“As we speak, Secretary of Homeland Safety Alejandro N. Mayorkas, in session with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, designated Romania as a collaborating nation within the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The collaboration and data sharing on the core of the VWP will considerably improve the safety pursuits of america along with encouraging official journey and commerce between the 2 nations.
Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken commend Romania for assembly the stringent safety necessities to hitch the VWP. Romania is an distinctive U.S. associate, and our strategic relationship has solely grown stronger over the previous a number of years. Romania’s entry into the VWP is proof of our strategic partnership and our shared dedication to safety and financial prosperity.
The VWP is a end result of complete safety partnerships between america and designated nations that meet strict necessities associated to counterterrorism, regulation enforcement, immigration enforcement, doc safety, and border administration. Program necessities embrace that the nation have a charge of nonimmigrant customer visa refusals beneath 3 % in the course of the earlier fiscal 12 months; points safe journey paperwork; extends reciprocal journey privileges to all U.S. residents and nationals with out regard to nationwide origin, faith, ethnicity, or gender; and works intently with U.S. regulation enforcement and counterterrorism authorities. Romania put forth a big whole-of-government effort to fulfill all program necessities, together with getting into into partnerships with america to share info on terrorism and critical crimes with U.S. regulation enforcement and safety companies, and enhancing its vetting of people touring to and thru Romania. As with all VWP collaborating nations, DHS will regularly monitor Romania’s compliance with all program necessities and, as required by statute, conduct a complete evaluation of Romania’s continued designation within the VWP on the nationwide safety and regulation enforcement pursuits of america at the least as soon as each two years.
CBP anticipates the Digital System for Journey Authorization (ESTA) on-line utility and cellular utility will probably be up to date on or round March 31, 2025, to permit most residents and nationals of Romania to use to journey to america beneath the VWP for tourism or enterprise functions for as much as 90 days with out first acquiring a U.S. visa. These authorizations are usually legitimate for 2 years. Vacationers with legitimate B-1/B-2 visas might proceed to make use of their visa for journey to america, and B-1/B-2 visas will stay an possibility for Romanian residents. ESTA functions could also be discovered at esta.cbp.dhs.gov or obtain the “ESTA Cell” utility by the iOS App Retailer or the Google Play retailer.
U.S. residents already take pleasure in visa-free journey to Romania and are eligible to remain in Romania for as much as 90 days for tourism or enterprise functions if they’ve a passport that’s legitimate for at the least three months from the date of arrival.
Romania is the 43rd member of the VWP and the fourth nation added beneath Secretary Mayorkas’s tenure (Croatia (2021), Israel (2023), and Qatar (2024)). Further info on the VWP may be discovered at www.dhs.gov/visa-waiver-program.”
