The Romanian government urged Romanians to renew their expired visas to the United States as part of an effort to join the Visa Waiver Programme, which allows visa-free entry to the US.
The campaign, called “Qualify Romania in the Visa Waiver Programme,” will be promoted through television, radio, and online platforms. Romanians whose visas have expired in the last four years are encouraged to renew them by 30 September.
The Romanian authorities aim to meet the technical criteria necessary to join the programme by the end of the US fiscal year 2024. A key criterion is to achieve a rejection rate of less than 3% for US B1/B2 visas issued to Romanian citizens during this fiscal year. These are business and tourist visas.
Romanians, Bulgarians, and Cypriots are the only EU citizens who still need a visa to enter the US. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu believes that mobilising as many Romanians as possible for this campaign will ensure visa-free travel to the US starting next year.
There are indications that Romania is close to reaching the 3 per cent rejection rate. According to Valentin Vătăjelu, the national coordinator for Romania’s accession to the Visa Waiver Programme, the campaign serves as a “safety net” to ensure that all previous efforts are not wasted.
Last month, Romania’s ambassador to the US, Andrei Muraru, announced that Romania was in the final stages of meeting the criteria for admission to the Visa Waiver Programme. He noted that the rejection rate for the last fiscal year ending 1 October 2023 was more than 8%. However, he expressed optimism that it could fall below 3% this year.
