United States | Visa Waiver Program adds Romania as participating country

The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department announced the designation of Romania as a participating country in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Key Points:

• The designation was awarded because Romania demonstrated a “significant whole-of-government effort” to meet all program requirements, which included:
  • Entering into partnerships with the United States to share information on terrorism and serious crimes with U.S. law enforcement and security agencies
  • Enhancing vetting of individuals traveling to and through Romania
  • Having a rate of nonimmigrant visitor visa refusals below 3% during the previous fiscal year
  • Extending reciprocal travel privileges to all U.S. citizens and nationals without regard to national origin, religion, ethnicity or gender
• The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online application and mobile application will be updated on or around March 31, 2025, to allow most Romanian citizens and nationals to apply to travel to the U.S. under the VWP for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without first obtaining a U.S. visa. Authorizations are generally valid for two years.
• Romanian travelers with valid B-1/B-2 visas may continue to use their visa for travel to the U.S.
• DHS will continually monitor Romania’s compliance with all program requirements and, as required by statute, conduct a comprehensive assessment of Romania’s continued designation in the VWP on the national security and law enforcement interests of the United States at least once every two years.

Additional Information: The VWP is a culmination of comprehensive security partnerships between the United States and designated countries that meet strict requirements related to counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security and border management.

A recent DHS rule change updates the agency’s practice for notifying the public of countries designated for participation in the VWP. The definition of “designated country” was amended to refer to countries that the Secretary of Homeland Security has designated for VWP participation and remove references to specific countries in the regulations. Notification will be made available on the DHS U.S. Visa Waiver Program website.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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