BRUSSELS - CITIZENS from six European countries will be able to travel to the United States without visas from next week and people from other EU nations could join them this year, US officials said on Friday.

'On Monday the 17th, citizens from seven additional countries, six of which are members of the European Union, will be eligible to travel for the first time under the visa waiver programme,' said a US Homeland Security envoy.

'We continue to work with the other countries,' said envoy Ms Jackie Bednarz.

From Monday, people from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary and Slovakia will be able to travel to the US visa-free provided they have a biometric passport and fill out a travel authority form online.

South Korea also joins the so-called US Visa Waiver Programme.

People will be able to travel to the US without a visa for business and tourist purposes. However trips concerning work and study will remain subject to visa requirements.

Washington is also in talks with Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Poland and Romania - the only EU states outside the programme - and could admit some by January 20, when US president-elect Barack Obama takes office.

'It is our commitment that we would be able to admit additional countries before the change of US administrations,' Ms Bednarz said.

However a US official noted, 'Among these countries there are still some with a higher than 10 per cent refusal rate, which means they won't be able to join this year.' The official declined to name the countries.

US policy has been to assess each country individually, and to refuse visa-waiver status based on a number of criteria, like the number of visas which have been refused or security issues.

The European Commission has threatened to take retaliatory measures against the United States from Jan over Washington's failure to extend visa-free travel to all 27 EU member nations.

On Jan 12, travellers to the United States will be obliged to obtain approval for their trips through an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), which can be filled out over the Internet.

To gain ESTA approval, passengers must provide the same details that they usually fill in on travel landing cards. -- AFP