On May 2, 2025, the US Department of Homeland Security officially revoked the decision to include Romania in the Visa Waiver Program. The situation is notable for the fact that the status was revoked just 4 months after it was granted by the Biden administration in January 2025.
According to an official DHS statement, the initial decision was made “despite security concerns.” After the analysis, the agency decided to revoke Romania’s status “to protect the integrity of the program and ensure border and immigration security.”
The program was supposed to enter into force on March 31, 2025, but a week before that date, the implementation was suspended for additional verification. Romanian citizens will now still need to obtain visas to travel to the United States.
Statistics and the international context
According to official statistics, the rate of excess stay of Romanian citizens for fiscal year 2024 was 1.01% (or 657 cases out of 64,937 expected departures). This figure is below the average of 1.45% for all countries.
The rate of visa refusals is becoming a critical factor for the visa waiver program. According to data for 2024, the rate of refusals of tourist visas for Romanians is 8.79%. This is significantly higher than the 3% threshold normally required to participate in the program.
Key features of the visa-free entry program:
- The possibility of entering the United States without a visa for up to 90 days for tourism or business;
- The need for prior registration of an ESTA electronic permit;
- Regular assessment of the compliance of the participating countries with safety criteria;
- 42 countries participated, including 24 EU states.
Similar situations have occurred before. Argentina was excluded from the program in February 2002 after the economic crisis, and Uruguay in April 2003 due to inconsistency with the interests of the United States in the field of immigration control.
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It is noteworthy that the decision was announced 2 days before the second round of the Romanian presidential election, which gives it an additional political context. According to some observers, this may indirectly affect the domestic political situation in the country and strengthen the positions of individual candidates.
Of the 27 European Union countries, only Bulgaria and now Romania remain outside the visa waiver program in the United States. Even though they have been full members of the Schengen area since January 1, 2025.
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “regret” over the US decision and stressed that the country may be re-considered for inclusion in the program in the future if the established legislative criteria are met.
Implemented a system for tracking the stages of visa processing for clients, which increased their satisfaction by 30% (according to survey results).
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