The United States has admitted Israel into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) which is being deemed as a major boost to bilateral ties between the two countries, The Times of Israel reported.

The VWP allows citizens of participating countries to travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa.

Israelis will now only need to fill out an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form several days before travelling to the US.

The US expects to have its electronic systems in place for Israel's admittance into the VWP by November 30.

Israel has sought entry into the VWP for many decades, but it was not until this past fiscal year that it met a key requirement: a visa application refusal rate below 3%.

This was achieved through an intensive campaign by the US Embassy in Jerusalem to inform Israeli travellers how to properly fill out visa application forms, as well as atypically low travel numbers due to the pandemic.

However, it took until the last minute for the countries to iron out the details of another key component of the VWP: that Israel grant reciprocal travel rights to all US travellers.

The Biden administration has made clear that it will continue to monitor Israel's compliance with the VWP requirements and reserves the right to suspend or terminate Israel's membership in the program.