The Romanian Ambassador to the US, Andrei Muraru, has confirmed that his country has met the requirements to be eligible for the Visa Waiver Programme. This means that Romanians could be eligible to travel visa-free to the United States in 2025.
In a press release, the Ambassador revealed that Romania has managed to have less than three per cent visa rejection rates – a requirement that has kept Romania behind on this process for a while, Schengen.News reports.
We are waiting for a confirmation from the American partners in the next period, but our assessment, based on the number of visa applications this year, as well as the strong downward trend in recent years, is that Romania has dropped below the three percentage of the rejection rate.
Romanian Officials ‘Strongly’ Advocating for Visa Waiver Programme Membership
Throughout the process of assessment, many Romanian officials have been particularly positive that their country would be joining the Visa Waiver Programme.
In June, Ambassador Muraru said that Romania was in the final stages of joining the programme, with the visa rejection rates being the only criteria left – for which the Ambassador was very positive that would be met by October.
We are in the final stages, meaning by the end of the American fiscal year, which ends on October 1 this year, we are confident that we will meet the criterion of having a rejection rate of less than three per cent for all Romanian citizens’ visa applications to the US.
In 2023, Romanians were granted 60,000 visas, while eight per cent of visas were rejected, which was still over the three per cent mark despite being a positive change.
Despite Meeting All Requirements, There Are Still Fields That Need Improvement
Romanians are highly likely to be granted the right to travel visa-free to the US, especially after reducing the rejection rates of Type B or visitor visas. However, this process has required improvements in many other fields.
In 2023, Romanian travellers’ refusal rate of visas dropped to 8.79 per cent – one of the lowest records in the history of the two countries’ bilateral relationship. In 2021, the rejection rate for type B visas was 17.09 per cent, while in 2022, this figure dropped to 12.61 per cent.
To access the Visa Waiver Programme, the Romanian cabinet was required to meet certain technical criteria, especially in terms of the exchange of information, the fight against terrorism, and addressing irregular migration.