Qatar is the second Muslim nation whose citizens can travel to the US without a visa

AP Diplomatic Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The Gulf nation of Qatar has become just the second Muslim-majority country to be admitted into a program that allows its citizens to travel to the United States without first obtaining a U.S. visa. The departments of State and Homeland Security jointly announced Tuesday that Qatar had met stringent eligibility requirements to join the visa waiver program. Qatar is the 42nd country and the first Gulf country to be admitted to the program. Most of the others are in Europe and Asia. The only other Muslim-majority country in the program is the tiny Southeast Asian nation of Brunei. The last country to be admitted to the program was Israel in 2023.