World Immigration News

United States | Visa Waiver Program adds Romania as participating country

Release Date: 2025-01-13
Media: BAL
Summary: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department have announced that Romania is now a participating country in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Key points:

Romania was designated due to its significant efforts to meet VWP requirements, including sharing terrorism and serious crime information with U.S. agencies, enhancing vetting of travelers, maintaining a nonimmigrant visa refusal rate below 3%, and offering reciprocal travel privileges to all U.S. citizens regardless of national origin, religion, ethnicity, or gender.
Starting around March 31, 2025, most Romanian citizens can apply for travel to the U.S. under the VWP for tourism or business purposes without needing a U.S. visa, with authorizations generally valid for two years.
Romanian travelers with valid B-1/B-2 visas can still use them for travel to the U.S.
DHS will monitor Romania’s compliance and conduct a comprehensive assessment every two years to ensure the country's continued participation based on U.S. national security and law enforcement interests.
The VWP is a result of strong security partnerships between the U.S. and countries that meet stringent requirements related to counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security, and border management.

Additionally, DHS has updated its rules on how it notifies the public about VWP participating countries, now referring to countries designated by the Homeland Security Secretary.
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