BUDAPEST/WASHINGTON – The United States has fully reinstated Hungary’s status in its visa waiver program after Budapest addressed long-standing security concerns, the Trump administration announced on Tuesday. The move marks one of the first concrete signs of strengthened ties between Washington and the Hungarian government under President Donald Trump.
The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens from about 40 nations to visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. In recent years, Hungarian travelers faced mounting restrictions. Beginning in 2021, the Homeland Security Department revoked electronic travel approvals for Hungarian passport holders born abroad. By 2023, under the Biden administration, approvals were further curtailed to single-use authorizations valid for just one year.
“Now that the government of Hungary has taken action requested by the U.S. government to address security vulnerabilities, the restrictions imposed by the previous administration have been lifted,” DHS said in a statement.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a consistent Trump ally, hailed the decision as a breakthrough. Yet broader U.S.-Hungary relations carry points of friction. Orban has sought a comprehensive economic deal with Washington, but negotiations remain unrealized. Meanwhile, a U.S.–EU trade framework struck in July imposed a 15% tariff on most EU goods, a blow to Hungary’s auto sector, which previously enjoyed a much lower 2.5% duty.
Energy security also remains contentious. Hungary continues to rely heavily on Russian gas and oil, while Trump has intensified pressure on the EU to accelerate its energy decoupling from Moscow. At the same time, Orban’s hardline anti-immigration policies have drawn strong support within U.S. conservative circles.
Earlier this year, Hungary welcomed Trump’s decision to shut down USAID, the main U.S. foreign aid agency, further signaling a convergence of worldviews between the two leaders.