Romania to Formalise US Visa Waiver Program Accession on January 10, 2025

January 2025 marks another success for Romania following its full Schengen accession, as the country will officially enter the US Visa Waiver Program.

On January 10, the formalisation of this process will be officially done by the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, and the Romanian Ambassador to the United States, Andrei Muraru, in Washington, Schengen.News reports. 

This means that Romanian nationals will soon be able to travel visa-free to the US for tourism or business purposes for a period of up to 90 days. 

The decision has been announced through a statement provided by the Romanian embassy in the United States.

January 10 Is the Culmination & Final Result of Years of Hard Work 
Romanian Ambassador to the United States, Andrei Muraru, has said that Friday, January 10, is the culmination and final result of years of hard work by Romanian and American officials.

The Romanian Ambassador said that becoming part of the US Visa Waiver Program will boost trade and investment and also encourage tourism. 

On January 10, 2025, Romania will join 42 other members of the US Visa Waiver Program participant countries. 

The decision comes after Romania met the visa refusal rate criterion to qualify for the US Visa Waiver Program last year, which has fallen below the 3 per cent threshold. 

Number of US Visa Applications by Romanians Nearly Doubled in 2024 
According to the figures from the Romanian Embassy in the United States, in the fiscal year 2024, Romanians filed a total of 80 596 visa applications for business and tourism purposes. 

Last year’s number of visa applications from Romanians planning to travel to the US was nearly double the figures registered in 2023. 

The statistics from the Romanian Embassy in the US also revealed that of the total number of applications, US diplomatic and consular services granted more than 78,000 visas for tourism and business purposes to nationals of Romania in 2024.

Source: https://schengen.news/romania-to-formalise-us-visa-waiver-program-accession-on-january-10-2025/