1 August 2023 has been repealed. According to the new regulation, passengers of cruise ships will have to apply for a new visa after entering the USA, the editorial team of turizmus.com has been informed.

New rules apply to Hungarian passengers on cruises from the United States. Travel agents selling cruises should also be prepared for the change during the peak cruise season, turizmus.com reports.

According to the latest guidelines from the US authorities, passengers holding a Hungarian passport will have to present a new ESTA (application for an entry permit) at the port terminal when boarding the ship.

Csaba Balogh, head of the tourism department of IBUSZ, told turizmus.com: “We were first informed about the change last week by our passengers, but on 20 February the official information about the change arrived at our office”.

The change has so far only been brought to the attention of Hungarian travellers by MSC. However, the new rule applies regardless of the company, as it is required by the Immigration Office, the expert stressed.

The previous legislation was much more permissive. From 1 August 2023 until now, with a single-entry ESTA for closed voyages (when a ship departs from and returns to the same port) a second ESTA was not required to embark, with some exceptions.

Because of the tightening, the IBUSZ travel agency now asks all travellers to apply for a new ESTA immediately after entering the United States. There is no practical obstacle to this, as the old permit officially expires immediately after entry, turizmus.com stresses.

New entry permits are usually ready within 24 hours, and experience over the past week shows that shipping companies are already allowing boarding with an ESTA application.

No restrictions apply to B1 and B2 visa holders who are in the US for 6 months as tourists or for professional reasons, turizmus.com concludes.

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