Romania takes important hurdle for visa-free travel to the USA

From 2025, Romanian citizens will be able to travel to the United States visa-free with ESTA. This was announced by the Romanian embassy in the USA on November 27, 2024, after the U.S. Department of State (DOS) confirmed that Romania meets the requirements for inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Important requirement fulfilled

One of the decisive factors was the rejection rate for B-1 / B-2 visas in the US Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, which was 2.61 % and therefore below the required threshold of 3 %.

The 2024 US Fiscal Year is between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024, during which time Romanian nationals worldwide filed 80,596 applications for B-1 / B-2 visas, twice as many as the previous year. According to the Romanian Embassy in the USA, 78,000 of these visa applications were approved.

Final steps in the admission process

The final steps for Romania's participation in the Visa Waiver Program include the technical assessment by the US authorities and final approval by the US Congress. Experts assume that an official announcement will be made at the beginning of 2025, while implementation is expected in March or April 2025. However, the approval process may well take some time.

Until the admission to the Visa Waiver Program is officially implemented, Romanian travelers will continue to require B visas.